Paapa Essiedu

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Paapa Essiedu
Paapa Essiedu (2016).jpg
Essiedu at the 2016 Hay Festival
Born (1990-06-11) June 11, 1990 (age 31)
OccupationActor
Years active2012–present
Awards2016 Ian Charleson Award

Paapa Essiedu (/ˈpɑːpə ˌɛsiˈeɪduː/;[1][2] born 1990) is a British actor. He is known for his work in theatre, film and television, including in the 2020 television series I May Destroy You, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He won the 2016 Ian Charleson Award for his title role in Hamlet and Edmund in King Lear, both at the Royal Shakespeare Company.[3][4][5]

Early life[]

Born in 1990, Essiedu grew up in East London with his mother, who was a fashion and design teacher. His family comes from Ghana, where he has a half-brother and half-sister. He won a scholarship to Forest School, Walthamstow and despite being active in sports teams and theatrical productions his ambition as he grew older was to become a doctor.[6] Essiedu became more involved with Shakespeare when he was accepted into the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he met and worked with Michaela Coel.[7] He takes inspiration from his favourite actors: Mark Rylance, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Simon Russell Beale, David Thewlis, and Gary Oldman.

Career[]

Theatre[]

Essiedu joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2012 to play Fenton in Phillip Breen's production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. Afterwards, he went to the National Theatre, playing Burgundy and understudying Edmund in Sam Mendes’ production of King Lear. When Sam Troughton lost his voice during a performance, Essiedu stepped in and played the role to critical acclaim.[8] He has acted in Outside on the Street (Pleasance Theatre), Black Jesus (Finborough Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Tobacco Factory), You For Me For You (Royal Court), and most recently the title role in Hamlet and Edmund in King Lear, both at the (Royal Shakespeare Company). The judges described his Hamlet as one the audience listened to "completely still", and they noted that as an actor he could turn on a sixpence – sweet, playful and flirtatious one minute, and fiercely intelligent the next. "Like all great actors", a judge noted, he "made all the lines his own". His Edmund in King Lear was noted for his chilling contempt and cynicism.[3]

Film & Television[]

In 2020, Essiedu played a lead role in the BBC series I May Destroy You.[7] In 2021 he was seen filming Extinction for Sky television[9] and played George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford in Anne Boleyn for Channel 5.[10]

Performances[]

Theatre[]

Year Title Role
2013 Black Jesus Gabriel
2014 King Lear Burgundy
2015 Romeo and Juliet Romeo
2015 You For Me For You Wade
2016 Hamlet Hamlet
2016 King Lear Edmund
2018 Hamlet – RSC Tour Hamlet
2018 Pinter One Various

Filmography[]

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Utopia Roy - Episode #1.4 (2013)

- Episode #1.1 (2013)

2015 Not Safe For Work Paul - Episode #1.5 (2015)
2016 A Midsummer Night's Dream Demetrius
2017 Murder on the Orient Express Young Policeman
2017 The Miniaturist (TV series) Otto
2018 Kiri Nate Akindele
2018 Press Ed Washburn Miniseries
2018 Black Earth Rising Jaalen - Episode #1.1
2020 Gangs of London Alex Dumani 8 episodes
2020 I May Destroy You Kwame 12 episodes
2021 Anne Boleyn George Boleyn 3 episodes

Radio[]

Paapa appeared as Tunde in the BBC Radio 3 drama As Innocent As You Can Get (2016) by Rex Obano.[11]

Accolades[]

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2021
 British Academy Television Awards Best Actor I May Destroy You Nominated [12]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Pending [13]

References[]

  1. ^ "Paapa Essiedu Interview | Hamlet". Royal Shakespeare Company. 23 February 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Actor Paapa Essiedu | Breakthrough Brits 2018". BAFTA. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Hawkins, Helen. "Paapa Essiedu wins the Ian Charleson award 2016". Sunday Times. 11 June 2017.
  4. ^ Snow, Georgia. "Paapa Essiedu wins 2016 Ian Charleson award". The Stage. 6 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Ian Charleson Awards 2016". WestEndTheatre.com. 6 June 2017.
  6. ^ Kellaway, Interview by Kate (13 March 2016). "Paapa Essiedu: You can't live with your heart on your sleeve". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "I May Destroy You's Paapa Essiedu on Going to Drama School With Michaela Coel". Vulture. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  8. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (23 January 2014). "Actor loses voice on stage during Sam Mendes's King Lear". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  9. ^ https://deadline.com/2021/01/paapa-essiedu-tom-burke-sky-joe-barton-extinction-1234678301/
  10. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/may/07/anne-boleyn-comes-to-channel-5-as-thriller-told-through-queens-eyes
  11. ^ "As Innocent As You Can Get, Drama on 3 - BBC Radio 3". BBC.
  12. ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2021: Winners and nominees in full". BBC News. 14 July 2021. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  13. ^ "'The Crown,' 'I May Destroy You,' 'Hacks,' 'Mare of Easttown' Score Major 2021 Emmy Nominations". Rolling Stone. 13 July 2021.
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