British-Jewish actress Sophie Okonedo, pictured, won a Tony Award Sunday. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – British-Jewish actress Sophie Okonedo took home the honor for best performance by an actress in a play at the 86th Annual Tony Awards for excellence in Broadway theater.

The daughter of an Ashkenazi woman and a Nigerian father, Okonedo won for her Broadway debut in A Raisin in the Sun. The play, about a Chicago family seeking to become wealthy, also stars Denzel Washington.

Producer Scott Rudin “had the vision to know that a Jewish Nigerian woman could play one of America’s most iconic parts,” Okodeno said in her acceptance speech. The mention of her Jewish roots prompted “Jewish Nigerian Brit” to trend on Twitter under the hashtag #TonyAwards, reported The Jewish Week.

Okonedo was previously nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for her role in the movie Hotel Rwanda.