Baboucarr Alieu Ceesay (born 1979) is a British actor. He is known for his roles in ''
Guerrilla'' and ''
Rogue One
''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (or simply ''Rogue One'') is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards. The screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy is from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It was produced by L ...
''. He also starred as the main antagonist Pilgrim in season 3 of AMC TV series ''
Into the Badlands''.
Early life and education
Ceesay was born in London, England, and grew up in West Africa. He is a dual-national and is of Gambian descent.
He trained at
Oxford School of Drama
The Oxford School of Drama is a drama school in the United Kingdom. It is based at Wootton, ten miles north of Oxford.
The school is an independent, vocational drama school which runs a three-year acting course and a one-year acting course, bot ...
. He has also been involved in many significant projects on stage include ''The Overwhelming'' opposite
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield (born 20 August 1983) is an English and American actor. He has received various accolades, including a Tony Award, a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. ''Time' ...
and ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. He studied
Microbiology at
Imperial College London
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
and also worked as an
internal audit
Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to ...
or at accounting firm,
Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of professio ...
.
Career
Ceesay's first major role was in a horror/comedy film, ''
Severance
Severance may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Severance'' (film), a 2006 British horror film
* ''Severance'' (novel), a 2018 novel by Ling Ma
*''Severance'', a 2006 short-story collection by Robert Olen Butler
* ''Severance'' (TV series), a ...
''. Two years later he got a role on TV in an episode of ''
Whistleblower
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
''. He made guest appearance in multiple British TV shows including ''
Silent Witness'', ''
Law & Order: UK'', ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'', ''
Strike Back'', ''
Luther
Luther may refer to:
People
* Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation
* Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement
* Luther (give ...
'', ''
Getting On'' and ''
Lewis
Lewis may refer to:
Names
* Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Music
* Lewis (musician), Canadian singer
* "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
''.
In 2013, he worked in the Nigerian film, ''
Half of a Yellow Sun
''Half of a Yellow Sun'' is a novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Published in 2006 by 4th Estate in London, the novel tells the story of the Biafran War through the perspective of the characters Olanna, Ugwu, and Richard.
It rec ...
'', alongside
Thandiwe Newton
Melanie Thandiwe Newton ( ; born 6 November 1972), formerly credited as Thandie Newton, is a British actress. Newton has received various awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for ...
,
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, an NAACP Image Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awa ...
, and another rising star,
John Boyega
John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega (born 17 March 1992), known professionally as John Boyega, is a British actor and producer. He first rose to prominence in his native Britain for his role as Moses in the sci-fi comedy film ''Attack the Block' ...
.
In 2014, he worked on
'71.
In 2015, he was cast in
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's TV drama, ''
A.D. The Bible Continues'' as ''
John the Apostle
John the Apostle ( grc, Ἰωάννης; la, Ioannes ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ;) or Saint John the Beloved was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he was the son of Zebede ...
''.
He also appeared in the thriller ''
Eye in the Sky'' (2015)
and the British action comedy ''
Free Fire
''Free Fire'' is a 2016 British black comedy- action film directed by Ben Wheatley, from a screenplay by Wheatley and Amy Jump. It stars Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor, Babou Ceesay, Enzo Cilenti, Sam Ri ...
'' (2016), set in Boston, and starring
Brie Larson
Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers (born October 1, 1989), known professionally as Brie Larson, is an American actress. Known for her supporting roles in comedies as a teenager, she has since expanded to leading roles in independent films and blockb ...
,
Sharlto Copley
Sharlto Copley (born 27 November 1973) is a South African actor. His acting credits include roles in the Academy Award-nominated science fiction film ''District 9'', the 2010 adaptation of ''The A-Team'', the science fiction film ''Elysium'', t ...
, and
Armie Hammer
Armand Douglas Hammer (born August 28, 1986) is an American actor. Hammer began his acting career with guest appearances in several television series. His first leading role was as Billy Graham in the 2008 film '' Billy: The Early Years'', and ...
.
He made a return to television with a major role in the ''
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
'' drama, ''
National Treasure
The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the funda ...
'' as Jerome Sharp, Paul Finchley's (played by
Robbie Coltrane
Anthony Robert McMillan (30 March 195014 October 2022), known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor and comedian. He gained worldwide recognition in the 2000s for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. H ...
) lawyer.
He then signed up for and starred in a
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
television movie, ''
Damilola, Our Loved Boy
''Damilola, Our Loved Boy'' is a British television film about the events surrounding the 27 November 2000 death of Damilola Taylor. The film aired on BBC One on 7 November 2016, and was written by Levi David Addai, directed by Euros Lyn, and s ...
'', based on the murder of
Damilola Taylor
Damilola Adegbite (born Oluwadamilola Adegbite; 18 May 1985) is Nigerian actress, Model, and Television personality. She played Thelema Duke in the soap opera ''Tinsel'', and Kemi Williams in the movie '' Flower Girl''. She won Best Actress in a T ...
, a ten-year old Nigerian boy living in Peckham, London and the trial which followed.
He played the role of the father, Richard Taylor for which he received a
BAFTA nomination for
Best Actor.
In August 2016, he was cast in the British miniseries, ''
Guerrilla'', alongside
Idris Elba
Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor. and
Freida Pinto
Freida Selena Pinto (born 18 October 1984) is an Indian actress who has appeared mainly in American and British films. Born and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra, she resolved at a young age to become an actress. As a student at St. Xavier's Coll ...
.
In 2019, he was cast as Manny Mensah in the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
drama television series ''
Dark Money
In the politics of the United States, dark money refers to spending to influence elections where the source of the money is not disclosed to voters. In the United States, some types of nonprofit organizations may spend money on campaigns wi ...
'', with
John Schwab
John Schwab (born 15 September 1972) is an American actor, TV producer and musician who resides in London. He produced ''The Hide'' with Christopher Granier-Deferre, which was nominated for a BIFA 2010.
He is best known for his film and televi ...
and
Joseph May
Joseph May is a British-born Canadian actor, who has appeared in television and film. He is best known for his role as Andy Button in the television series ''Episodes'', Paul who was the boyfriend of Sam Colloby, in '' Casualty'', Luke in ''I Liv ...
. He also performed in the American civil rights drama, ''
The Best of Enemies'' (2019),
adapted from a history about school integration and an unlikely alliance in a town in North Carolina.
In 2020, Ceesay was cast as DI Jackson Mendy in the
Alibi
An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...
television series ''
We Hunt Together'', with
Eve Myles
Eve Myles (born 26 July 1978) is a Welsh actress. She is best known for her television roles portraying Ceri Lewis in the long-running BBC Wales drama series '' Belonging'' (2000–2009), Gwen Cooper in the BBC science-fiction series ''Torchw ...
,
Hermione Corfield
Hermione Isla Conyngham Corfield (born 19 December 1993) is an English actress. She has appeared in films, including '' Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation'' (2015), ''Mr. Holmes'' (2015), ''Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'' (2016), '' XXX: Ret ...
, and Dipo Ola in the other main roles. In 2021,
Paul Abbott
Paul Abbott (born 22 February 1960) is an English television screenwriter and producer. Abbott has become one of the most critically and commercially successful television writers working in Britain, following his work on popular series such as ...
s crime drama ''
Wolfe'' premiered on
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space.
In the field of astronomy, ...
, in which Ceesay plays the title role as a forensic scientist in Manchester.
Personal life
He lives in London with his wife, journalist Anna Ceesay, and their two children.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ceesay, Babou
Living people
1979 births
Black British male actors
English people of Gambian descent
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
Alumni of the Oxford School of Drama
Gambian actors
Male actors from London