Malachi Kirby

Born in London, England, Malachi Kirby was a shy child, so his mother enrolled him in art and acting classes. He continued to study acting at the Identity School, along with his classmate John Boyega. In 2008, Kirby made his first professional on screen roles with supporting parts in two BBC procedurals, "Casualty" (BBC One, 1986-) (the longest running emergency medical drama) and "Silent Witness" (BBC One, 1996-). His first leading role came in the BBC TV movie "My Murder" (BBC, 2012), a true-life story about Shakilus Thompson (played by Boyega in the film), a young man who was lured to his death in 2008. Kirby played one of the young men found guilty of the crime. The 2011 Evening Standard Theatre Awards shortlisted him as Outstanding Newcomer for his performance in the play "Mogadishu," about a black student and white teacher involved in a school incident. In 2014, he had an arc on the venerable BBC soap opera "EastEnders" (BBC One, 1985-). Next up was a supporting role in an episode of the iconic sci-fi series "Dr. Who" (BBC One 1963-1989; 2005) in 2015. The next year Kirby gained international attention when he played Kunta Kinte in 2016 adaptation "Roots" (The History Channel, 2016). Based on the book by Alex Haley, Kirby played the role made famous in 1977 by LeVar Burton.