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Echikunwoke in 2016, photo by vonora /bigstock.com
Birth Name: Ebubennem Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke
Place of Birth: Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Date of Birth: May 28, 1983
Ethnicity: * father – Igbo Nigerian * mother – English, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, German
Megalyn Echikunwoke is an American actress. She appeared on the series 24 and The 4400 . She is also known as Megalyn E.K.
Her father, Onigwe Versato Echikunwoke, was Nigerian, of the Igbo tribe, and was said to be the son of a Nigerian tribal leader. The surname Echikunwoke means “leader of men.” Her mother, Anita, is a white American, with English, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, and German ancestry. She is from an LDS (Mormon) family. Her cousin is Nigerian-American hammer thrower Annette Echikunwoke.
Megalyn’s maternal grandfather was Little Ornette/Ornett/Orette Tolman (the son of Little John Tolman and Laura Victoria Peeples). Megalyn’s grandfather Little was born in Star Valley, Wyoming. Megalyn’s great-grandfather Little John was the son of Cyrus Hewett Tolman and Margaret Eliza Utley. Laura was the daughter of William Calvin Peeples and Laura Grace Brown.
Megalyn’s maternal grandmother was Aletha Jane Smith (the daughter of Charles Lee Smith and Eva/Evangeline Elizabeth Haas). Aletha was born in Winner, South Dakota. Charles was the son of Ferdinand M. Smith and Mary Margaret Hayes.
Sources: http://www.usanetwork.com
Genealogies and obituaries of Megalyn’s maternal grandparents, Little Ornette/Ornett/Orette Tolman and Aletha Jane (Smith) Tolman – https://www.findagrave.com
Genealogies of Megalyn’s maternal grandparents, Little Ornette/Ornett/Orette Tolman and Aletha Jane Smith – https://www.geni.com
Obituary of Megalyn’s maternal grandmother, Aletha Jane (Smith) Tolman – http://www.deseretnews.com