Brian Ogola


Brian Omondi Ogola Genard, credited as Brian Ogola, is a Kenyan film, television and stage actor. Since 2012 he has played roles in television shows, such as Jane and Abel, and in films such as Kati Kati, Lusala, Neophobia, and Poacher which was the first Kenyan film to premiere on Netflix.

Early life

Ogola was born in December 8, 1989 and raised in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, the son of George Josia Ogola Osele. He attended Unity Primary School and later St. Mary’s School, Yala, where he completed his high school education and became interested in theatre. He performed in church plays and musicals around the city from 2009. Ogola took business courses at the Technical University of Kenya from 2010 and then at Kenya Institute of Management, but left to pursue acting full time in 2013.

Career

In 2012 under the coaching of David Morin of Slingshot Productions, Ogola won an "actors monologue challenge". He made appearances in local tv shows such as Mwangaza, ''Love 101 on KTN, Block D and Lies That Bind. In 2014, he joined the soap opera Jane and Abel as leading man Abel Simba.
In 2015, he appeared as Anto in the movie Kati Kati, which was nominated at the 90th Academy Awards as Best Foreign Language Film. The film won the 2017 Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival’s Emerging Filmmaker Award and 2017 Africa Movie Viewer’s Choice Awards for East Africa.
In 2017, he starred in the short film Neophobia, the only African movie chosen for the 70th Cannes Film Festival. He was nominated for best film supporting actor at the East African Riverwood Awards for his role in the movie. The same year, he appeared in the Too Early for Birds historical plays, based on the blog Owaahh and as Mark in the film 18 Hours written and directed by Njue Kevin.
In 2018, Ogola played Mutua in the Netflix short film Poacher. The film was selected as a finalist at the Hollywood #Just4Shorts festival and was also selected to screen at the World of Film International Festival Glasgow'2018. The same year he appeared in the film Lusala. He also appeared in the films Selina and Crime and Justice.
In 2022, he starred in the new play Speak their Names'' by Sylvia Cassini at venues in Nairobi.