Hammed Animashaun (born 6 May 1991) is a British stage, film and television actor. He won Best Male Comedy Performance at the 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards
Hammed Animashaun | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 May 1991 Whitechapel, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer |
| Television | Black Ops The Wheel of Time |
Early life
editAnimashaun was born into a Nigerian family in Whitechapel in London. His father was a bus driver and his mother a voluntary worker.[1] He had a growth spurt in college and one summer grew five inches. His younger brother is 6 ft 9”.[2] Animashaun himself is 6 ft 3”. He was encouraged by his school drama teacher to join the Half Moon Children's Theatre in London's Limehouse.[3] He studied philosophy with drama at university but dropped out when offered theatre roles.[4]
Career
editStage
editHe received second prize in the 2021 Ian Charleson Awards which recognise actors under the age of 30 in classical roles, for his role as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Bridge Theatre.[5] He also won Best Supporting Actor at the WhatsOnStage Awards for the same production.[6][7] Other stage roles have included "Master Harold"...and the Boys, Athol Fugard's drama set in apartheid South Africa, one of the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella at the Lyric Hammersmith, The Producers at the Manchester Royal Exchange, the original production of the Barber Shop Chronicles, Rufus Norris's staging of The Threepenny Opera at the National and Michael Longhurst's revival of Amadeus.[8][9]
During 2024, Hammed Animashaun played a Gangster in a revival of Kiss Me, Kate, direccted by Bartlett Sher at the Barbican Theatre, performing "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" alongside fellow Gangster Nigel Lindsay. Their performances were hailed as "hilarious Runyonesque theatre-enthusiast gangsters"[10]
Television
editAnimashaun appeared as Loial in the Amazon Prime Video series The Wheel of Time beginning in 2021. He stars in the 2023 BBC One comedy television series Black Ops, alongside Gbemisola Ikumelo and Akemnji Ndifornyen, playing an undercover policeman woefully out of his depth. His character, Kay, has been described as a "glass-half-full, God-fearing gentle giant and the opposite of street-smart." He described the role on the show as a "dream come true" and that he kept expecting to be replaced for a bigger named actor in the role.[11] He has been praised for his chemistry with Ikumelo.[12]
He won Best Male Comedy Performance at the 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards.[13][14] In March 2024, Animashaun was nominated in the Male performance in a comedy programme category at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards.[15]
Writing
editIn 2023, he was awarded one of two scripted creators in residence for BBC Studios TalentWorks to work with producers on scripted comedy and drama.[16][17]
Partial filmography
edit| 2016 | Flowers | Ryan | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Black Mirror | Pizza Guy | Episode USS Callister |
| 2017 | The Festival | Shane | Film |
| 2017-2018 | Pls Like | Johnny Jackson | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | Cunk & Other Humans on 2019 | Various | 6 episodes |
| 2021–present | The Wheel of Time | Loial | 11 episodes |
| 2023 | Black Ops | Kay | Lead role |
| 2024 | Ludwig | Ross Barclay | 1 episode |
| 2024 | Time Bandits | Mansa Musa | 1 episode |
References
edit- ^ Dowd, Vincent (October 11, 2019). "Hammed Animashaun: 'I was the only clown in the family'". BBC.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Kennedy, Sarah (May 5, 2023). "Hammed Animashaun on Black Ops: 'I never thought that being an actor was available to me'". Whynow.co.uk. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Gilbey, Ryan (October 1, 2019). "'I love seeing jaws on the floor': Hammed Animashaun, megastar in training". The Guardian. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Brooks, Sean. "An interview with Katherine Pearce and Hammed Animashaun". British Youth Music Theatre. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Bosanquet, Theo (March 29, 2021). "Winners announced of 30th Ian Charleson awards". Whats On Stage. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Wood, Alex (May 26, 2020). "Ian Charleson Awards 2020 nominees announced". Whats On Stage. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Wood, Alex (March 20, 2020). "20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards winners include Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Come From Away and Six". Whatsondtage. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Hammed Animashaun". Royal Court Theatre. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Hammed Animashaun". Broadway World. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Kiss Me Kate review in the Daily Telegraph, Marianka Swain, 18 July 2024, Accessed 30 July 2024
- ^ Vassell, Nicole (May 8, 2023). "Hammed Animashaun on his groundbreaking BBC comedy: 'Black Ops is a huge step forward for every creative of colour in the industry'". The Independent. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Black Ops". Chortle. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Szalai, Giorg (26 March 2024). "Hannah Waddingham, 'Happy Valley,' Bella Ramsey Among Winners of Royal Television Society Awards". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "RTS PROGRAMME AWARDS 2024". RTS.org.uk. 7 March 2024.
- ^ Richardson, Hollie (20 March 2024). "Bafta TV awards 2024 nominations: full list". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "I TALK TO Hammed Animashaun". I Talk Telly. May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Layton, Mark (March 27, 2023). "BBC Studios TalentWorks recruits scripted creators in residence". Tbivision.com. Retrieved May 8, 2023.