| Arnold Oceng | |
| Other Names: | Snakeyman |
| Birth Date: | 30 November 1985 |
| Birth Name: | Arnold Oceng |
| Birth Place: | Uganda |
| Nationality: | Ugandan, British |
| Years Active: | 1999–present |
| Awards: | National Film Awards, 2017 |
Arnold Oceng, sometimes known as Snakeyman, (born 30 November 1985), is a Ugandan-born British actor and singer.[1] Oceng is best known for the roles in Grange Hill, Adulthood and Brotherhood.[2]
He was born on 30 November 1985.[3] In 1986 when he was one year of age, his family moved to Brixton, South London as refugees.
He started acting at the age of 6 as a child artist.[4] In school, he played as 'King Herod' in the play at the Corpus Christi Roman Catholic primary school on Brixton Hill.
In 1999, he made his acting debut as a child artist with the role 'Calvin Braithwaite' in the 73 episodes of BBC children's television drama serial Grange Hill. The series was highly popular and continued until 2004.[5] Since then he acted in minor supportive roles in many television serials including, Casualty, The Bill and Sold. Oceng made his maiden cinema appearance in 2008 film Adulthood. He later followed with supportive roles in independent UK films, 4.3.2.1. and My Brother The Devil.
In 2014, he acted alongside Reese Witherspoon in the film The Good Lie, which became his first Hollywood role. In 2016, he made the role 'Charles' in the film A United Kingdom which had its premier in BFI London Film Festival. Then he starred in the Danish biopic The Greatest Man screened in 2016. In the same year, he joined the cast of film Brotherhood. In 2017, he was nominated for the Male Performance in Film award at Screen Nation Film and Television Awards which was held at the Park Plaza London Riverbank hotel on 7 May 2017.[6] In the same year, he won the award for the Best Supporting Actor at National Film Awards UK for his role in Brotherhood.[7]
| Denotes projects that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Prodigals | Marlon | Short film |
| 2008 | Adulthood | Henry | |
| One of Those Days | Angel Steward #4 | Short film | |
| 2009 | Dog Endz | Quinton | TV film |
| 2010 | 4.3.2.1. | Dark Chocolate | |
| 2011 | The Tapes | Nathan | |
| Victim | Jayden | ||
| Demons Never Die | Curtis | ||
| Point Blank | TV film | ||
| 2012 | My Brother the Devil | Aj | |
| Payback Season | Maxy | ||
| The Knot | Fulishio Akinkugbe | ||
| 2013 | Circle of Revenge | Lil Reese | |
| It's a Lot | Aasif | ||
| 2014 | The Good Lie | Mamere | |
| 2016 | Brotherhood | Henry Okocha | |
| A United Kingdom | Charles | ||
| 2017 | Breathe | Arnold | Short film |
| Pound for Pound | Ayub Kalule | ||
| TBC | Finding Forever | Marvin | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-2004 | Grange Hill | Calvin Braithwaite | Series regular; 73 episodes |
| 2006 | Casualty | Solomon 'Sol' Lakah | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2007 | The Bill | Wayne Tindle | Episode: "The Good Old Days" |
| Sold | Josh | Series 1, Episode 3 | |
| 2011 | Top Boy | Femi | Series 1, Episode 1 |
| 2017 | This World | Joseph | Episode: "The Attack: Terror in the UK" |
| 2018 | Age Before Beauty | Leon | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Dark Money | Ryan Osei | Miniseries; 4 episodes |
| 2022 | The Underground | Jaidai | Miniseries |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | National Film Awards | Best Newcomer | The Good Lie | |
| 2017 | National Film Awards | Best Breakthrough Performance in a Film | Brotherhood | |
| National Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Brotherhood | ||
| Screen Nation Film and Television Awards | Male Performance in Film | Brotherhood | ||