BRITISH BLACK AND MIXED HERITAGE MALE ACTORS

1. David Gyasi

David Gyasi was born in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Interstellar (2014), Cloud Atlas (2012) and Annihilation (2018).

An only child, Idrissa Akuna Elba was born and raised in London, England. His father, Winston, is from Sierra Leone and worked at Ford Dagenham; his mother, Eve, is from Ghana and had a clerical duty. Idris attended school in Canning Town, where he first became involved in acting, before he dropped...

3. David Oyelowo

Actor | Lawmen: Bass Reeves

David Oyelowo also known as 'David O', is a classically trained stage actor who has quickly become one of Hollywood's most sought-after talents. He graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), and received the "Scholarship for Excellence" from Nicholas Hytner in 1998.

David ...

4. Lenny Henry

Actor | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Lenworth George Henry was born on August 29, 1958, in Dudley, West Midlands in England to a family of Jamaican immigrants. He made his TV debut on a talent show called "New Faces" in 1975 at the age of 16. He won and went on to things such as The Fosters (1976) and Tiswas (1974), which was when his...

5. Chiwetel Ejiofor

Actor | 12 Years a Slave

English actor, writer and director Chiwetel Ejiofor is renowned for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He is also known for playing Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things...

6. Paterson Joseph

Actor | Wonka

Paterson Joseph was born on June 22, 1964 in Willesden, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Wonka (2023), The Beach (2000) and Æon Flux (2005). He is married to Emmanuelle Joseph. They have one child.

7. Ashley Walters

Actor | Speed Racer

Ashley Walters was born on June 30, 1982 in London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Speed Racer (2008), Top Boy (2011) and Stormbreaker (2006).

8. Adrian Lester

Actor | The Day After Tomorrow

Adrian Lester CBE was born on August 14, 1968 in Birmingham, England. He is a multi award winning actor and director, known for seven seasons of the hit TV show Hustle (2004), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Primary Colors (1998) and his extensive classical work in the theatre playing Othello, ...

9. Clint Dyer

Actor | Unknown

Clint has acted in film, TV and theatre, starring in films such as MINE, SUS, The Trail, Cherps, Mr Inbetween, Everybody Loves Sunshine aka BUSTED, Love Me Still and appearing in the likes of Act of Vengeance, The Club, Montana, Unknown, Sahara, Agora, Mr Bean 2, Shopping etc. TV includes Black ...

10. Lennie James

Actor | The Walking Dead

Lennie James was born in Nottingham to Trinidadian parents, and grew up in South London. His mother, Phyllis Mary James, died when he was 12. Lennie and his older brother went into a council children's home. When he was 16 he was fostered with a social worker who had two older children, and they ...

11. Aml Ameen

Actor | Yardie

The son of Caribbean parents, Aml Ameen shone in his breakout performance as Trife in the cult classic KIDULTHOOD, for which he was recognized as one of the Screen International's 2005 Stars of Tomorrow and nominated for Screen Nation's 2006 Best Newcomer award.

Ameen portrayed series regular Lewis ...

12. Delroy Lindo

Actor | Get Shorty

On the stage and on the big screen, Delroy Lindo projects a powerful presence that is almost impossible to ignore. Alhough it was not his first film role, his portrayal of the bipolar numbers boss West Indian Archie in Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992) is what first attracted attention to Lindo's ...

13. Danny Sapani

Actor | Trance

Danny Sapani is a British actor best known for his portrayal of Sembene in Penny Dreadful, Tony Morecombe in Misfits and supporting roles in Doctor Who, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Black Panther.

As an actor of Ghanaian descent, Sapani's roles have ranged through a variety of genres within film, ...

14. Charles Venn

Actor | The Dark Knight

After three years of performing arts studies, Chucky Venn has plied his trade professionally in the acting business for eleven years. His big break came when he auditioned for the role of Curtis Alexander on hit football soap Dream Team (Hewlland International, Sky One). What originally started out...

15. Ray Fearon

Actor | Beauty and the Beast

Ray Fearon is a British actor of stage, theatre and film. He has worked with the RSC, Donmar, Almeida, National, and other theatres. Fearon was born on 5 August 1973 and grew up in London with his family. His West Indian parents raised him alongside his seven brothers and sisters. His film works ...

16. Michael Obiora

Actor | Luther

Michael Obiora (pronounced OH-BEE-ORA) is an actor, writer, producer, and director. Having started out as a child in Grange Hill, he made the rare transition into adult star with leading stage and television roles in shows including My Family, Sea of Souls, Misfits, and Afterlife. He is most ...

17. Ricky Whittle

Actor | Austenland

Ricky was born in Oldham, Lancashire. His father was in the Royal Air Force which meant travelling the world to different bases. Ricky was scouted to play as a professional footballer for Arsenal and Celtic football clubs but this was thwarted by injury and instead he went to Southampton University...

18. Hugh Quarshie

Actor | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Hugh Quarshie was born on December 22, 1954 in Accra, Ghana. He is an actor and director, known for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Highlander (1986) and Nightbreed (1990). He is married to Annika Sundström.

19. John Boyega

Actor | Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

John Boyega is a British actor, known for playing Finn in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015). Boyega rose to prominence in his native United Kingdom for his role of Moses in the 2011 sci-fi comedy film Attack the Block (2011), before attaining international recognition for his work ...

20. Colin Salmon

Actor | Resident Evil

Colin Salmon is one of Britain's most renowned actors. With a bold voice and posture, Colin makes his characters a favorite among audiences for every role he plays. He made his feature debut as Sgt. Robert Oswald in the British mega-hit mini-series Prime Suspect 2 (1992), which gave him much ...

21. Robbie Gee

Actor | Snatch

Robbie Gee is an English television, theatre, and film actor and has starred in both British and American production and is best known in the UK and well loved for his "Desmonds" character Lee and as a regular on the BBC's The Real McCoy. He has appeared numerous times at Theatre Royal Stratford ...

22. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Actor | Farming

Born and raised in London, England, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje began his career as a model in Milan. He graduated with a masters degree in Law from London's prestigious Kings College, before moving to Los Angeles to make the transition to acting. Fluent in several languages, including English, ...

23. Jimmy Akingbola

Actor | Kate & Koji

Jimmy Akingbola can be seen in the coveted role of 'Geoffrey', trusted advisor to Phil and the Banks family and the link back to his humble roots in the UK in BEL-AIR, the acclaimed serialized one-hour dramatic analogue of the '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He has also completed filming ...

24. Noel Clarke

Actor | Brotherhood

Noel Clarke was born in London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Brotherhood (2016), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Mute (2018). He is married to Iris Da-Silva. They have two children.

25. Eamonn Walker

Actor | Oz

Eamonn Walker was born on June 12, 1962 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Oz (1997), Unbreakable (2000) and Lord of War (2005). He is married to Sandra Walker. They have three children.

26. Daniel Kaluuya

Actor | Get Out

Daniel Kaluuya is a British actor and writer. He is best known for Get Out (2017), Black Panther (2018) and for portraying Fred Hampton in Judas & The Black Messiah (2021).

He had a supporting role in Sicario (2015).

He also starred in the Black Mirror episode "Fifteen Million Merits".

For his work in...

27. Arinzé Kene

Actor | The Pass

Quite possibly the most underrated and underexposed actor of his caliber in both theatre and screen, Arinze Kene's undeniable talent and ability to successfully bring to life any role he undertakes is on a par with the most praised and revered A-list actors in the business.

Kene was born in Lagos, ...

28. Alfred Enoch

Actor | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Alfred Lewis Enoch was born December 2, 1988 in Westminster, London, England, the son of English actor William Russell (William Russell Enoch) and Brazilian doctor Etheline Margareth Lewis. He is an actor, known for his role as Dean Thomas in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) (2001), ...

29. David Harewood

Actor | Blood Diamond

David Harewood was born on December 8, 1965 in Birmingham, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Blood Diamond (2006), The Merchant of Venice (2004) and Supergirl (2015). He has been married to Kirsty Handy since February 26, 2013. They have two children.

30. Nonso Anozie

Actor | Cinderella

Nonso Anozie was born on November 17, 1978 in London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Cinderella (2015), Conan the Barbarian (2011) and Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).

31. Richard Ayoade

Writer | Submarine

Richard Ellef Ayoade was born in Hammersmith, and grew up in Suffolk, in England, the son of a Norwegian mother, Dagny Amalie (Baassuik), and a Nigerian father, Layide Ade Laditi Ayoade. He studied Law at Cambridge university, and followed in the footsteps of British Comedy legends like Monty ...

32. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Actor | Mary Poppins Returns

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith was born on August 23, 1977. He is an actor, known for Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Wonka (2023) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). He has been married to Nydia A. Swaby since July 27, 2018.

33. David Ajala

Actor | Jupiter Ascending

David Ajala was born on May 21, 1986 in Hackney, London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Jupiter Ascending (2015), Furious 6 (2013) and The Dark Knight (2008).

34. Sope Dirisu

Actor | Slow Horses

Sope Dirisu was born on January 9, 1991 in Edgware, London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Slow Horses (2022), His House (2020) and Gangs of London (2020).

35. Dwane Walcott

Actor | National Theatre Live: Hamlet

Dwane Walcott is known for Hamlet (2015), Coriolanus (2014) and Our Girl (2013).

36. Gary Carr

Actor | 21 Bridges

Gary Carr was born on December 11, 1986 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for 21 Bridges (2019), Bolden (2019) and Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017).

37. William Nadylam

Actor | Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

William Nadylam is known for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) and Stillwater (2021).

38. Ryan Francis

Director | The Unthinkables

Ryan Francis is a Actor, Director, Writer, Editor and Presenter. He is mainly known for TheLittleRyanShow and has featured in many short films and TV shows. His first TV appearance was in 2005. He played a small role in Tracy Beaker when he was 12. He is a freelance filmmaker and also co-founded ...

39. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett

Actor | Candyman

Nathan was brought up in Wandsworth, London, He studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama, which he graduated from in 2006. He made his professional stage debut playing a number of roles in 'Brixton Stories' at the Lyric, Hammersmith and has also appeared on stage in 'The History Boys' at ...

40. Malachi Kirby

Actor | Curfew

Malachi Kirby was born on September 20, 1989 in England, UK. He is an actor, known for Curfew (2019), Devils (2020) and Roots (2016).

41. Ryan McKen

Actor | Game of Thrones

Ryan McKen is known for Game of Thrones (2011), Bancroft (2017) and Temple (2019).

42. Chris Obi

Actor | American Gods

Chris Obi is known for American Gods (2017), Star Trek: Discovery (2017) and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).

43. Parker Sawyers

Actor | Southside with You

Parker Sawyers was born on May 24, 1983 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Southside with You (2016), Big Game (2014) and The Mummy (2017).

44. Reice Weathers

Actor | The Continental

Reice Weathers is known for The Continental (2023) and Ted Lasso (2020).

45. Dipo Ola

Actor | We Hunt Together

Dipo Ola was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. He moved with his family to the U.K. as a child. After studying he made his screen debut in the critically acclaimed and multi-award nominated Channel 4 Series Baghdad Central. He has gone on to work with the BBC on the cult classic anthology show Inside No.9, ...

46. Babou Ceesay

Actor | Free Fire

Babou Ceesay is known for Free Fire (2016), Eye in the Sky (2015) and '71 (2014).

47. Paapa Essiedu

Actor | I May Destroy You

Paapa Essiedu was born on June 11, 1990 in Walthamstow, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for I May Destroy You (2020), The Outrun (2024) and Men (2022).

48. Nicholas Pinnock

Actor | Captain America: The First Avenger

Nicholas Pinnock was born on September 2, 1973 in London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Fortitude (2015) and The Book of Clarence (2023).

49. Aml Ameen