Ato Blankson-Wood is a Tony-nominated broadway actor, TV/movie actor, singer, and musician.
He is best known for starring in Jeremy O. Harris' three-act play Slave Play. He received a nomination for a Tony award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
Similarly, his other famous theatre works include The Rolling Stone at Lincoln Center Theater, The Public Works' Twelfth Night, and As You Like It, Transfers at MCC.
Likewise, his known TV/movie are It's Kind of a Funny Story, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Detroit.
So, what is Ato Blankson-Wood's age? How much is his net worth? We have all the details of his personal and professional life here.
Ato Blankson-Wood Talks About His Parents, Their Story, Siblings, And More
Ato Blankson-Wood was born on August 25, 1984, in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. As of September 2022, he is 38-year-old.
While, Blankson-Wood lives a private life and does not share much about his family, during one of his interviews, he revealed that he grew up in a big family and has four siblings.
Ato Blankson-Wood with his family
In an interview with Grazia Magazine, the actor stated:
When I was growing up, music was a big thing in our house. I have four siblings, but by the time I was ten, I was the only one left, and I was the one watching all the movie musicals with her since my siblings had all gotten over it.
Ato also got candid about his parents. He revealed that his mother worked as a midwife for 35 years in a hospital. Many people in the Ghanaian community surrounding D.C. would come to her.
Similarly, his father was an accountant for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Also, he is a registered Republican and very conservative.
Blankson-Wood further revealed that his parents grew up in Ghana but met only in New York. His mother moved to the states at 27 and met his father in New York in the 1980s.
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How His Parents Helped Him Became An Actor?
Ato Blankson-Wood has always wanted to be an actor ever since he was a kid and used to watch all these musicals with his parents.
In an interview, he mentioned:
"My parents grew up in Ghana. So the musicals were part of being American to her. And in Ghana there was a lot of Western influence. It was colonized by the British and wasn't independent until the 1960s. So when they were growing up over there, there were deeply western influences in the country."
He was highly influenced by musicals and started interested in being an actor.
His father and mother helped him throughout middle and high school as he was timid.
They helped him build confidence on stage, and the actor often mentions them for being supportive and helpful folks.
Actor Ato Blankson-Wood
After high school, Blankson-Wood enrolled at NYU and continued training in acting. Eventually, he joined the Yale School of Drama.
During his time at Yale, he worked on various dramas such as The Master and Margarita, A Map of Virtue; He Left Quietly, Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? The Shoemaker's Prodigious Wife and so on.
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Theatre Credits-Nominated For Tony Award For Slave Play
Ato Blankson-Wood is a trendy and talented theatre actor. He has been active for over a decade.
Some of his best theatre works are listed below.
Hair (musical): Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical that discusses the "hippie counterculture and sexual revolution of the late 1960s".
Blankson-Wood played the role of a Tribe on March 7, 2010, at Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York, NY. He also performed via The Public Theater at Delacorte Theatre from July 22–September 14, 2008.
Lysistrata Jones: Lysistrata Jones is a musical comedy adaptation of Aristophanes' comedy Lysistrata. He played the role of Tyllus in the play.
The show opened on March 6, 2009, till June 27, 2010, at Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York, NY. Again on May 15 till June 19, 2011, from Transport Group Theatre Company at The Gym at Judson.
Iphigenia in Aulis: The play is based on the life of Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek coalition & before and during the Trojan War.
Ato played the role of Chorus in the play. The show opened on September 10 till October 4, 2015, from Classic Stage Company at Classic Stage Company Theatre, New York, NY.
The Total Bent: The Total Bent is a musical satire from Haven Theatre. The play focuses on the bittersweet relationship of a father and son who both indulges in music.
Ato Blankson-Wood played the role of a son Marty Roy and was highly appreciated for his performance.
The show opened on May 10 till June 19, 2016, at The Public Theater, New York, NY.
As You Like It: As You Like It is William Shakespeare's comedy play believed to have been written in 1599. The story follows the life of Rosalind and her journey in the Forest of Arden.
Ato played Orlando in their version of the play. The show was opened on September 1 till September 5, 2017, at Delacorte Theatre, New York, NY, from The Public Theatre's Public Works.
Tony-nominated actor Ato Blankson-Wood
Twelfth Night: The romantic comedy play is from William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602.
The play centers on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck.
Blankson-Wood played the role of Orsino in their version of the play. The show opened on July 17 till August 19, 2018, at Delacorte Theatre, New York, NY.
Long Day's Journey into Night: It is a four acts play written by Eugene O'Neill in 1939–41. The play is considered one of the finest American plays of the 20th century.
It first premiered in Sweden in February 1956 and then opened on Broadway in November 1956, winning the Tony Award for Best Play.
Ato plays the character named Edmund Tyrone in their version. The show opened on January 18 till February 20, 2022, at Minetta Lane Theatre. New York, NY.
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Role In Slave Play-Received Tony Nomination
Blankson-Wood received huge recognition following his role in the play Slave Play.
Slave Play is a three-act play by Jeremy O. Harris which focuses on race, sex, trauma, and interracial relationships.
Harris originally wrote the play in his first year at the Yale School of Drama, and it debuted on a major stage on November 19, 2018.
The drama received 12 nominations at the 74th Tony Awards, becoming the most nominations for a non-musical play.
Ato Blankson-Wood attending an event
Ato played the role of Gary. While talking about the process of his role in Slave Play, he, in an interview with Esquire, stated:
My prep for SP was minimal, which is unusual for me. From an acting standpoint, I knew that the play was one of those plays that is a train you get on and allow to work on you. It also helped that in my personal life I had encountered much of what my character has to confront in the play.
He continued:
"I guess you could say I became involved when I met our playwright Jeremy O. Harris the summer before he started at Yale. He was already at work on what would become Slave Play and in his second year, I went to see the workshop production at Yale and was blown away."
He received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.
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Awards And Nominations
Ato Blankson-Wood has received many prestigious award nominations throughout his successful theatre career.
- Drama League Award: Distinguished Performance for The Total Bent for his role Marty Roy.
- For the same play, he received a nomination for Lortel Award: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical-both in 2017.
- In 2019, Blankson-Wood was nominated for Lortel Award: Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for Slave Play, where he played the role of Gary.
- Likewise, in 2020, Ato was nominated for the Drama League Award: Distinguished Performance for The Rolling Stone as Dembe.
- For his role in Slave Play as Gary, he received many award nominations, including the Drama League Award: Distinguished Performance and Tony Award: Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.
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Movie And Television Roles
Ato Blankson-Wood made his on-screen debut in 2010 in the movie It's Kind of a Funny Story.
Then in 2013, he appeared in the short The Mourning Kid as Pail Hutts.
After nearly four years, in 2017, Ato made an appearance in the film Detroit, where he appeared as Eddie.
The same year, he made an appearance in the television series She's Gotta Have It. He appeared in the two episodes of the show.
Likewise, he also has a guest appearance in the comedy tv series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He played the role of Lindsey Trent and appeared in an episode titled Because You Left.
Ato Blankson-Wood on the set of History of a Pleasure Seeker
In 2018, Ato Blankson-Wood had a small role in the movie The Kindergarten Teacher. He also made an appearance in the television series The Good Fight.
Further, he has been part of movies and television shows such as BlacKkKlansman, When They See Us, Worth, and The Same Storm.
His upcoming project is a television series, History of A Pleasure Seeker. Based on Richard Mason's novel, the project was a musical drama set in Amsterdam in 1907.
Hw will play the role of Ntando Madwayl alongside Carla Woodcock and Callum Kerr.
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How Much Is The Net Worth Of Ato Blankson-Wood?
As of September 2022, Ato Blankson-Wood is estimated to have a net worth of $1 million.
His primary income source is his acting career. As per the sources, the salaries of Theater actors in the US range from $23,214 to $623,331, with a median salary of $111,962.
The middle 57% of theater actors reportedly make between $111,962 and $282,377, with the top 86% earning $623,331.
The income can vary greatly depending on the performer’s experience, the size, and the location of the theatre company.
Ato Blankson-Wood net Worth: $1 million
Likewise, in the USA, the average earning of an actor is $43k: the best-paid 25 percent makes around $60k, while the lowest-paid 25 percent earns $28k.
Came Out As Gay At 19
Ato Blankson-Wood is openly gay. He came out to his parents at 19 but was open to his friends and siblings years before.
He revealed that despite being a member of the Ghanaian culture, which is unfortunately deeply homophobic, their parents, siblings, and friends were very supportive.
Blankson-Wood, in an interview, also revealed that he thought of being in the closet as an actor but later dismissed the idea as he would not be true to himself.
"Coming out of undergrad, I considered being in the closet as an actor. But I feel like a lot of what I like about myself and what feels true for me is an expression of feminine energy as well. My dad was around for sure, but I was raised by my mom and my sisters and my grandma. They were all sort of my entryway into love and care and how I walk through the world."
Is Openly Gay Actor Ato Blankson-Wood Dating Someone?
Ato Blankson-Wood is very private, and nothing about his relationship is revealed to the world.
He has not introduced anyone as his boyfriend, which is why we can assume, he is single.
Ato Blankson-Wood came out as gay to his parents at 19
The actor is also not much active on social media. He is in and out with them as he feels they have led privacy to die.
