Ato Essandoh
Essandoh in 2018, photo by DFree/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Ato Essilfi Bracato Essandoh
Place of Birth: Schenectady, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: July 29, 1972
Ethnicity: Ghanaian
Ato Essandoh is an American actor. He is known for his roles on the shows Damages, Treme, Blue Bloods, Copper, Elementary, Believe, Girls, Vinyl, Chicago Med, Wolverine: The Long Night, Altered Carbon, The Code, Tales from the Loop, Away, Agent Stoker, Let the Right One In, and The Diplomat, and in the films Garden State, Saving Face (2004), Prime, Falling for Grace (2006), Blood Diamond, Django Unchained, Jason Bourne, O.G., Dark Phoenix, and Reptile (2023).
His parents, Monica and Ebow Essandoh, are Ghanaian immigrants. His name mean “Saturday” in Fante, a subgroup of the Akan people.
While two of his characters have been notably Jewish, Ato himself is not Jewish.
His first name means “Saturday” in Fante, which would seem to imply he’s Fante, a subgroup of the Akan peoples of Ghana.