Personal Info
Birth date
1990-06-11 (35 Years)
Gender
Male
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Southwark, London, England, UK
Also known as
Paapa Kwaakye Essiedu
Paapa Essiedu
Biography
Paapa Kwaakye Essiedu (/ˈpɑːpə ˌɛsiˈeɪduː/) (born 1990) is a British actor. He started his career in 2012 when he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, acting in numerous productions, including The Merry Wives of Windsor (2012), King Lear (2014), Hamlet (2016), and Romeo and Juliet (2016). His breakthrough came with his role in the HBO miniseries I May Destroy You (2020), which earned nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award and British Academy Television Award. He portrayed George Boleyn in the Channel 5 miniseries Anne Boleyn (2021). He had starring roles in the AMC+action series Gangs of London (2020–2022), the science fiction series The Lazarus Project (2020–2023), and Black Mirror: Demon 79 (2023). Essiedu debuted his feature film acting as a policeman in Kenneth Branagh's mystery film Murder on the Orient Express (2017). He took roles in the horror film Men (2022), the fantasy film Genie (2023), and the drama The Outrun (2024). He gained acclaim for his stage roles in Caryl Churchill's play A Number (2022) and Lucy Prebble's play The Effect (2023–2024). Description above from the Wikipedia article Paapa Essiedu, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
The Graham Norton Show
7.194
Overview:
Each week celebrity guests join Irish comedian Graham Norton to discuss what's being going on around the world that week. The guests poke fun and share their opinions on the main news stories. Graham is often joined by a band or artist to play the show out.Black Mirror
8.285
Overview:
Twisted tales run wild in this mind-bending anthology series that reveals humanity's worst traits, greatest innovations and more.Gangs of London
7.855
Overview:
When the head of a criminal organisation, Finn Wallace is assassinated, the sudden power vacuum his death creates threatens the fragile peace between the intricate web of gangs operating on the streets of the city. Now it’s up to the grieving, volatile and impulsive Sean Wallace to restore control and find those responsible for killing his father.Black Doves
7.137
Overview:
When a spy posing as a politician's wife learns her lover has been murdered, an old assassin friend joins her on a quest for truth — and vengeance.The Capture
7.719
Overview:
When soldier Shaun Emery's conviction for a murder in Afghanistan is overturned due to flawed video evidence, he returns to life as a free man with his young daughter. But when damning CCTV footage from a night out in London comes to light, Shaun's life takes a shocking turn and he must soon fight for his freedom once again.Utopia
7.981
Overview:
The Utopia Experiments is a legendary graphic novel shrouded in mystery. When a group of strangers find themselves in possession of an original manuscript, their lives suddenly and brutally implode.The Lazarus Project
7.16
Overview:
George wakes up to find himself several months in the past before being recruited for the Lazarus Project – a secret organization that turns back time when the world is at threat of extinction.I May Destroy You
7.4
Overview:
Set in London, where gratification is only an app away, the story centers on Arabella, a carefree, self-assured Londoner with a group of great friends, a boyfriend in Italy, and a burgeoning writing career. But when her drink is spiked, she must question and rebuild every element of her life.Black Earth Rising
6.697
Overview:
As a child, Kate Ashby was rescued from the horrific aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and brought to the UK. But the tragic shadow of her past proves impossible to escape.Anne Boleyn
2.386
Overview:
The final months of Boleyn's life, her struggle with Tudor England's patriarchal society, her desire to secure a future for her daughter, Elizabeth, and the brutal reality of her failure to provide Henry with a male heir.Harry Potter
NYR
Overview:
A new faithful adaptation of the iconic and megahit J.K. Rowling book series.The Miniaturist
7.149
Overview:
Nella Oortman's life changes drastically when she marries a wealthy merchant and moves to Amsterdam. As she struggles to win her husband's affection, she discovers dark secrets along the way.Murder on the Orient Express
6.703
Overview:
Genius Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon aboard the Orient Express train.Men
6.102
Overview:
In the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Harper retreats alone to the beautiful English countryside, hoping to find a place to heal. But someone — or something — from the surrounding woods appears to be stalking her, and what begins as simmering dread becomes a fully-formed nightmare, inhabited by her darkest memories and fears.Babies
NYR
Overview:
Lisa and Stephen are dealing with the painful struggle of pregnancy loss while life continues around them. However, despite facing dark times of grief and loneliness, they are finding their way through it with a burning sense of hope, humour, and love, realising the strength of their relationship, which will ultimately bring them closer than ever.Genie
6.631
Overview:
Flora, a genie trapped for more than 2,000 years inside an antique jewelry box, is accidentally called to service by Bernard, whose life is unraveling around him.The Outrun
6.836
Overview:
Fresh out of rehab, Rona returns to the Orkney Islands—a place both wild and beautiful, right off the Scottish coast. Now 29 and after more than a decade of living life on the edge in London, where she both found and lost love, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. As she reconnects with the dramatic landscape where she grew up, memories of her traumatic childhood merge with more recent challenging events that have set her on the path to recovery.Press
6.962
Overview:
The lives of the editors and journalists working at a left-leaning broadsheet and a populist tabloid.Kiri
6.2
Overview:
A drama dealing with the abduction and murder of a young black girl, soon to be adopted by her white foster family, and the trail of lies, blame, guilt and notoriety which follow.A Midsummer Night's Dream
5.231
Overview:
At the tyrannical court of Athens, pitiless dictator Theseus plans his wedding to Hippolyta, a prisoner of war, while young Hermia is sentenced to death by her own father for loving the wrong man. Meanwhile, in the town below, an amateur theatre group rehearses. And beyond Athens, in the wild woods, dark forces are stirring...The Miniaturist
7.2
Overview:
A woman moves to live with her new husband in 17th century Amsterdam, but soon discovers that not everything is what it seems.Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
7.5
Overview:
From the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, David Tennant, Catherine Tate and guests mark the life of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death.Unsaid Stories
NYR
Overview:
Four short dramas inspired by Black Lives Matter and exploring racism in its many forms.Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70
6
Overview:
A special documentary to mark the seventieth birthday of HRH the Prince of Wales. For this observational documentary, film-maker John Bridcut has had exclusive access to the prince over the past 12 months, both at work and behind the scenes, at home and abroad. He speaks to those who know him best, including HRH the Duchess of Cornwall and the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex. His sons discuss their upbringing and their feelings about the prince's working life.Femme
8.25
Overview:
When Jordan gets into the car of a flirtatious drug-dealer, his night takes a dangerous turn.Sweet Dreams
NYR
Overview:
In the forgotten English seaside town of Claypole, a series of serendipitous and unfortunate coincidences conspire to bring the lives and overreaching ambitions of a few misguided dreamers and petty criminals to a nasty end.National Theatre Live: The Effect
NYR
Overview:
Hearts and minds racing, Connie and Tristan are falling for each other fast. But is their sudden and intoxicating chemistry real, or a side effect of a new antidepressant? As two young volunteers in a clinical drug trial, their illicit romance poses startling dilemmas for the supervising doctors.RSC Live: King Lear
8
Overview:
King Lear has ruled for many years. As age begins to overtake him, he decides to divide his kingdom amongst his children, living out his days without the burden of power. Misjudging his children’s loyalty and finding himself alone in the wilderness, he is left to confront the mistakes of a life that has brought him to this point. Antony Sher plays King Lear, one of the greatest parts written by Shakespeare in this, one of Shakespeare’s most epic and powerful plays.National Theatre Live: King Lear
7.1
Overview:
An aged king decides to divide his kingdom between his three daughters, according to which of them is most eloquent in praising him. His favourite, Cordelia, says nothing. Simon Russell Beale, whose recent appearances at the National include Timon of Athens and Collaborators, takes the title role in Shakespeare’s tragedy.Acting
TBASweet Dreams as Billy
TBAThe Scurry as Unknown
TBABabies as Stephen
TBAHarry Potter as Severus Snape
TBAFalling (1 Episode) as David
2025National Theatre Live: Death of England: Delroy as Delroy
2024Black Doves (2 Episodes) as Elmore Fitch
2024The Outrun as Daynin
2024National Theatre Live: The Effect as Tristan
2023Genie as Bernard Bottle
2022The Lazarus Project (16 Episodes) as George Addo
2022Men as James
2021Anne Boleyn (3 Episodes) as George Boleyn
2021Femme as Jordan
2021The Exit Plan as Zeke
2020Unsaid Stories (1 Episode) as Michael
2020I May Destroy You (12 Episodes) as Kwame Acheamong
2020Gangs of London (10 Episodes) as Alexander Dumani
2019Stand Still as David
2019The Capture (6 Episodes) as Isaac Turner MP
2018Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70 as Narrator
2018Black Earth Rising (1 Episode) as Jaalen
2018Press (6 Episodes) as Ed Washburn
2018Kiri (4 Episodes) as Nate Akindele
2017The Miniaturist as Otto
2017The Miniaturist (2 Episodes) as Otto
2017Murder on the Orient Express as Young Policeman
2017Canned as Charlie
2016RSC Live: King Lear as Edmund
2016RSC Live: Hamlet as Hamlet
2016A Midsummer Night's Dream as Demetrius
2016Shakespeare Live! From the RSC as Hamlet
2014National Theatre Live: King Lear as The Duke of Burgundy
2013Utopia (2 Episodes) as Roy
2011Black Mirror (1 Episode) as Gaap
2007The Graham Norton Show (1 Episode) as Self