The Black British boom is big in Hollywood. While we all know about Daniel Kaluuya, John Boyega and Idris Elba, did you know that some of your other favorite television and film actors also hail from across the pond? Despite their talent for faking American and African accents, the stars of movies like Black Panther and shows like Snowfall might surprise you when you hear their real voices slip out during interviews. Read on to discover some of the Black British actors we love to watch.

Alfred Enoch

How to Get Away with Murder is a series with no shortage of Black talent. Viola Davis lead the way through the show’s six seasons as Annalise Keating, but she had help from the lives of Aja Naomi King, Billy Brown and Alfred Enoch. The latter, a star of Brazillian-British decent played Wes Gibbins on the ABC drama. Before that, he was part of the Harry Potter cast, proving his popularity with audiences in his native country and America.

Letitia Wright

After the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman, 30-year-old Letitia Wright stepped up to deliver an incredible performance in his absence in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The Guyanese-British starlet’s original accent was undetectable while she played the brave and beautiful Shuri, and she’s brought the same dedication to other roles. You might also recognize Wright from Amazon’s Guava Island, Death on the Nile and Aisha.

Damson Idris

On Snowfall, Damson Idris plays Franklin Saint – a 19-year-old convenience store clerk who becomes a South Central Los Angeles drug kingpin. However, in real life, the heartthrob hails from Peckham, London, and has been romantically linked to American model Lori Harvey, who he seemingly loves to vacation with. Besides his breakout role, we’ve also seen Idris in Donald Glover’s Swarm, Netflix’s Outside the Wire with Anthony Mackie and Farming.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste

Howell-Baptiste grew up in London, where her mother owned clothing stalls. She began her acting career at the Anna Schere Theater, but has since been a series regular on Downward Dog, Killing Eve and Who Women Kill. More recently, the 37-year-old’s work has consisted of playing Death of the Endless in The Sandman and Dead Boy Detectives. Elsewhere, you might recognized Howell-Baptiste from programs like Love, Barry, The Good Place or the fourth season of Veronica Mars.

Nicholas Pinnock

Pinnock starred in ABC and 50 Cent’s drama For Life, which was canceled after just two seasons in 2021. Based on the true story of Isaac Wright, Jr., the short-lived show follows the man who made history defending himself against a false conviction and gaining back freedom after studying law while in prison. Elsewhere, fans might also know him from his performance in Channel 4’s crime drama Top Boy. One of his more recent roles is in The Book of Clarence. Pinnock was born and raised between London and Saudi Arabia; along with acting, he is also a trained contemporary dancer.

Delroy Lindo

Lindo has been making rounds for his stellar performance in Spike Lee’s Da Five Bloods and was a fan favorite on CBS’ The Good Fight until it ended in 2022. While Lindo’s career took off in America thanks to roles in several of Lee’s films, he was actually born in London to Jamaican parents in 1952. Adding to his lengthy resume, he was recently a scene stealer in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. 

Eamonn Walker

Walker plays Battalion Chief Wallace Boden on NBC’s Chicago Fire, and garnered fans previously for playing Kareem Saïd in HBO’s Oz. Before his turn as a firefighter, the 61-year-old made waves playing Othello in ITV1’s televised production of Shakespeare’s famous play about an African general. Walker was born in London to Grenadian and Trinidadian parents and trained as a dancer before finding his love for theater.

Aaron Pierre

You may recall Pierre from his role as Caesar in the Amazon Prime miniseries, The Underground Railroad, back in 2021. Since then, he’s played the lead in projects like Mufasa: The Lion King and Rebel Ridge. Prior to this, bitten by the acting bug as a teenager. This led him to join a Croydon-based theater group before eventually relocating to Toronto, Canada where he formally trained in acting. Other projects on Pierre’s resume include Krypton (the story of Superman’s home planet) and Brother (a heartfelt family story that takes place in the 6ix).

Ashley Madekwe

Madekwe has wowed American audiences as Ashley Davenport in ABC’s Revenge and as Tituba in WGN America’s Salem. However, she’s probably best known to British audiences as Bambi in ITV2’s Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Madekwe was born in London to a Nigerian father and a White English mother. She went to school for acting, performing in stage productions of Wuthering Heights and King Henry V.

Daniel Ezra

Ezra is currently playing Spencer James on The CW’s All American, which just unveiled its sixth season via Netflix on April 1st. However, American he is not – Ezra is from Birmingham, England (Birmingham, Alabama’s sister city, so there’s still an American connection after all). Hailing from a Jamaican immigrant background, Ezra began acting at age 18, making his start in a production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. This earned him an Ian Charleson Award nomination, and plenty of inspiration to continue growing as a performer.

Carmen Ejogo

Ejogo is known for playing several American historical figures, including the titular lead in the TV film Sally Hemings: An American Scandal and Coretta Scott King in Ava DuVernay’s Selma. She’s also starred in other American films such as Sparkle and Alex Cross, plus shows like NBC’s Kidnapped and HBO’s True Detective. Ejogo is from London, born to a Nigerian father and a White Scottish mother.

Lennie James

James is beloved by The Walking Dead franchise fans for his portrayal of Morgan Jones in both the original show and its spin-off. The Nottingham native also has an extensive acting career in Britain, starring in the BBC’s Line of Duty and Sky 1’s Critical. James was born to Trinidadian parents and raised in London, where he picked up an interest in acting and screenwriting.

Ricky Whittle

Starz’s American Gods came to an end in 2021, but before that Whittle’s work as Shadow Moon on the series caught the world’s attention. Before dabbling in fantasy, he starred in VH1’s Single Ladies, ABC’s Mistresses and The CW’s The 100. VH1 introduced him to American audiences, but British audiences already knew him for his soapy role on UK Channel 4’s Hollyoaks and his stint on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. Whittle was born in Oldham to a Jamaican immigrant father and a White English mother.

Kinglsey Ben-Adir

Ben-Adir is best known to American audiences for playing Malcolm X in Regina King’s directorial debut, One Night in Miami and Bob Marley in Bob Marley: One Love, but he’s also portrayed President Barack Obama in Showtime’s The Comey Rule. Ben-Adir, born in London to a White English father and Trinidadian mother, honed his acting chops on the British stage, starring in several Shakespeare productions in London. He also made it on UK television, appearing in ITV’s Marple, the BBC One/PBS/France 2 series Death in Paradise, ITV’s Midsomer Murders and BBC’s Peaky Blinders.

Wunmi Mosaku

One of the foremost scream queens of our time, Mosaku has been thrilling audiences in projects from HBO’s Lovecraft Country, to Netflix’s His House and Warner Bros.’ Sinners. Outside of this horror/thriller roles, Mosaku has also been in Luther, Loki and We Own This City. 

Lashana Lynch

Lynch has played everything from a badass warrior to a Bond companion. Her extensive resume, which continues to grow and grow, includes roles in the Marvel Cinemaic Universe beginning with Captan Marvel, as well as The Woman King, Bob Marley: One Love and Day of the Jackal. The first role she really garnered attention for was the one-season Shondaland series at ABC, Still Star-Crossed. 

Caroline Chikezie

This British actress is probably most known to American viewers for her role as cutthroat villainess Noma Asaju in Starz’s Power Book II: Ghost. Her other roles include Fox’s short-lived thriller The Passage and the 2017 film Mayhem. Her husband is Adrian Holmes, a Canadian actor who happened to be born in the United Kingdom before moving at age 5. 

Freema Agyeman

Agyeman has had an assortment of roles both stateside and in the UK. She was a companion on Doctor Who from 2007 to 2010, and reprised her role in the Doctor Who spinoff, Torchwood. See also starred in Law & Order: UK. She garnered worldwide notoriety for her role in Netflix’s Sense8 as well. To United States viewers, she’s likely familiar from starring in the NBC medical drama series, New Amsterdam. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Black British actor in The Bill?

Trevor Laird is one of the Black actors who appeared in The Bill, the long-running police procedural series. Laird had a recurring role as D.S. Ted Roach’s colleague and brought depth to a show that featured a diverse cast over its decades on air. He also appeared in Doctor Who and the classic film Quadrophenia. 

Who is the UK’s most famous black actor? 

Idris Elba is often cited as the U.K.’s most famous Black actor thanks to a career that spans critically acclaimed television, major film franchises and music. He rose to international fame playing Stringer Bell on HBO’s The Wire and later took on blockbuster roles in Thor, Pacific Rim and Luther.