Alex Lanipekun is an English actor who portrayed Hank Wonham on Homeland.
Biography[]
Born in London in 1981, Alex Lanipekun has become known as an actor. He also worked as a freelance journalist and musician in the field of hip-hop. In 2001 he released an album called "Onederful World" with the group ONE.
Lanipekun was born in south London during the Brixton riots. His father is from Nigeria and his mother is half Italian and half British. However, the two separated when Alex was four, so he moved with his mother to the north of the city, where she worked as a music teacher. Alex Lanipekun was a very good student and received, among other things, a scholarship to Christ's Hospital School in Horsham. He then attended Westminster College and received a loan to study anthropology at the University of London.
Lanipekun then trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He was financed by various art foundations. He graduated early to accept a role in the British TV series Spooks. He also had a supporting role in the second season of the British series Being Human and received the recurring role of James Harman in the 2014 events series 24: Live Another Day. That same year, he starred as Hank Wonham in the fourth season of Homeland.
However, Lanipekun is not only a film and television actor. You can also see him regularly at the theater. For example, in 2009 he played the role of Danilo in "Dimetos", which was played by Ben Kingsley in 1976. In 2010 he was part of "Hamlet" production at the National Theater in London and in 2013 he played the lead role of the musician Joshua in "Amygdala". Aside from that, Lanipekun can often be heard in radio plays and received the coveted Carleton Hobbs Award in 2007. For him, this work is one of the most exciting, because you have to create an atmosphere with your voice alone that captivates the listener to the radio.
Alex Lanipekun knew early on that he wanted to be an actor. At the age of 13 he landed a role in the musical adaptation of the film Bugsy Malone at the National Youth Music Theatre. At the age of 17, an engagement at the National Youth Theater followed, which is why he finally decided to give acting a serious chance.