Ariyon Bakare
Born
London, England
EducationWAC Arts College
OccupationActor
Years active1990–present
Television

Ariyon Bakare (Listenⓘ) is an English actor. He has appeared in the BBC One soap opera Doctors as Ben Kwarme, the Amazon Prime television series Good Omens and Carnival Row, and the BBC One and HBO series His Dark Materials. Prior to this, Bakare made appearances on British dramas such as The Bill, Casualty, and Holby City.

Early life and education

Ariyon Bakare was born around 1971, of a Nigerian father. Growing up, he lived all around east London. Due to conflict with his father, Bakare left his family home at the age of 15, and completed his education while homeless for a year. He was close to his stepmother.[1]

Six months after returning home and reconciling with his father, at the age of 17, Bakare moved from London to New York to pursue dance as a career. He trained as dancer at various conservatories, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Two years into his training, he was informed that dancers often retire at a young age. The next day, he gave dance up, and began focusing on acting. He moved back to London at the age of 20, and began studying acting at Drama Centre London.[1]

His first professional job was with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). He stated that while performing with the RSC, he also worked on jobs in Scotland, as well as learning scriptwriting and singing soul and opera music.[1]

Career

Film and television

From 2001 to 2005, Bakare portrayed the role of Ben Kwarme in the BBC soap opera Doctors.[2]

After leaving Doctors, Bakare returned to direct and write several episodes. He then co-wrote and starred in the Channel drama Stealing Lives. In November 2008, he appeared as a villain in the BBC drama Spooks, and in October 2009, he made an appearance in Casualty.[3]

In 2011, Bakare played a mini-cab driver, Carl Lucas, in the last episode of the sixth series of Law & Order UK, first broadcast in 2012. He appeared in Dancing on the Edge, first broadcast in 2013, as Wesley Holt, a band manager. Bakare later appeared in Doctor Who, in the 2015 episode, "The Woman Who Lived", alongside Maisie Williams. He played the antagonist of the episode, a lion-like creature called Leandro.[4]

He had a cameo as a Rebel pilot in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In 2019, he began appearing in the BBC TV series His Dark Materials, in the role of Lord Boreal.[1]

Stage

Bakare's theatre credits include productions at the RSC and the Lyric Hammersmith. He played Florindo in Tim Supple's staging of A Servant to Two Masters at the Young Vic theatre.

He starred opposite Janet Suzman in the British premiere of Dream of the Dog, where he played a South African nattily-clad architect, "Look Smart".[5]

Awards and nominations

For his role in Doctors, Bakare was nominated for Best Actor at the 2004 British Soap Awards.[6]

He was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award for the role of Florindo in A Servant to Two Masters at the Young Vic.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1999After the RainVusisizwe (Joseph)
1999The Secret Laughter of WomenRev. Fola
1999Dead Bolt DeadThe Thug
2000–2001Family AffairsAdrian ScottSeries regular
2001–2005DoctorsBen KwarmeSeries regular
2006Shoot the MessengerElroy
2008The Dark KnightGuard Commander
2009Happy Ever AftersWilson
2012Full FirearmsLaslo
2013Lewis Carl Drew episode “Intelligent Design”
2015Jupiter AscendingGreeghan
2015Jonathan Strange & Mr NorrellStephen Black7 episodes
2015Dusha shpionaSam
2015Doctor WhoLeandroEpisode: "The Woman Who Lived"
2016ThirteenChief Superintendent Burridge4 episodes
2016Silent WitnessFather Daws2 episodes
2016Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryBlue Four
2017LifeHugh Derry
2019FrankieIanFilm
2019Good OmensLigurMiniseries
2019–2020His Dark MaterialsLord BorealMain role
2019-2023Carnival RowDariusRecurring role
2022The Amazing MauriceDarktanVoice
2022Wedding seasonVince
2022The Mosquito CoastRichardSeries regular
2023Black OpsDetective Inspector Clinton Blair

Stage

Year Title Roles Notes
2023 God of Carnage Alan Lyric Theatre

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ekpoudom, Aniefiok (11 October 2020). "Ariyon Bakare: 'Everything has fallen into place'". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2020. At 49, and after 25 years in the trade,...
  2. ↑ "BBC One - Doctors - Ben Kwarme". BBC. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  3. ↑ "'Love Is A Sacrifice'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "Doctor Who: The Woman Who Lived, review: 'stand-out episode'". The Daily Telegraph.
  5. ↑ Cavendish, Dominic (4 May 2010). "Dream of the Dog at the Finborough Theatre, review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "British Soap Awards 2004 - winners list". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
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