Lucian Msamati
Msamati in 2010
Born	Lucian Gabriel Wiina Msamati (1976-03-05)5 March 1976 (age 49) London, England
Occupation(s)	Actor, writer, director and producer
Children	2

Lucian Gabriel Wiina Msamati (born 5 March 1976) is a Tanzanian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in theatre, film, television and radio. His notable screen roles includeSalladhor Saan in theHBO seriesGame of Thrones, J.L.B. Matekoni in theBBC/HBO adaptation ofThe No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, David Runihura in theNetflix/BBC thrillerBlack Earth Rising, Ed Dumani in theSky/AMC seriesGangs of London and Cardinal Adeyemi inConclave.

In theatre, Msamati was the first Black actor to portrayIago at the Royal Shakespeare Company, in a 2015 production ofOthello. He has also performed other significant roles such as Toledo in the National Theatre's revival of August Wilson'sMa Rainey's Black Bottom in 2016, Antonio Salieri in the National Theatre's revival ofAmadeus in 2017–2018, and Arturo Ui in Brecht'sThe Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Lyric Hammersmith in 2008. Additionally, he portrayed Kevin/Albert inClybourne Park by Bruce Norris at the Royal Court Theatre and The Wyndhams Theatre in the West End from 2010 to 2011.

Msamati is a patron of Lewisham Youth Theatre, WildChild and The Actor's Children's Trust (ACT) and currently serves on the board of trustees at theDonmar Warehouse.

Msamati^[1] was born atSt Thomas' Hospital,^[2] London^[3] on 5 March 1976 and brought up in Zimbabwe by his Tanzanian parents, a doctor and a nurse.^[4] After secondary education atPrince Edward School in Harare, he studied towards a BA honours degree in French and Portuguese at theUniversity of Zimbabwe from 1995 to 1997.^[1][4][3]

After university, he worked as an advertisingcopywriter and freelance radio presenter. He also worked as avoice-over artist,compère and after-dinner speaker.

In 1994, Msamati and some school friends founded theOver the Edge Theatre Company^[5] inHarare. The company celebrated its 10th anniversary in December 2004, having toured Europe, the United States and South Africa. From 1998 to 2001, it performed at theEdinburgh Festival Fringe inEdinburgh, Scotland; some plays were written by Msamati.^[4] The last few years have seen individual members pursuing other interests and although not officially disbanded, there are no immediate plans for an Over the Edge reunion.

In November 2010, Msamati was appointed the artistic director of British-African theatre companyTiata Fahodzi,^[3] until being succeeded in 2014 byNatalie Ibu.^[6] He has continued to work with Tiata Fahodzi, directingBoi Boi is Dead in February–March 2015.^[3]

In the spring of 2015, Msamati became the first black actor ever to playIago in aRoyal Shakespeare Company production ofOthello (withHugh Quarshie in the title role).^[3][7]

From October 2016 to March 2017 and from February to April 2018, he performed in the leading role ofAntonio Salieri inPeter Shaffer's playAmadeus at theNational Theatre, a performance whichMichael Billington, in a four-starred review forThe Guardian, described as "excellent".^[8][9]

In 2019, he starred as Sam inMaster Harold and the Boys at theRoyal National Theatre.^[10][11]

Msamati has appeared in several other theatrical productions in London, UK, including:

He has also appeared in several television productions, including episodes of the television seriesUltimate Force andSpooks. In 2008, he took on his most prominent role, playing JLB Matekoni in theBBC/HBO-produced seriesThe No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.^[15] He has guest starred in episodes of the BBC television seriesLuther,Ashes to Ashes,Doctor Who,Taboo, andDeath in Paradise, as well as playing the part of the pirate Salladhor Saan in the HBO seriesGame of Thrones.^[16][17]He recently appeared asLord Faa inHis Dark Materials onBBC One. In 2020 Msamati appeared as Ed Dumani inSky Atlantic'sGangs of London^[18] and in an episode of the BBC's production ofAlan Bennett'sTalking Heads.^[19]

Msamati appeared in the filmThe International (2009). Other film credits includeLumumba (1999), directed byRaoul Peck; the animated featureThe Legend of the Sky Kingdom (2003), directed byRoger Hawkins andRichard II, directed byRupert Goold.^[20]

Msamati appeared as Matthew in theBBC Radio 4 dramaBurned to Nothing (2011) by Rex Obano.^[21]

Msamati permanently moved to the UK in 2003,^[4] and now resides in London.^[20] He is married and has two children, a son and a daughter.^[2]

• Lucian Msamati atIMDb

• 1976 births
• Living people
• 20th-century British male actors
• 20th-century Zimbabwean male actors
• 21st-century British male actors
• 21st-century Zimbabwean male actors
• Actors from Harare
• Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth
• Alumni of Prince Edward School
• Black British male actors
• British male dramatists and playwrights
• British male film actors
• British male stage actors
• British male television actors
• British male voice actors
• English male Shakespearean actors
• Zimbabwean people of Tanzanian descent
• English people of Tanzanian descent
• Male actors from London
• Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
• University of Zimbabwe alumni
• Zimbabwean dramatists and playwrights
• Zimbabwean male film actors
• Zimbabwean male stage actors
• Zimbabwean male television actors
• Zimbabwean male voice actors
• Zimbabwean male actors

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