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Actor, director and producer
United Kingdom · b. 1976
British actor of Nigerian descent, the first Black actor to play an English king for the Royal Shakespeare Company, as Henry VI in 2001. He played Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma and Seretse Khama in A United Kingdom, and has since worked as a director and producer.
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“David, you are going to walk among kings.” This was my mum’s prophecy when I was small. My father is from a royal family in Nigeria, so I interpreted it that way. Remarkably, she was right: I went on to play King Pelasgus, Henry VI, Martin Luther King and Seretse Khama.
Recorded The Observer / The Guardian, 19 April 2025 source ↗
God has never let me down. He’s a key factor in guiding my decisions and feeling safe within them. My wife and I suffered three miscarriages, one of them quite late in the pregnancy. Without faith, we would have retreated into our own corners to lick our wounds, but our love increased.
Recorded The Observer / The Guardian, 19 April 2025 source ↗
Any lasting relationship needs non-negotiables. We made the decision early on never to be apart for longer than two weeks: 26 years married and we’ve only broken that rule once, by 11 hours, when my wife was in Sleepy Hollow. If I ever meet [director] Tim Burton, I’ll be having words.
Recorded The Observer / The Guardian, 19 April 2025 source ↗
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