Toheeb Jimoh

Toheeb Jimoh is a British-Nigerian actor. He earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and won both a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critic's Choice Breakthrough Award for his performance as Sam Obisanya in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso (2020–2023).

Early life and education Toheeb Jimoh was born in Brixton, London, South London, to parents of Nigerian descent. He moved to Nigeria as a toddler and returned to London when he was seven. before going on to train at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 2018.

Career Jimoh, in 2020, played Anthony Walker, the victim of a 2005 racist attack, in BBC One's Anthony, which imagines Walker's life if he had not been killed. His portrayal was called "utterly magnetic".

Jimoh was in a stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Sheffield Crucible and in 2020, was one of six performers in the Almeida Theatre's Christmas Play Nine Lessons and Carols, the theatre's first production post London's COVID-19 lockdown.

When Jimoh auditioned for Ted Lasso, the character of Sam Obisanya was written as Ghanaian, but his background was changed to Nigerian to match Jimoh's own. His performance has received praise, with his character called the "heartbeat" of the show. He also has a small part in the Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch.

In 2024, Jimoh played Hal in Player Kings, an adaption of Shakespeare's Henry IV part 1 and 2 by Robert Icke which also co-stars Ian McKellen and Richard Coyle.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2021 The French Dispatch Cadet 1 2026 Clarissa Young Peter Prima Facie Johnny Post-production

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Project Result Ref. Critics' Choice Television Awards Breakthrough Award Ted Lasso Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Black Reel Awards Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series Hollywood Music in Media Awards Song – Onscreen Performance (TV Show/Limited Series) "So Long, Farewell" Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Ted Lasso 2024 Ian Charleson Awards Romeo and Juliet