Amadou Ly

Amadou Ly is a Senegalese-born actor, writer, producer known for his role in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, The Tested and L'embrasement. In 2006, Amadou's life story made front page of The New York Times and received other national attention.

Early life

Amadou Ly was born in the country of Senegal. On 10 September 2001, at the age of 13, Amadou and his mother arrived in America to live in Harlem.[1] In 2002 his mother moved back to Senegal, leaving him at the age of 14. He shuttled between New York City and a family friend in Indiana.

In 2004 he returned to New York as a high school junior and struggled to put down roots for himself. Friends in his after-school technology club became his family, and he excelled in robotics. In 2006, during his senior year of high school, his East Harlem team won a regional robot-building competition. Ly, who had no government-issued identification, was unable to fly with his teammates to the national finals in Atlanta, Georgia. More importantly, he faced a bigger problem that the publicity forced him to reveal: he had no legal status to remain in the United States. The staff supervising the technology club rallied to send him by train, and contacted the media for help on his immigration status. Public officials and others called on the Department of Homeland Security to allow him to stay in the country. A long immigration battle ensued,[2] and he was granted citizenship to live in the United States, which enabled him to go on to college.[1]

Career

Amadou took an acting class to improve his public speaking skills, and ended up finding a new talent. He started his training in New York with William Esper, and on graduation moved to Hollywood. He took to the stage at the Actors Playpen Theatre in Sex, Relationships and Sometimes Love, and it didn't take long for an agent to see his potential. Amadou played the role of Henri in Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2. .[1]

Personal life

On 27 August 2014, Amadou became a U.S. citizen, reciting the Oath of Allegiance at a judicial naturalization ceremony in Los Angeles. Residing in Los Angeles, he is still acting.[1]

Filmography

References
  1. "Student's Path Leads From Africa to Hollywood – to U.S. Citizenship". US Citizenship and Immigration Services. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2018. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. Bernstein, Nina (April 26, 2006). "Student's Prize Is a Trip Into Immigration Limbo". The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
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