Meet Adetomiwa Edun, Nigerian-British actor and son of Nigeria’s finance minister

Babatunde Adetomiwa Stafford “Tomiwa” Edun, professionally known as Adetomiwa Edun, is an actor of Nigerian descent based in the United Kingdom.

Edun was born on March 4, 1984, in Lagos, Nigeria, to Adebayo Olawale Edun, Nigeria’s current Minister of Finance and Amy Adwoa Edun, daughter of Ghanaian statesman, Joa Appiah.

In 1996, he moved to the United Kingdom with his family at the age of 11 where his passion for acting and theatre grew.

Educational and career pursuit

Edun attended Eton College, a boarding school in England, and later pursued a degree in Classics at Christ’s College, a constituent of the University of Cambridge. In his final year at Christ’s College, he won the dissertation prize for his thesis on Homer’s Odyssey.

Edun initially considered a career in banking like his father, following an internship with Citi Group but chose to pursue acting.

His father co-founded Investment Banking & Trust Company Limited, now Stanbic IBTC, one of Nigeria’s biggest investment banking franchises.

Edun attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2008 which served as a platform for his acting career.

A drama king

Edun began acting professionally in 2000 after appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival show Kassandra, where he played the character of Clifford. He has taken on main character roles in several other theatre productions including Lionboy, Romeo and Juliet, and Translations.

He also played Macbeth in a production of the play by the National Theatre, earning praise for being “charismatic” and a “fine verse speaker.”

In television, Edun has left his footprint on the set of some widely renowned television series including Merlin where he played the role of Sir Elyan, and has made appearances in Lucifer, The Fixer, and Law & Order: UK, as a soldier returning from the war in Afghanistan,

He also played a war criminal in an episode of ‘Elementary’ and was featured in a ‘Doctor Who Christmas Special’ as the character of Mr. Brocks.

Edun could also be spotted on the big screen in movies like ‘A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life’, ‘What Happened to Monday’, ‘Cinderella’, and ‘In the Cloud’.

The 40-year-old has also connected with his Nigerian roots having starred in Nollywood films including Banana Island Ghost and From Lagos with Love, a 2018 film where he played the character of Paul de Sande.

Edun’s versatility extended to motion capture when he offered his voice and appearance to FIFA for the character of Alex Hunter, the main protagonist of football story mode The Journey which featured in FIFA 17, FIFA 18, and FIFA 19.