Amaka Okafor

Sally Amaka Okafor is a British actress She is known for her work in theatre and her roles in the film Greatest Days 2023 as well as the BBC One series The Responder 2022 and the Netflix series Bodies 2023 Okafor was born in Birmingham to a Nigerian reggae artist father and an Indian journalist mother and moved around the UK growing up She studied theatre devising at Liverpool John Moores University She began her career touring community theatre in schools prisons and churches and was a member of the Unicorn Theatre ensemble in London for two years Originally credited as Sally Amaka Okafor she made her West End theatre debut playing Sofia in Florian Zellers The Son which transferred from Kilburns Kiln Theatre to the Duke of Yorks theatre in October 2019 In 2016 she appeared in Peter Pan at the National Theatre and played Lady Macduff in Macbeth at the same theatre in 2018She has appeared at the Royal Court Theatre in Hope Has A Happy Meal 2023 Grimly Handsome 2017 Its All Made Up The Space Between and I See You She has played Miranda in Unicorn Theatres The Tempest Guildenstern in Almeida Theatres Hamlet Amal in National Theatre of Scotlands Glasgow Girls and an official in Hamlet at the Barbican Centre Her other theatre credits include Nora A Dolls House 2020 Bird and After The End 2022 Okafors television work has included playing DI Deborah Barnes a former colleague of the central character Chris Carson in the BBCs The ResponderShe also appears in BBC drama The Split 2020 Okafor appears as DS Hasan in Netflixs Bodies Bodies is created by Paul Tomalin directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner and based on the graphic novel by Si Spencer and Dean Ormston In one of her most prominent roles to date Okafor stars alongside Aisling Bea Alice Lowe and Jayde Adams in Greatest Days a 2023 cinematic adaptation of Take Thats smashhit stage musical The Band Greatest Days portrays a group of school friends reuniting after 25 years The BFIs review says that Okafor and her costars make the most of the films more predictable plotlines and gags Her other film work includes upcoming UK indie comedy drama Sweet Sue directed by Leo Leigh Okafor is also known for her work in radio drama and audiobooks portraying Kaz in longrunning BBC soap The Archers a rare brief occurrence of a BAME character in this rural soap opera and Zoe in Mark Ravenhills adaptation of the Dion Boucicault play The Octoroon and appearing in Neil Gaimans podcast series The Sandman She starred as Emily McCoy in Tom Stoppards 2013 radio play Darkside based on Pink Floyds classic album The Dark Side of the Moon