Ololade "Lolly" Adefope[2] (born 1990 or 1991) is an English stand-up comedian and actress, specialising in character comedy.[3] She is known for playing the role of Fran in the Hulu comedy series Shrill, and as Kitty, the ghost of a Georgian noblewoman in the BBC comedy Ghosts, for which she was nominated for a National Comedy Award in 2021.[4]
Early life and education
Adefope was born in South London to Nigerian parents.[1] She went to Loughborough University to study English literature.[5][6][7] While at university, she started performing with a sketch comedy group.[5]
Career
After university Adefope applied to drama school but was rejected, so she began working in an office.[8] She began her career as a stand-up comic and transitioned into acting after receiving positive attention for solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015 and 2016.[5] Also in 2015, she was selected for the BBC Writersroom comedy programme,[9] and in 2016 she was nominated for two Chortle Awards.[10][11]
Shrill star and co-creator Aidy Bryant has praised Adefope's acting for "how much she can convey with just the slightest movement of her eyes."[5] Her performance in that show introduced her to wider audiences, and she began to receive a flood of offers for new roles. As of May 2021, she was working on developing a new television show that she would also star in, as well as a podcast.[5] In October 2021, it was announced that Adefope will be appearing in an upcoming American television series, Girls Can't Shoot (& Other Lies) based on Scarlett Curtis's anthology, Feminists Don't Wear Pink (& Other Lies).[14]