BY JOE REID |

Working Actor: Sophie Okonedo

She's been nominated for an Academy Award, and yet 'After Earth' star Sophie Okonedo is probably not the most household of names. But she's consistently delivering great work in small roles. Here's where you may have seen her doing just that.

Working Actor: Sophie Okonedo

You've Most Likely Seen Her In ...

...Her Oscar-nominated turn in 2004's Hotel Rwanda, where she played the wife of Don Cheadle. Ultimately, she lost the award to Cate Blanchett, but what's the shame in that?

Unless You've Really Been Paying Attention, in Which Case You Remember Her From ...
... Aside from Hotel Rwanda, Okonedo has gotten most recognition for her performances in the sensitive and harrowing HBO film Tsunami: The Aftermath (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), as well as the feature film Skin, where she played the daughter of two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa's apartheid era.

"Wait, So She's That Woman From ..."
... the movie adaptation of the bestselling book The Secret Life of Bees, where she played the troubled sister of Queen Latifah and Alicia Keys.

You Can Also Go Back and Spot Her In ...
... everything from the Stephen Frears indie hit Dirty Pretty Things, with Audrey Tatou and Chiwetel Ejiofor, to Aeon Flux, with Charlize Theron, all the way back to a small part in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, with Jim Carrey.

Perhaps Your Cultural Tastes Lie in British TV, In Which Case...
... you've probably seen much more of Okonedo than the rest of us. Her prolific British-TV career has encompassed playing the title role in the BBC's Mrs. Mandela, to appearances on series and mini-series like Dr. Who, Clocking Off, and Criminal Justice.

Where You Can Find Her Now ...
...As Will Smith's onscreen wife and Jaden Smith's onscreen mother (ah, the Jada Pinkett role!) in M. Night Shyamalan's futuristic mind-bender After Earth.

Previously: Cannes Excitement Index Part 2: The Big Winners

Previously: Is This the End of Movie Trailers As We Know Them?

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