Kingsley Ben-Adir is no stranger to being a leading man.
Ben-Adir was born in Kentish Town, London, England, and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2011. Shortly after finishing up school, he booked his first play, Gillian Slovo‘s The Riots. In the next few years, Ben-Adir would tackle Shakespeare as he joined the stage cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing.
While performing in London’s theater scene, Ben-Adir also snagged small roles in various movies and TV series before landing his breakout role in the 2014 series Vera. After wrapping up the drama, the actor also appeared in Peaky Blinders, The OA, High Fidelity and Marvel’s Secret Invasion.
In 2022, Ben-Adir was cast to portray Bob Marley in the biopic Bob Marley: One Love, which will premiere on February 14, 2024. Ahead of the premiere, Ben-Adir shared that while he was getting ready to play the reggae legend, Marley’s loved ones were by his side to help him understand the musician better.
“So I wasn’t on my own. I could reach out to them anytime,” he recalled to Entertainment Tonight in January 2023. “[That] has been probably the most beautiful experience I’ve ever had. I’m going to treasure it.”
Keep scrolling to get to know Ben-Adir:
What Was Kingsley Ben-Adir’s 1st Role?
Ben-Adir joined the main cast of the ITV drama Vera in season 4 as pathologist Dr. Marcus Summer until season 6. He returned to the show briefly for season 8.
Is ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ Kingsley Ben-Adir’s 1st Biopic?
Before signing on to play Marley, Ben-Adir had plenty of experience portraying notable figures. In 2020, he played Barack Obama in the Showtime miniseries The Comey Rules. That same year, he also starred in the Oscar-nominated film One Night in Miami… as Malcolm X.
Which Ken Did Kingsley Ben-Adir Play?
Ben-Adir played Basketball Ken in the Barbie movie. The actor shared that after he read the Barbie script, he knew the project was going to be special.
“It’s very rare that a script like that comes along,” Ben-Adir said to Variety in June 2023. “So I was like, ‘Whatever, whoever is in it, I just want to be on set with those guys and I want to be a part of it.’”
Has Kingsley Ben-Adir Won Any Awards?
He was nominated for several awards for his portrayal of Malcolm X in One Night in Miami…, including a SAG nomination. Ben-Adir also took home an Independent Spirit Award, a Gotham Award and an Atlantic Film Critics Circle award.
Does Kingsley Ben-Adir Sing?
Before taking on the role of Marley, Ben-Adir did not have professional singing experience. While preparing for the project, he learned to sing and play guitar. Ben-Adir revealed in December 2023, he did a lot of his preparations while on the set of Barbie.
“I actually set up a Bob station in Barbie Land,” he said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly at the time. “There was a point where I thought we were starting sooner than we were, so I told Greta [Gerwig] that once we finished the scene, I needed to go back to the trailer. So I’d do a take and then run to the Bob station and transcribe. The overlap was interesting.”
While he does lend his voice to some of the movie’s songs, the final cut blends Ben-Adir’s voice with archived recordings of Marley.