Gbenga Akinnagbe

Gbenga Akinnagbe BENG-gə ə-KEEN-ə-bay (born December 12, 1978) is an American actor and writer, best known for his role as Chris Partlow on the HBO series The Wire. 2Early life Akinnagbe was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Nigerian parents. He was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He is the second oldest of six children, with one older sister and four younger brothers, and the first in his family to be born in the United States. He attended Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland. He attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship, majoring in Political Science and English. 2Career 3Acting Akinnagbe played Ben Ellis in the episode Contenders on the TV series Numb3rs. In the summer of 2006, Akinnagbe performed the role of "Zim" in the NYC Fringe Festival's "Outstanding Play" award-winning production of Modern Missionary. In 2003, Akinnagbe auditioned for the role of Chris Partlow on the HBO series The Wire and starting in 2004 began a frequent recurring role. In 2008 during the show's fifth and final season, he was promoted to a series regula