Kobna Kuttah Holdbrook-Smith is a Ghanaian-English actor. He has played roles in films, including Father Richard Emery inGhost Stories (2017), Oliver inThe Commuter, Templeton Frye inMary Poppins Returns and Doctor Wren inGwen (all 2018). He has portrayedCrispus Allen in the superhero filmJustice League (2017), part of theDC Extended Universe.

For his performance inTina in theWest End, he won theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Kobna Kuttah Holdbrook-Smith was born inAccra, Ghana. He grew up inFrimley, Surrey, England, where he lived with his parents, [Yoku] Henry Andrew Holdbrook-Smith and Tenu Holdbrook-Smith, and his brother, Kofi.^[1] He was initially afraid of taking up acting due to his family's disapproval, but by the age of 18, had decided that he wanting to become an actor.^[2]

He attendedGuildford School of Acting to study acting,^[3] graduating in 2000.^[4]

Holdbrook-Smith began his acting career on television in 2002 when he played Orlando Figes in theJudge John Deed episode "Everyone's Child". Since then, he has had roles in TV series such asLittle Britain,Star Stories (from 2006 until 2008),Taking the Flak,Sirens,Holby City,Silk,Father Brown,The Last Panthers,Class,Dark Heart,The Split andRed Election.

His first major theatre lead came in 2005, when he played Ken inMustapha Matura'sPlayboy of the West Indies at theTricycle Theatre.^[5] He later starred in their critically acclaimed African-American Season, performing in the European premieres ofWalk Hard byAbram Hill,Fabulation byLynn Nottage andGem of the Ocean byAugust Wilson. In interviews he has cited August Wilson's plays as personal favourites.^[6] In 2006 he played Levee InMa Rainey's Black Bottom by August Wilson at theManchester Royal Exchange Theatre, then four years later he appeared as Herald Loomis inJoe Turner's Come and Gone by August Wilson at theYoung Vic Theatre.

He first appeared at theGlobe in 2007 inLove's Labours Lost, which he also performed later the same year at theNational Theatre of Korea, in Seoul. Holdbrook-Smith had his debut at theNational Theatre in 2009 and has since starred in four productions there (most notably appearing as Mortimer inEdward II). In 2015 he playedLaertes alongsideBenedict Cumberbatch inHamlet at theBarbican Theatre. This play was also broadcast live in cinemas worldwide as part ofNational Theatre Live.^[7]

In 2016 Holdbrook-Smith performed with Benedict Cumberbatch again, this time inMarvel’sDr Strange.^[8] A year later he played the part of Det. Crispus Allen inDC ComicsJustice League and also starred as Warden Walker inPaddington 2,^[9] and as Father Emery inGhost Stories. In 2018, he played the role of Oliver inThe Commuter and played a dual role of the live-action character Templeton Frye and the animated voice of the Weasel inDisney’sMary Poppins Returns.^[10]

Holdbrook-Smith has also performed inBBC Radio dramas, includingJudas^[11] andOn Her Majesty's Secret Service.^[12] He has narrated a number of audiobooks,^[13] most notably theRivers of London series byBen Aaronovitch.^[14]

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is currently starring in the musicalTina asIke Turner at theAldwych Theatre.^[15]

He was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2020 Birthday Honours for services to drama,^[16] and was recognised as one of the United Kingdom's most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage when Holdbrook-Smith was included in the2021 edition of the annualPowerlist.^[17]

• Kobna Holdbrook-Smith atIMDb

• 1977 births
• Living people
• 20th-century English male actors
• 21st-century English male actors
• Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting
• Audiobook narrators
• English male film actors
• English male stage actors
• English male television actors
• English male voice actors
• Ghanaian emigrants to England
• Members of the Order of the British Empire
• Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
• Male actors from Accra
• People from Frimley
• Black British male actors
• Laurence Olivier Award winners
• Ghanaian male actors

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