Kingsley Ben-Adir has just been announced in the role of Barack Obama in the upcoming miniseries A Higher Loyalty, which has been adapted from the James Comey bestseller. The British actor will be known to US audiences for his role in The OA. Here are ten other things that you may not know about him.
1. He Started His Career In The Theater
When he first started acting he worked mainly in the theater. One of his first roles was in Gillian Slovo’s play The Riots which was performed at the Tricycle Theatre. This play was very well-received by critics and it was completely sold out. In terms of theater work he was able to be quite choosy about the roles that he took on after this play because his performance was so well regarded.
2. His First Main TV Role Was In British Drama Vera
He starred in the British detective drama Vera as pathologist Dr. Marcus Summer. This show aired for 40 episodes in total and Ben-Adir appeared in 16 of these. These appearances took place over the course of four years. He was a regular cast member in seasons four to six, and he also returned in season eight. Vera is one of the most popular dramas on ITV and the audience for the show keeps on increasing.
3. He Would Have Appeared On The Third Season Of The OA
When season two of the OA finished many fans thought it was guaranteed to be renewed as the writers had always envisioned it as five season story arc. The cast has also been told the ideas for season three as Ben-Adir told the Radio Times. They were excited about continuing to tell the story and were as shocked as anyone when Netflix made the decision not to renew for season three. The only upside to this for Ben-Adir was that it made him more available to work on other shows.
4. He Is Of English And Morrocan Descent
Ben-Adir is the child of an English mother and Morrocan father. Although he has always lived in London, the Morrocan part of his heritage has always played a big part in his life. It is very likely that he would have visited Morroco several times during his life to get to know his family who still live over there.
5. He Was Born And Raised In London
He was born in London and was raised in Gospel Oak, a suburb in the North-West of the city. He also attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama after he finished high school, which is located in London. This means that he did not have too far to travel when he was attending college. It also meant that he was able to be on hand for auditions when he started taking on roles in the London theater district after he had graduated from Guildhall.
6. He Has Starred In Some Of The Best Known British TV Shows
His face will be very familiar to British audiences as he has starred in many popular TV shows such as Midsomer Murders, Death In Paradise and Marple. Some of these appearances were only guest roles in single episodes that took place early on in his TV career. However, they would have meant that his face started to become familiar to audiences. As his career progressed he went on to have recurring roles in popular shows such as Vera and Peaky Blinders.
7. He Does Not Reveal Much About His Personal Life
Married Divorce reports that while Ben-Adir does have a girlfriend, he chooses not to make her identity public. As he starts to become more well-known it is more likely that people will become more interested in his personal life. While this does not necessarily mean that he will reveal this information, he may have to get used to people asking about his relationships.
8. A Lot Of His Characters Are Involved In Law Enforcement In Some Way
Many of the characters that he has played have been involved in law enforcement in some way. He was a pathologist who worked with the police in Vera and in Peaky Blinders his character was an army intelligence officer who gathered information on the activities of the Communist and Fascist parties. In the OA his character was a private investigator. This may lead to people believing that he could become typecast, but he has shown in his stage work that he is capable of taking on a wide range of roles.
9. His Career Is Expected To Really Take Off In The Coming Years
He has been acting in TV shows and films for a little less than ten years and in recent years he has been starring in more high profile roles. He is becoming more well known in the United States due to his appearance in popular shows such as The OA and this is likely to continue because of shows such as A Higher Loyalty. It is expected that he his career will really take off in the next years or so and we may see him in more TV shows and movies during this time. One project that is expected to do well is the TV series High Fidelity where he will star alongside Zoe Kravitz. The show is based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name.
10. He Starred Alongside Anna Kendrick In The Christmas Film Noelle
Disney Plus is a new streaming service that has just been launched. One of the first original films to appear on this channel is Noelle which stars Ben-Adir alongside Anna Kendrick. This is not the first movie he has starred in but it was one of the biggest movie roles he has had to date. His role in the movie is that of a private investigator who has recently divorced. He helps Anna Kendrick’s character to find her brother, who has just become Santa Claus after the death of their father.Anna Kendrick
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