30 Black British Actors That Are Super Talented

Publish date: 2024-07-16

Black British actors that have made, and are still making so much waves in Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a whole and have rapidly taken over our screens and given us more than a role or two to love them for, and they are our focus for now.

We are looking at those British actors with Black ancestry who are super talented and have risen through roles while topping charts and movie lists. You may have been familiar with a few faces and names but a couple more of them here may leave you in awe.

Table of Contents

Here Are 30 Of Those Black British Actors We Believe Are Super Talented

A few super talented Black British actors (including actresses) in no particular order:

1. Idris Elba 51

I know we said ‘In no particular order’ but allow me to start with Idris, please. He is unarguably one of the best Black actors to make it to Hollywood and amazingly, he’s a Black British actor.

Idris Akunna Elba is not just an actor but is also a rapper, writer, producer, singer, songwriter, and DJ. He is one of the most famous Black actors to ever hit the movie industry.

2. Daniel Kaluuya 34

Daniel Kaluuya is a Black British actor and former writer who began acting while still a teenager. He may be remembered for his role in the British Television series, ‘Skin’ as Posh Kenneth. He also starred in ‘Black Panther’, ‘Get Out’, and ‘Queen & Slim’.

3. John Boyega 31

John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega is a British-born Nigerian known professionally as John Boyega. He is one of our Black British actors who also doubles as a producer who first rose to stardom for his role in ‘Attack the Block’, a sci-fi comedy film where he acted as Moses.

4. David Oyelowo 47

Special for having both British and American citizenship, David Oyelowo is a Black British actor and producer who has received wide praises for his talent and skills in the movie industry. For his services to drama, David was appointed ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ (OBE) in 2016.

5. Chiwetel Ejiofor 46

The ’12 Years a Slave’ star has to his list of wins; an Oscar nomination, three Golden Globe nominations, and a BAFTA win to mention a few. The Black British actor and filmmaker started his journey to stardom after being cast by Steven Spielberg to play James Covey in a supporting role in the 1997 movie, ‘Amistad’.

It is no surprise Chiwetel Ejiofor made it to this talented Black British Actors list, as you can testify.

6. Naomie Harris 47

Naomie Harris is a Black British actress who starred in ‘Bond films’ and also acted alongside Idris Elba in ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ as his wife Winnie Mandela.

Naomie Harris started her career in film as a child and has grown to be an awesome face on our screens.

7. Rege-Jean Page 34

Rege-Jean Page is a Black British actor who was a regular cast on the ABC legal drama ‘For the People’ which aired from 2018 to 2019. He was born in Zimbabwe and moved to London at the age of 14. He is the ‘Duke of Hastings in the series ‘Bridgerton’.

8. Thandiwe Newton 51

The BAFTA-winning Black British actress, Melanie Thandiwe Newton Parker has been an amazing actress who has won herself so many award nominations for her performances in whatever role she’s been cast to play. She is famous for her role in the 1998 movie ‘Beloved’ in which she acted the role of the title.

9. Kingsley Ben-Adir 37

Kingsley Ben-Adir is our famous; One Night in Miami’s Malcolm X. A role he depicted so perfectly, it earned him a lot of accolades. In 2020 alone, amidst the pandemic and shutdown, we were pleased to have seen him in a couple of movies which kept us busy while we stayed home. He was cast in movies such as ‘Soulmates’, ‘The Comey Rule’, and ‘High Fidelity’, and most recently, the movie ‘Peaky Blinders’.

10. Sophie Okonedo 55

Sophie Okonedo was nominated for an Oscars Award for her role in Hotel Rwanda. She won a Tony Award for her role as Ruth Younger in Broadway’s revival of ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ (2014).

Sophie is not only a Black British actress she is also a narrator who began her film career in the British drama ‘Young Soul Rebels’ in 1991.

11. Delroy Lindo 71

Prominent for his roles in four of Spike Lee’s films, this member of our Black British actor’s list has received several awards and nominations for his performances in roles over the years.

He is quite a regular on our screens, appearing in ‘Crooklyn’, ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’, and ‘Malcolm X’, as well as having a Tony nomination.

12. Eamonn Walker 61

If you’re a fan of ‘Chicago Fire’ and ‘Chicago P.D’ you definitely know Eamonn as Wallace from these series. However, he is also known for his award-winning role as Kareem Said in OZ as well as his Broadway debut as Mark Antony in ‘Julius Ceasar’ where he acted alongside Denzel Washington.

13. Michael Obiora 37

Cast in movies such as ‘Luther’ and ‘Misfits’, and soap operas such as ‘Casualty and EastEnders’, Michael Obiora is a Black British actor, writer, director, and producer who has created a beautiful path in Hollywood for himself and his talent.

14. Ruth Negga 42

Ruth Negga is the girl ‘Raina’ from ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’. She is also famous for her role in ‘Preacher’, an AMC television series, and the film, Loving.

15. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje 61

Killer Croc from Suicide Squad, Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns, and Dave Duerson in Conclusion, Adewale Agbaje is an actor, director, and former fashion model. He was also on the movie OZ and was cast as Adebisi.

READ ALSO: 12 Black Celebrity Kids And The Amazing Things They Do

16. Jimmy Akingbola 45

This Black British television, theatre, and film actor, Jimmy Akingbola is famous for his role in ‘Arrow’ as Baron Reiter. In 2008, he was the first black actor to play the role of Jimmy Porter in John Osborne’s ‘Look Back in Anger’.

17. Martins Imhangbe 32

The British-Nigerian actor made his debut in theatre and earned himself an Ian Charleson Award nomination for his role in the 2018 production of ‘Richard II’. Martins is also a cast in the 2020 series; ‘Bridgerton’ where he acts as Will Modrich.

18. Malachi Kirby 34

Malachy Kirby made a name for himself as a talented Black British actor when he acted as Kunta Kente in the remake of ‘Roots’. The Black British actor started his journey to stardom sometime in 2010/2011 and was even shortlisted for the ‘Outstanding Newcomer’ award in 2011.

He was also starred in the 2016 series, ‘Black Mirror’.

19. Gugu Mbatha-Raw 40

Gugu began her career acting in the sci-fi series ‘Doctor Who’ after studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and delved into television and stage productions. She is not one to sleep on as she is ready to spread her tentacles and capture as many grounds as possible.

20. Freema Agyeman 44

Another ‘Doctor Who’ cast, Freeman is a Black British actress popular for her role as Martha Jones in the series. She was also starred in ‘Law& Order’ where she played the role of Alesha Philips.

21. Richard Ayoade 46

He is the multi-talented BAFTA-winning actor, writer, broadcaster, director, and comedian who is famous for cracking ribs with his ‘Socially awkward technician’ role of Maurice Moss on ‘The IT Crowd’.

22. Arinze Kene 36

Arinze Mokwe Kene was born in Lagos State, Nigeria but moved to the United Kingdom when he was 4 years old. This Black British actor is widely recognized for being part of productions such as The Lion King, Daddy Cool, and Simba. He was also appointed the OBE as a member.

23. Noel Clarke 48

Strongly part of our list of talented Black British actors, Noel Clark is a screenwriter, director, and comic book writer who is quite popular for his role as Mickey Smith in the series Doctor Who. He wrote and directed ‘Kidulthood’, ‘Adulthood’, and ‘Brotherhood’ and also played the role of Sam in the movies.

24. Lenora Circhlow 39

Famous for her role as Annie in ‘Being Human’, she was exposed to our screens and inevitably became one of the favorite Black British actors. Lenora was also starred in ‘Black Mirror’ from the ‘White bear’ episode. She is also popular for her role as Maria ‘Sugar’ Sweet in the series ‘Sugar Rush’.

25. Alfred Enoch 35

Alfred Enoch may be recognized a Dean Thomas from the Harry Potter film series. He was also starred as Wes Gibbins on the Television series, ‘How to Get Away with Murder’. He has, to his name, two NAACP Image Award nominations for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series’.

26. Letitia Wright 30

Famous for her role in one of the greatest Black cast movies of all time; ‘Black Panther’, where she starred alongside Chadwick Boseman as his sister, this Black British actress is also remembered for playing the lead role in one of the episodes of Black Mirror which also earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

SEE ALSO: Biography of Enisa Nikaj (Eniola) and the Interesting Tale About Her Rise to Stardom

27. Damson Idris 32

Shot into stardom with the movie ‘Farming’ and since been a regular in movies and series. Th since then one of the Black British actors who is steadily breaking grounds while following the path of Denzel Washington and has been starred in movies such as the 2017 crime drama ‘Snowfall’ and 2021 Netflix sci-fi action film ‘Outside the Wire’.

28. Nicholas Pinnock 50

Nicholas is one of our talented Black British actors who is known for his role in the award-winning Channel 4 drama, Top Boy, and also starring as Jason Backland in the movie ‘Marcella’.

In 2018, he won rave reviews for his outstanding performance in ‘Ear for Eye’ at the Royal Court in London.

29. Marsha Thomason 48

After putting up a stellar performance with her role in White Collar, Marsha Thomason, the beautiful Black British actress was also starred in other series such as’ Lost’, ‘General Hospital’, ‘2Broke Girls’ and ‘Make It or Break It’. She starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the movie ‘The Haunted Mansion’ and opposite Martin Lawrence in ‘Black Knight’.

30. Adelayo Adedayo 35

With her awesome performance in ‘Some Girls’ where she acted as Viva Bennett and her recurring role in Law & Order, this Black British actress started her career with her first Tv appearance in ‘The Bill’. She went on to make her film debut in ‘Sket’ and has been a regular on ITV2 sitcom ‘Timewasters’ where she played the role of Lauren since 2017.

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