Paapa Essiedu
Biography
Paapa Essiedu is a British actor who started out with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2012 in The Merry Wives of Windsor and later played Hamlet and Edmund in King Lear. Born in Southwark and brought up in East London, he trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His screen breakthrough came with the BBC One series I May Destroy You in 2020, which earned him Emmy and BAFTA nominations, and he went on to lead the series Gangs of London and The Lazarus Project. He made his feature film debut in Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and has since appeared in Men (2022), Genie (2023) and The Outrun (2024). On stage he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Arthur Miller's All My Sons, and he also appeared in A Number and The Effect.
36years old
Turns 37 on June 11in 241 days
- Born Southwark
- Star sign: GeminiThe sign runs May 21 to June 20
- Paapa Kwaakye Essiedu (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 3
- Career span
- 2 years2022 to 2024
Every film, newest first
- 2024The OutrunIMDb rating 6.9
- 2023GenieIMDb rating 5.9
- 2022MenIMDb rating 6.0
Genres
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First role
In 2012, Essiedu became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, taking the role of Fenton in Phillip Breen's staging of The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Early training
Essiedu got into the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and it was there that he met Michaela Coel and worked with her.
Big break
Essiedu played Kwame in the BBC One series I May Destroy You in 2020, acting alongside Michaela Coel. His work earned critical acclaim and nominations, including a Primetime Emmy Award nod for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Paapa Essiedu movies on Netflix
Worked with
Paapa Essiedu made one film with each of them. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Luis Guzmán's page
Alan Cumming's page
Melissa McCarthy's page
Saoirse Ronan's page
Stephen Dillane's page
Ralph Brown's page
All films by Alex Garland
Nora FingscheidtDirector, 1 film, 2024
All films by Nora Fingscheidt
Sam BoydDirector, 1 film, 2023
All films by Sam Boyd
Awards
Two awards and honors from 2016 to 2021.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2021 | Independent Spirit Award | Won | |
| 2016 | Ian Charleson Awards | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.