About Greta Onieogou Wiki - aka Layla Keating on 'All American'

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Early life, family, educational background

Russian-born Canadian actress Greta Adah Onieogou (Грета Онейогоу in Russian) was born on 14 March 1991, in Leningrad, Russian SFSR Soviet Union – now known as Saint Petersburg, Russia – making her a Pisces. Her parents are Nigerian-Russian, and the family has mixed ethnicity. When she was five years old, the family moved to Toronto, Canada; not much is known about her family or upbringing. When she was older, Greta got into rhythmic gymnastics, and during her training, she spent a couple of months working with Alexandra Orlando, a retired rhythmic gymnast.

Greta is probably best known for starring as Layla Keating, in the American drama “All American” in 2020, also in 2015’s “Heroes Reborn: Dark Matters,” 2016’s “Miss Sloane,” and in the Canadian drama, “Heartland” in 2012 as Soraya Duval.

Career

Greta’s on-screen debut was in 2005, as Tammy in the film “Fever Pitch,” alongside Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore; Greta was 12 at the time. The following year she played Sirina in the television series “Degrassi: The Next Generation” in the episode entitled “Working for the Weekend.” From 2007 to 2015, she played Soraya Duval in the Canadian drama television series, “Heartland,” appearing in a total of 50 episodes, her first recurring role. When Greta auditioned for the part of Soraya, she showed up an hour late for the audition, so after some convincing, her agent was able to reschedule her audition and give Greta a chance to prove herself. The television series is based on the book series that consists of 26 novels written by Lauren Brooke – the pen name for Beth Chambers and Linda Chapman. The series follows Amy Fleming, a 15-year-old teenage girl living on Heartland, a horse farm in Virginia.

In 2009, Greta took on the role of Sara in the film “Victoria Day,” as well as Vanessa in an episode of “Overruled!” entitled “Worlds Collide.” In 2015 she played Aly in six episodes of “Heroes Reborn: Dark Matters”, and the following year she was Greta (CKW Junior) in “Miss Sloane.” 2017 was quite a booked year for her – she appeared in “Schitt’s Creek,” as a Town Council Speaker, in “Murdoch Mysteries” as Themis, “Ransom,” “Frankie Drake Mysteries,” and as Angie Wagner in “Undercover Grandpa.”

Greta was cast as Layla Keating, the lead in “All American” from 2018. Layla is a student at Beverly High, meaning that Greta is playing a character almost half her age. The show was created by April Blair and premiered on 10 October 2018 on the CW. Greta acts opposite Daniel Ezra who portrays Spencer James, a former professional football player. That year, she also appeared in “Anne with an E” as Ruth, “Imposters,” and “Workin’ Moms.”

She launched her YouTube channel in 2019, and has close to 500,000 subscribers. Greta is represented by The Burstein Company and Fountainhead Talent.

Personal life

She celebrated her 29th birthday in Australia, and marked the special occasion with an Instagram post of a photo at the beach, along with the caption ‘a birthday so nice, I got to celebrate TWICE! thank you australia.’ She posted a series of vlog videos of her time in Sydney in April 2020. Greta does not open up about her personal life much, but she appears to be single for now. She has been linked with her “All American” co-stars, Michael Evans Behling and Daniel Ezra, but is purely friends and colleagues with both men. Fans of the series are particularly obsessed with her rumored relationship with Daniel, because their on-screen chemistry is undeniable.

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Hobbies, favorite things and interesting facts

Greta is bilingual – she learned Russian as she was raised in Russia, and began learning English when she was five years old. She posted a Q&A video to her YouTube channel on 28 March 2020, on which she answered fans’ questions and shared some interesting information about herself. Some questions were funny scenarios that led to answers such as that she would rather be chased by 100 duck-sized horses than one horse-sized duck, because, ‘… that just sounds adorable to me, and one horse-sized duck sounds absolutely terrifying.’ Another would-you-rather question was if she would rather go her whole life without a TV or a cellphone, and reasoned that because cellphones are so advanced you can even watch series and films on them, she would rather keep her phone and give up TV for the rest of her life.

Greta also spoke about something she thoroughly enjoys – traveling. She shared that she has not yet visited Hawaii, but it’s on her list. She added that with Hawaii being so close to Los Angeles, it feels sacrilegious to not go there at least once. A fan asked where in the world is her favorite, and she answered that her top three favorite places are Saint Petersburg, Russia, where she was born; London, England; and Havana, Cuba. She also told her subscribers that the majority of the time when she’s traveling, she is doing so with her family; the previous Summer, the Onleogou family visited Portugal, and she would like to go there again to further explore the lovely country. Greta admitted that there is nowhere she would deny going – she would love to travel the entire world and see everything there is to see. However, her top three choices were Greece, Spain, and Australia, and less than a month later, she got to travel to Australia for her birthday.

Another fan asked Greta if she had the chance to guest-star in another CW series, which would she choose? Greta went with “Batwoman,” and elaborated that her choice has a lot to do with the main actress, Ruby Rose; she then contemplated what an “All American” and “Batwoman” crossover would look like. She told her audience, ‘Leave some fanfiction below of that combo, because I am intrigued.’ Somebody else she would like to work with is one of her favorite musicians, Maggie Rogers, and offered her, ‘mediocre ukulele skills and a seven out of 10 voice.’ Greta shared that she has Maggie’s music on repeat, and is a huge fangirl.

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When queried which time period she would travel back to and why, she pointed out that being a person of color, going back in time would be risky. Therefore, she would choose the early ‘90s, as she was born during that time, but being a teenager around 1994 looked like it was fun as they had good music, films and fashion.

Speaking of her childhood, Greta told her fans about the years she practiced as a gymnast. She began with artistic gymnastics which included beams, tumbling, and bars, and between the ages of 12 and 18, she did rhythmic gymnastics which included balls, ribbons and hoops. Other than gymnastics, she also enjoyed swimming. Her high school life was also asked about, and she declared that although most people cannot wait to leave high school, she adored that time in her life. Greta was in an arts program in high school, so half of her day was spent doing academic work, and the other half was spent creating art.

Greta discussed her “All American” filming experience – she professed that while she was very excited to begin filming the series, she was also very nervous because she wanted to do a good job, and it was the first large American project she worked on. Luckily, the cast got along right from the beginning, and she loves working with them thanks to their ability to be funny, wonderful, and easy to get along with. She finds them to be a pleasure and joy to work with.

One fan’s question was what advice Greta can provide to any aspiring actors. She suggested that everyone has a different journey, so if yours looks different from your favorite actor’s, that’s okay. She herself often felt that if she was not hustling the same way as famous actors did in their early years, that she was not working hard enough or ‘doing it right. That’s garbage,’ she concluded.

Greta worked a nine-to-five job and attended auditions during her lunch breaks and after work; this is not traditional for many actors, but it worked for her. She encouraged young actors to do whatever keeps them motivated and sane, and to not let other people’s lives or opinions get in their heads. Lastly, ‘If you don’t get a role, it wasn’t for you,’ she assured. Obviously, Greta loves acting and has a background in gymnastics, but one follower wanted to know what her dream job was when she was a child. Of course, it was as an actor! There are other subjects she finds interest in, and may one day ‘pursue as my career goes forward.’

Many fans asked questions regarding her ‘favorites.’ Greta’s favorite beach is El Matador in Malibu, ‘it’s just the most magical beautiful place.’ In the whole world, Tulum beach in Mexico is her overall favorite beach, as you get to swim under ancient ruins which are perfect for a self-proclaimed history nerd.

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Her favorite dog breed used to be Pugs, but it is now French Bulldogs, she describes, ‘they’re just like little cherub dogs; I love them! I want one desperately.’ She requested that viewers share French Bulldog memes in the comments.

Greta’s favorite sport is basketball, because it’s fun and fast-paced, and her favorite team is the Toronto Raptors because she grew up in Toronto.

According to Greta, one of the best parts of acting professionally is that every day is different, and she gets to travel the world, and many opportunities are opened for her because of her career. Another cool part is getting to not only meet but also work with actors she grew up watching.

Her mother showed support for her daughter by also asking a few questions – what is Greta’s favorite season, and what is her favorite place in Los Angeles? After thanking her mom for participating, she answered that Autumn is her favorite season; it’s most beautiful on the East Coast, and most disappointing in Los Angeles, and the leaves do not change color, and the weather only slightly cools down.

She teased that her mom should have been more specific about the other part of her question – there are many categories of favorites in Los Angeles such as a favorite place to hike, hang out, or eat. So, she answered the question broadly, and said that any beach is her favorite place in Los Angeles. Although she didn’t grow up close to or around water, she has a natural affinity, and pulls toward it and the best part of Los Angeles is its beautiful ocean side and mountains. This also allows her to try many different activities such as surfing and rock climbing.

Appearance

Greta has dark brown hair, and dark brown, almost black eyes. She stands at 5ft 8ins (173cm) tall, weighs about 130lbs (60kgs), with vital statistics of 36-24-35. She wears US size 8 shoe.