Okanlawon was born in Lagos, Okanlawon had his first experience with acting at the age of 5, when he featured in an ‘end-of-year’ play while in primary school. At the age of 9, Okanlawon featured in a nationally syndicated Television commercial with Kunle Bamfeta. While at the University of Lagos, Okanlawon became an active member of the drama groups Gf(x) (Harvesters Company), Xtreme Reaction and Snapshots (Covenant Christian Centre).
Okanlawon made his feature film debut in the 2010 movie ZR-7, before which he featured in a short film titled A Grain of Wheat. He went on to feature in and co-produce many more short-films and by 2012 he had gained notoriety for his numerous appearances in made-for-internet short films and web series including Blink, 6:30pm and Knock Knock. In 2013 he switched careers to focus on acting full-time and has since featured in over 50 film credits, 8 stage credits.