Anthony Oluwakayode Oseyemi (born 17 January 1977) is a British–South African actor of Nigerian descent.^[1] He is best known for the roles in the films and teleserials Five Fingers for Marseilles, The Congo Murders and Isidingo. Apart from acting, he is also a writer, musician and producer.^[2]

Personal life

He was born on 17 January 1977 in the UK to a Nigerian family. Later he relocated to South Africa, where he received his BA degree in Performing Arts from the University of North London. He completed postgraduate studies in the UK. After the studies, he returned to South Africa and settled there.^[3]

Career

He started his acting career on stage as part of Lewisham Youth Theatre. He performed at the London International Festival of Theatre, the Tricycle Theatre and the Albany with Project Phakama. He played the lead role in the play The Amen Corner by James Baldwin. He also co-produced and appeared in the play Performance with Multi media production^{[clarification needed]}.

From 2002 to 2003, he had a recurring role in the television series Is Harry On The Boat? He also had guest roles in series including The Bill (2003) and Holby City (2005),^[3] and Coming Up (2005). After obtaining a Performing Arts degree, he had lead roles in other TV series including Jacob's Cross, Room 9, Traffick and Isidingo. He also appeared in Wild at Heart, The Runaway, Strike Back, The Book of Negroes and Mzansi Love: Ekasi Style.^[3]

In 2017, he played Congo in the South African Western thriller film Five Fingers for Marseilles, directed by Michael Matthews.^[4] He also starred in the romantic comedy Hector's Search for Happiness and in the American direct-to-video action film SEAL Team 8: Behind Enemy Lines'.^[3]

Other than acting, he also wrote the South African television series Tempy Pushas, broadcast on SABC 1. He then wrote the serial Room 9, which earned him a nomination at the 2014 South African Film and Television Awards Nomination.^[3]

Filmography