Babou Ceesay Explained

Birth Name:Baboucarr Alieu Ceesay
Birth Place:London, England, UK.
Occupation:Actor
Education:Imperial College London
Years Active:2006–present
Spouse:Anna Ceesay
Children:2

Baboucarr Alieu Ceesay (born 1979) is a British actor. He is known for his role in Guerrilla. 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.[1] He trained at Oxford School of Drama. He has also been involved in many significant projects on stage, including The Overwhelming opposite Andrew Garfield and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He studied Microbiology at Imperial College London, and also worked as an internal auditor at accounting firm, Deloitte.[2]

Career

Ceesay's first major role was in the horror/comedy film Severance. Two years later, he got a role on TV in an episode of Whistleblower. He made guest appearances in multiple British TV shows, including Silent Witness, , Casualty, Strike Back, Luther, Getting On and Lewis.

In 2013, he appeared in the Nigerian film, Half of a Yellow Sun, alongside Thandiwe Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor and another rising star, John Boyega.[3] In 2014, he starred in 71.

In 2015, he was cast in NBC's TV drama, A.D. The Bible Continues as John the Apostle.[4] He also appeared in the thriller Eye in the Sky (2015)[5] and the British action comedy Free Fire (2016), set in Boston, and starring Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley and Armie Hammer.

He made a return to television with a major role in the Channel 4 drama National Treasure as Jerome Sharp, the lawyer of Paul Finchley, played by Robbie Coltrane.[6] He then starred in a BBC One television movie Damilola, Our Loved Boy, based on the murder of Damilola Taylor, a ten-year old Nigerian boy living in London, and the trial which followed.[7] He played the role of the father Richard Taylor, for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor.[8]

In August 2016, he was cast in the British miniseries, Guerrilla, alongside Idris Elba and Freida Pinto.[9]

In 2019, he was cast as Manny Mensah in the BBC One drama television series Dark Money, with John Schwab and Joseph May. He also performed in the American civil rights drama The Best of Enemies (2019), 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 television series We Hunt Together, with Eve Myles, Hermione Corfield and Dipo Ola in the other main roles.[10] In 2021, Paul Abbott's crime drama Wolfe premiered on Sky, 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.[11]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2006SeveranceBillyComedy/Horror
2011StolenDavidTV film
ShirleyHenry BasseyTV film
2013Half of a Yellow SunOkeomaDrama/RomanceDirector: Biyi Bandele
2014'71CorporalAction/Crime/DramaDirector: Yann Demange
2015Eye in the SkySergeant Mushtaq SaddiqAction/Drama/ThrillerAlongside Aaron Paul
2016Free FireMartinAction/Comedy/CrimeAlongside Brie Larson
Damilola, Our Loved BoyRichard TaylorTV film
Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryLieutenant SeflaAction/Adventure/Sci-Fi
2019The Best of EnemiesBill RiddickBiography/Drama/History
2020The ShowSecond CabbyDrama/Fantasy/Mystery
2021ResurrectionJohnBiography/Drama/History
2023IrisThe DoctorShort film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2008WhistleblowerDr. AbdulrazzadMiniseries
Silent WitnessDS GayleEpisode: "Death's Door"
2009Daniel MatoukouEpisode: "Care"
2011CasualtyJake MaddickEpisode: "Til Death Us Do Part"
LutherAdewale OmotosoEpisode: "#2.3"
2012Ozzy OsonduRecurring role, 2 episodes
Getting OnHansleySeries 3 regular
2013LewisDC Alex GrayEpisode: "The Ramblin' Boy"
2014Puppy LoveDennisRecurring role, 3 episodes
2015A.D. The Bible ContinuesJohnSeries regular, 12 episodes
2016National TreasureJeromeMiniseries
2017GuerrillaMarcus HillSeries regular, 6 episodes
2018-19Into the BadlandsPilgrimRecurring role, 16 episodes
2019Dark MoneyManny MensahMiniseries
2020-22We Hunt TogetherDI Jackson MendySeries regular, 12 episodes
2021WolfeWolfe KintehSeries regular, 6 episodes
2024ShardlakeAbbot FabianSeries regular, 4 episodes

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
201712th Screen Nation Film and Television AwardsMale Performance in TV
63rd British Academy Television AwardsBest Actor
2018Broadcasting Press Guild AwardsBest Actor

References

https://shadowandact.com/interview-guerrilla-star-babou-ceesay-talks-controversy-around-the-series-carving-out-success-in-british-drama

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lewis's new sidekick breaks crime mould . Thorpe . Vanessa . The Guardian . 14 April 2017 .
  2. Web site: Marcus Hill Played by Babou Ceesay – Guerrilla SHOWTIME . SHOWTIME.com . 14 April 2017 .
  3. Web site: TIFF Movie Review – Half of a Yellow Sun (2013) . Flickering Myth . 14 April 2017 .
  4. Web site: Behind The Bible AD: Casting a More Diverse Bible Story . NBC News . 14 April 2017 . Babou Ceesay as John .
  5. Web site: Eye in the Sky . HuffPost . 14 April 2017 . Ceesay .
  6. Web site: Meet the cast of National Treasure . Radio Times . 14 April 2017 . Jerome Sharpe (Babou Ceesay) .
  7. News: Damilola Taylor: TV drama tells the story behind the headlines . BBC News . 14 April 2017 .
  8. Web site: The Crown royally sweeps the 2017 Bafta TV awards nominations . Ellis-Petersen . Hannah . The Guardian . 14 April 2017 .
  9. Web site: Babou Ceesay, Rory Kinnear and more join Idris Elba in Guerrilla . Empire . 14 April 2017 .
  10. Web site: 'We Hunt Together': TV Review. August 7, 2020.
  11. Web site: 'I feared they'd take my child if I admitted how I felt'. Lucy. Wallis. 19 August 2019. www.bbc.co.uk.