David Harewood | |
|---|---|
 David Harewood in Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2024 | |
| Born | David Michael Harewood (1965-12-08)8 December 1965 (age 59) Small Heath,Birmingham, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, presenter |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
David Michael Harewood (born 8 December 1965) is a British actor, presenter and the current president of theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism DirectorDavid Estes inHomeland (2011–2012), and asJ'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter andHank Henshaw / Cyborg Superman inSupergirl (2015–2021).[1]
Harewood was born on 8 December 1965 in theSmall Heath area ofBirmingham, the son of a couple fromBarbados who hadmoved to England in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His father was alorry driver, while his mother was a caterer. He has a sister, Sandra, and two brothers, Rodger and Paul. He attended St Benedict's Junior School andWashwood Heath Academy.[2][3] He was a member of theNational Youth Theatre. In his youth, he worked at a wine bar inBirmingham city centre.[4][5] At the age of 18, he gained a place at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art.[4][6]
Harewood began acting in 1990 and has appeared inThe Hawk,Great Moments in Aviation,Harnessing Peacocks,Mad Dogs and Englishmen,Blood Diamond,The Merchant of Venice andStrings. He is known for his television appearances onBallykissangel,The Vice andFat Friends. He played Don Coleman inHustle (Series 7The Fall of Railton FC (2011)).[7] In 1997, he was the first black actor to playOthello at theNational Theatre in London.[8][6]
In 2008, he played Major Simon Brooks inThe Palace; he also appeared (that December) onCelebrity Mastermind, with specialist subjectPhilip Pullman'sHis Dark Materials. He appeared in theBBC film adaptation of the Philip Pullman novelsThe Ruby in the Smoke andThe Shadow in the North, both of which are titles from the Sally Lockhart Mysteries.[7]
In 2009, Harewood appeared in the BBC single dramaMrs Mandela, playingNelson Mandela.[9] He playedBrother Tuck in the third series ofRobin Hood. He appeared in theDoctor Who story "The End of Time". He playedMartin Luther King Jr. in the premiere ofThe Mountaintop, written by American playwrightKatori Hall, directed byJames Dacre, which opened atTheatre503 in London on 9 June 2009.[10][11][12]
Harewood next appeared in two episodes ofChris Ryan'sStrike Back as Colonel Tshuma. From June to September 2010, he playedTheseus in the premiere ofMoira Buffini's playWelcome to Thebes at the National Theatre in London.[13] He played Martin Viner in an episode ofNew Tricks.[14] He narratedWelcome to Lagos, a BBC documentary about Lagos, Nigeria. He also starred in British independent filmThe Hot Potato,[15] the film also starredRay Winstone,Colm Meaney andJack Huston.[citation needed] He playedFrankenstein's monster in the TV live eventFrankenstein's Wedding.[7]
From 2011, Harewood starred asDavid Estes, the director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, in theShowtime seriesHomeland. After appearing in 24 episodes, his character was killed off in a bomb explosion at the end of season 2.[1] Also in 2011, he voiced Captain Quinton Cole in the video gameBattlefield 3.
In June 2014, he appeared inTulip Fever.[16] In October 2015, he appeared as a core cast member on the CBS television seriesSupergirl asHank Henshaw. Since his character was revealed (in the episodeHuman for a Day) to beJ'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter posing as Henshaw, he portrays J'onn J'onzz with Henshaw's likeness as his human form and has a dual recurring role as the real Hank Henshaw /Cyborg Superman.
In 2017, Harewood was in London to attend theBritish Urban Film Festival. The following year, for his performance in "Free in Deed", Harewood won Best Actor at the 2018 British Urban Film Festival awards. Harewood was included in the2019 edition of thePowerlist, ranking the 100 most influential Black Britons.[17] Also in 2019, he played the position of goalkeeper for England in Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2019.Psychosis and Me, a documentary hosted and produced by Harewood received aBAFTA Television Award nominated for Single Documentary.[18]
In October 2021, it was revealed that Harewood would make his feature directorial debut withFor Whom The Bell Tolls, a boxing film about the rivalry betweenChris Eubank andNigel Benn.[19]
In November 2021,The Guardian published an article focusing on Harewood and actorRicardo P Lloyd comparing both of their lives and careers and the struggles black British actors face in the UK. This was part ofBlack British culture matters, curated byLenny Henry & Marcus Ryder forThe Guardian Saturday Culture Issue No7.[6][20]
Harewood was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2012 New Year Honours for services to drama[21][22][23] andOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2023 New Year Honours for services to drama and charity.[24] Harewood delivered the 2023Richard Dimbleby Lecture.[25]
In February 2024, he was announced as the new President of theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art.[26]
Also in 2024, Harewood appeared in the season finale of the Star Wars seriesThe Acolyte portraying Rayencourt, a member of theGalactic Senate pushing for an external review of theJedi Order.[27]
Harewood campaigns forslavery reparations[28] and is an advocate of the British government apologising for Britain's participation in theslave trade.[29] His great-great-great-great grandparents had been slaves on a plantation inBarbados owned byHenry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood.[30] Slaves were given surnames derived from those of their owners, hence Harewood's ancestors had to take their name from the Lascelles' title. Harewood has engaged withDavid Lascelles, the 8th and current Earl of Harewood and a descendant of the 2nd Earl, who also believes the government should apologise for the slave trade.[29] As part of aBBC Look North programme in 2007, David Harewood visited Lascelles' ancestral home,Harewood House, which was built with the profits of slavery, and interviewed Lascelles on the subject.[31] He did so again for aChannel 5 documentary in 2021.[32]
In September 2023, a portrait of Harewood, commissioned by Lascelles, was put on display at Harewood House as an acknowledgement of their families' connected history.[29] It will become part of the stately home's permanent collection.[32] The portrait's unveiling was accompanied by a temporary exhibition at the house focussing on Harewood's life and career.[33] Harewood described the hanging of the portrait as "well overdue for me and my ancestors"[34] and commented that he hoped visitors to the house would
see a picture of a black person that they may recognise from the television, they will enquire as to why his picture is there, and then they'll understand… all of the unpaid work that my ancestors did, and the brutality of what they suffered… helped build this house.[29]
In May 2012, Harewood presented a Party Election Broadcast for theLabour Party.[35] In the2019 European Parliament election, Harewood pledged his support forChange UK.[36]
In 2007, Harewood donated hisbone marrow and as a result saved the life of a patient.[37] In October 2013, Harewood voiced an interactive video campaign for theBritish Lung Foundation aiming to ban smoking in cars with children on board in the United Kingdom.[38]
Harewood is an avid supporter ofBirmingham City Football Club.[1][39] Harewood appeared inSoccer Aid 2018 as England's celebritygoalkeeper. He saved two penalties during the penalty shootout, helping England to win the charity match. The event raised more than £5 million forUNICEF, a charity that Harewood supports.
Harewood is a mental health campaigner[28] and made a 2019 BBC documentary titledDavid Harewood: My Psychosis and Me based on his own experience of mental health issues.[40][41]
Harewood married his long-term girlfriend Kirsty Handy in February 2013 inSaint James, Barbados. They have two daughters and the family resides inStreatham, London.[42]
Harewood has been open about his troubled mental health and has admitted that he used to self-medicate with alcohol and marijuana to deal with hisbipolar-like symptoms, discarding the medication given to him by doctors. He was sectioned under theMental Health Act,[43] spent time on theWhittington Hospital psychiatric ward, and was prescribed the antipsychotic drugchlorpromazine.[44] In a 2021 essay forThe Guardian, he wrote:
I had consumed a fair amount of marijuana and was under a lot of stress; over the course of two years, I'd slowly come undone. I had spent weeks walking all over London, sometimes throughout the night, talking to strangers and following them wherever they led me. I'd black out only to regain consciousness in a completely different part of town, hours later, afraid and with absolutely no idea what had happened in the interval. Had it not been for some extraordinary friends who decided that I needed to be hospitalised, I might have vanished into the night for good. Worse still, I could have taken heed of the incredibly real and convincing voices in my head and simply thrown myself offWestminster Bridge. Instead, I found myself sectioned under the Mental Health Act.[45]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Hawk | Sergeant Streete | |
| 1995 | Mad Dogs and Englishmen | Jessop | |
| 1999 | I Wonder Who's Kissing You Now | Moses | |
| Between Dreams | Orderly | Short film | |
| 2004 | Strings | Erito (voice) | English dub |
| The Merchant of Venice | Prince of Morocco | ||
| 2005 | Separate Lies | Inspector Marshall | |
| 2006 | Blood Diamond | Captain 'Poison' | |
| 2010 | Second Chance | Rob Jenkins | Short film |
| 2011 | The Hot Potato | Harrison | |
| Victim | Mr Ansah | ||
| 2012 | The Man Inside | Eugene Murdoch | |
| The Last Bite | Rook | Short film | |
| 2013 | Third Person | Jake | |
| 2015 | Free in Deed | Abe Wilkins | |
| Spooks: The Greater Good | Warrender | ||
| 2016 | Grimsby | Black Gareth | |
| 2017 | Tulip Fever | Prater | |
| 2018 | Parallel | Mr Parkes | |
| 2022 | Wendell & Wild | Lane Klaxon (voice) | [46] |
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Casualty | Paul Grant | Episode 5.9: "A Will to Die" |
| 1990–1997 | The Bill | Williams / Malcolm Jackson / Ed Parrish / Robbie Coker | Four episodes |
| 1991 | For the Greater Good | David West | TV film |
| Minder | Vinny's Minder | Episode 8.10: "Too Many Crooks" | |
| Murder Most Horrid | Jonathan | Episode 1.5: "Murder at Tea Time" | |
| Pirate Prince | Jean-Baptiste | TV film | |
| 1991–1992 | Spatz | Derek Puley | Three episodes |
| 1993 | Anna Lee: Headcase | Stevie Johnson | TV film |
| Press Gang | Doctor | Episode 5.2: "Friendly Fire" | |
| Medics | Nick | Episode 3.6 | |
| Harnessing Peacocks | Terry | TV film | |
| 1994 | Great Moments in Aviation | Steward | TV film |
| Bermuda Grace | Trevor Watkins | TV film | |
| Capital Lives | Unknown | Episode 1.5: "Fall" | |
| 1995 | Hearts and Minds | Trevor | |
| Game On | Paul Johnson | Episode 1.5: "Big Wednesday" | |
| Agony Again | Daniel | Seven episodes | |
| 1997 | Macbeth on the Estate | Macduff | TV film |
| Kavanagh QC | David Adams | Episode 3.1: "Mute of Malice" | |
| Comedy Premieres: Cold Feet | Police Sergeant | ||
| 1998 | Ballykissangel | Henry | Episode 4.9: "As Stars Look Down" |
| 1999–2001 | Always and Everyone | Mike Gregson | Main cast |
| 1999–2003 | The Vice | Sergeant / D.I. Joe Robinson | Main cast |
| 2001 | An Unsuitable Job for a Woman | D.I. Peterson | Episode 1.4: "Playing God" |
| The Fear | Storyteller | ||
| 2001–2002 | Babyfather | Augustus 'Gus' Pottinger | Main cast |
| 2004 | Silent Witness | Angus Stuart | Episodes 8.3 and 8.4: "Death by Water" |
| 2004–2005 | Fat Friends | Max Robertson | 11 episodes |
| 2006 | New Street Law | D.I. Branston | Two episodes |
| The Ruby in the Smoke | Matthew Bedwell / Reverend Nicholas Bedwell | TV film | |
| 2007 | New Tricks | Martin Viner | Episode 4.3: "Ducking and Diving" |
| The Shadow in the North | Nicholas Bedwell | TV film | |
| 2008 | The Palace | Major Simon Brooks | Main cast; eight episodes |
| The Last Enemy | Patrick Nye | TV mini-series; five episodes | |
| Criminal Justice | Freddie Graham | TV mini-series; three episodes | |
| 2009 | Gunrush | Robbie | TV film |
| Robin Hood | Tuck | 12 episodes | |
| The Fixer | Richard Millar | Episode 2.4 | |
| 2009–2010 | Doctor Who | Joshua Naismith | "The End of Time" |
| 2010 | Mrs Mandela | Nelson Mandela | TV film |
| Strike Back | Colonel Tshuma | Episodes 1.3 and 1.4 | |
| 2011 | Hustle | Don Coleman | Episode 7.5: "The Fall of Railton FC" |
| Frankenstein's Wedding | The Creature | Live-televised stage performance | |
| The Body Farm | Wilkes | Episode 1.3 | |
| 2011–2012 | Homeland | David Estes | 24 episodes |
| 2012 | Treasure Island | Billy Bones | TV mini-series |
| Horizon – Global Weirding | Narrator | TV documentary series | |
| 2013 | The Wrong Mans | Surgeon | TV series |
| By Any Means | Napier | TV series | |
| 2014 | Selfie | Sam Saperstein | 8 episodes |
| 2015–2021 | Supergirl | J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter /Hank Henshaw / Cyborg Superman | Main role; directed 4 episodes Nominated -Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television(2019) |
| 2016 | Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands | Scorann | TV series |
| The Night Manager | Joel Steadman | TV series | |
| Will Britain ever have a Black Prime Minister? | Presenter | TV documentary | |
| 2017 | Madiba | Walter Sisulu | Miniseries |
| Have I Got News For You | Himself | Guest host | |
| 2017–2019 | The Flash | J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter | Episodes: "Duet", “Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 3” |
| 2018 | David Harewood: My Psychosis and Me | Presenter | TV documentary |
| 2019 | The Man in the High Castle | Equiano Hampton | Episodes 4.2 and 4.5 |
| 2020 | Earth's Tropical Islands | Himself / narrator | TV documentary |
| Arrow | J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter | Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 4" | |
| Legends of Tomorrow | Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 5" | ||
| 2021 | Terry Pratchett's The Abominable Snow Baby | Narrator | Animated short story[47] |
| 2022 | Ten Percent | Himself | Episode 8 |
| Hitler: The Lost Tapes | Narrator | 4 Episodes | |
| 2023 | Get On Up: The Triumph of Black America | Presenter / narrator | Two-part documentary[48] |
| David Harewood on Blackface | Presenter / narrator | Documentary[49] | |
| Dickens in Italy with David Harewood | Presenter / narrator | Two-part documentary[50] | |
| 2024 | The Acolyte | Senator Rayencourt | Episode: "The Acolyte" |
| The Agency | Dalaga | 5 episodes | |
| 2025 | Happy Face | Dr. Greg | Main cast[51] |
| TBA | Pierre | Pierre | Lead role[52] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Battlefield 3 | Captain Quinton Cole | |
| 2013 | Killzone: Shadow Fall | Sinclair / Vektan Security Agency Director | |
| 2016 | Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | Staff Sergeant Usef Omar | |
| 2023 | Alan Wake II | Warlin Door |
David Harewood voiced the character of the American character Thurman Berkley in series one of the BBC radio series Chambers on the 4th May 1996.
Harewood playedPatroclus in the 1998 BBC radio trilogyTroy. He also played Henry Tilney in theNorthanger Abbey radio adaptation (2005). On 4 May 2012, he hosted a specialBBC Radio 2Friday Night is Music Night celebrating the life ofRay Charles,[53] broadcast live from Cheltenham Jazz Festival. The show featured theGuy Barker orchestra, with leader Cynthia Fleming and guest artistsMadeline Bell,Gregory Porter, andJames Tormé.[citation needed]
Harewood played the Marquis de Carabas in theBBC Radio 4 Radio Play ofNeverwhere (2013).[54]
In 2022, Harewood voiced Destruction of the Endless in Act III ofAudible's full-castaudiobook adaptation ofNeil Gaiman's comic,The Sandman.
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