Kingsley Ben-Adir as Malcolm X in One Night in Miami By Sydney Scott ·December 26, 2020December 26, 2020
Many British actors have made the leap across the pond into Hollywood, but audiences seem to be familiar with only a few names. And, while we love Idris Elba — seriously, how could you not? — there’s plenty of UK talent working in Hollywood that we often overlook, some who recently catapulted into the limelight, and others we’re ready to see more of on our screens. Here’s a list of familiar and not-so familiar faces.
01Regé-Jean PageRegé-Jean Page, who was born in Zimbabwe and moved to London when he was 14, currently stars in Shonda Rhimes’ royal treat Bridgerton as the Duke of Hastings, Simon Bassett. 
Netflix 02Kingsley Ben-AdirIn 2020 alone, Kingsley Ben-Adir graced us with staggering performances in Soulmates, The Comey Rule, High Fidelity and this month’s One Night in Miami, where he stars as Malcolm X. 
03Micheal WardIn Steve McQueen’s Small Axe film Lovers Rock, Micheal Ward saves the day at a 1980s blues party. But many will recognize him from Top Boy, the U.K.’s answer to The Wire. 
Photo Credit: Parisa Taghizedeh / Amazon Prime Video 04Nicholas PinnockEven though he was tapped by 50 Cent to play inmate-turned-prosecutor Aaron Wallace in ABC’s For Life, Pinnock cut his teeth on British stages. He won rave reviews for outstanding performance in “Ear for Eye” at the Royal Court in London in 2018. 
05Malachi KirbyIn the states, Malachi Kirby made a name for himself in the 2016 remake of Roots, where he starred as Kunta Kente. Last month, he portrayed real-life British activist Darcus Howe, one of the Mangrove 9, in Steve McQueen’s retelling of the highly publicized case that arguably kicked off the the civil rights movement in the United Kingdom. 
Photo Credit: Des Willie / Amazon Prime Video 06John BoyegaJohn Boyega broke Hollywood barriers from the moment he appeared as Finn in the last three Star Wars films. But it was the Nigerian-Brit’s fiery support of Black Lives Matter that forever cemented him as one of our global faves. 
Wiktor Szymanowicz/Barcroft Media via Getty Images 07Delroy LindoOh, you know you know Delroy Lindo. The British-American Tony-Nominated actor has appeared in Crooklyn, Malcolm X, Gone in 60 Seconds, and appeared in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. 
2013 NBCUniversalMedia, LLC/Getty images 08Daniel KaluuyaAfter blockbuster runs in Get Out, Black Panther and Queen & Slim, Kaluuya makes a return to the big screen as Fred Hampton in the highly anticipated Judas and the Black Messiah. The Black Panther biopic arrives February 12, 2021. 
Getty Images 09Michael ObioraMichael’s snagged roles in Luther and cult fave Misfits. He also appeared on soaps like Casualty and EastEnders. 
Getty images 10Richard AyoadeThe BAFTA-winning comedian, writer, and actor made us laugh until we cried on The IT Crowd and starred opposite Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill in 2012’s The Watch. Ayoade has a cult following in the US, but with such great comedic skill and writing he’s bound to receive a lot more attention soon. 
2012 Dave M. Benett/Getty images 11Jacob AndersonIf you’ve been watching Game of Thrones, then you’ll recognize Jacob as Grey Worm. But, what you may not know is that the actor is an amazing rapper, going by the name Raleigh Ritchie. His debut album You’re a Man Now, Boy was released earlier this year. 
2015 Karwai Tang/Getty images 12Ricky WhittleWhittle has made American audiences swoon in Mistresses, become a fan favorite on The CW’s The 100, and has us intrigued as Shadow on American Gods. 
Getty Images 13Lucien LaviscountThe Scream Queens actor played Earl Grey – RIP Earl Grey, we loved you — in the bloody horror-comedy and appeared in everyone’s favorite UK drama Skins. 
2015 Alberto E. Rodriguez/BAFTA LA/Getty images 14Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel’s list of roles and accomplishments is enviable. 12 Years A Slave, Kinky Boots, The Martian, an Oscar nomination, three Golden Globe nominations, and a BAFTA win. And, that’s not even the half of it.
2015 David M. Benett/Getty images 15Colin SalmonThe Brit’s comedic skills have been put on display in Netflix’s Master of None and the UK’s coming-of-age comedy Some Girls. He played Jarrod Sands in CBS show Limitless and fans of Arrow will know him as Walter Steele. 
2016 Michael Stewart/Getty images 16Charles Venn
UK audiences might recognize him from a number of shows like Casualty and EastEnders. And while he’s had it roles in US films like The Dark Knight and The Bourne Ultimatum, he’s long overdue for meatier roles in the US.
2016 Karwai Tang/Getty images 17Adrian LesterAdrian is not only an amazing actor whose resume includes stellar theatre work — he won a Best Actor award from the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for his work in Othello and played Ellis Carter in Girlfriends, Joan’s love interest — he was also appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2013 for his service to drama. 
Eamonn McCormack/Getty images 18Samuel AndersonSamuel played Crowther in the Royal National Theatre’s The History Boys, which had a run on Broadway. He’s appeared on Doctor Who and UK soap Casualty. 
David M. Benett/Getty images 19David GyasiIf the English actor has a familiar face, it’s because he’s appeared in Cloud Atlas, Interstellar, and starred in The CW miniseries Containment. 
Vincent Sandoval/Getty images 20Jimmy AkingbolaJimmy is another Arrow actor having appeared on the show as Baron Reiter. And, in 2008, he became the first black actor to play the role of Jimmy Porter in acclaimed playwright John Osborne’s Look Back In Anger. His brother Sola also happens to be head percussionist for Jamiroquai. 
Maury Phillips/Getty images 21Adele Akinnuoye-AgbajeAdewale’s resume includes turns as Killer Croc in Suicide Squad and Dave Duerson in Concussion. He’s also set to voice Captain Vervain in the highly-anticipated Watership Down miniseries. 
2016 Karwai Tang 22David Oyelowo
British actor David Oyelowo, who is most known for portraying Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, is turning 41 on April 1.
Getty Images 23Aml AmeenAmeen played Capheus in the first season of Netflix hit Sense8 and landed roles in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, The Maze Runner, and Beyond the Lights. His first Hollywood film role was in Red Tails, the story of the African American Tuskegee airman in World War II. 
Barry King/Getty images 24Ben Bailey SmithThe UK rapper and actor has made audiences laugh in the UK’s Murder in Successville and the English version of Drunk History. He often appears under his stage name Doc Brown and has released some awesome studio albums, EPS, and singles. He also happens to be the brother of writer Zadie Smith. 
Dave J Hogan/Getty images 25Sope DirisuIf you’ve seen this recent season of Black Mirror, you’ll recognize him from “Nosedive.” The actor also plays Fred in the criminally underrated British-American show Humans. 
David M. Benett/Getty images 26Eamonn WalkerFans of Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. know Eamonn as Wallace Boden, but the British actor is also known for his award-winning role on Oz as Kareem Saïd and his Broadway debut as Mark Antony in Julius Caesar alongsideDenzel Washington. 
Getty images 27Arinze Kene
Anglophiles might know Arinzé from Our Girl, Youngers, and the horror-comedy Crazyhead, but the British playwright’s recent role in The Pass really shows the actor’s range.
28Nathan Stewart-JarrettNathan caught everyone’s attention in the massive UK hit show Misfits and later starred in the sci-fi drama Utopia. He’s also starred opposite Jude Law in Dom Hemingway. 
Dave Hogan/Getty images 29Noel ClarkeThe London-born actor has appeared in Star Trek Into Darkness and has been award the Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Performer for his performance in the Royal Court Theatre’s Where Do We Live and BAFTA’s Orange Rising Star Award for Kidulthood and Adulthood. 
Mike Marsland/Getty images 30Alfred EnochThe Harry Potter alum currently plays Wes Gibbins on ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder and has received two NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. 
David Livingston/Getty images
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