Who is Kingsley Ben-Adir?
Kingsley Ben-Adir was born in 1986, in Gospel Oak, London, England, and is an actor, best known for his role in the television series “Vera” in which he portrays pathologist Marcus Summer. He also appeared in the series “The OA”, as the private detective character Karim Washington.
The Riches of Kingsley Ben-Adir
As of mid-2020, Kingsley Ben-Adir’s net worth is estimated to be over $1.5 million, earned through a successful career in acting. He’s appeared in several notable television programs and films during his career, in the profession since 2012, and also has a strong presence on the theatre scene.
Early Life, Education, and Career Beginnings
Growing up, Kingsley developed an interest in acting and the performance arts. He attended William Ellis School located in his hometown, which was established by the businessman of the same name, and is a boys-only school. After matriculating, he pursued his interests in acting by enrolling at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. The conservatory has been in operation since 1880, and is the leading international conservatory, with students representing over 70 countries.
The school is well-known for its performing arts program which is recognized internationally. Some of its most notable graduates include Ewan McGregor, Daniel Craig and Sir Bryn Terfel.
Just a year after his graduation, he began pursuing professional acting projects, first working on stage. He made his stage debut in the play “The Riots”, which tells the story of the 2011 England riots which saw crimes of looting and arson. The protests began after a local man was shot dead by the police. The play takes actual experiences and stories told by people who were present during the event, and was critically acclaimed
Continued Acting Work
Over the next few years, Ben-Adir continued with a focus on stage work, appearing in a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” which aired at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in the role of Demetrius, one of the lovers in the play, who calls off his engagement to pursue another woman. This Shakespearian play is one of the most adapted on stage around the world. He then worked on another Shakespearian production – “Much Ado About Nothing” – written by Shakespeare during the middle of his career.
Following this work, he made his television debut in “Agatha Christie’s Marple”, a show based on the short stories of Agatha Christie who was known for her crime novels.
Shortly after, he made his major film debut in “World War Z” a film adaptation of the book of the same name by Max Brooks. However, his role was uncredited as he only made a brief appearance. He continued working on stage, with some of his projects including “God’s Property” and “We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Hero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915”.
Rise to Fame
In 2014, Kingsley was cast in one of his notable roles in the television series “Vera”, based on the novel series written by Ann Cleeves, recounting the adventures of the titular Vera Stanhope.
The show stars Brenda Blethyn as a nearly retired employee who still clings on to her work, battling numerous problems along the way. He was a part of the show from 2014 to 2016, and briefly returned as a guest in 2018.
Concurrently he had other projects, including a guest appearance in both “Midsomer Murders” and “Peaky Blinders”. The latter is a show set just after World War I, based on a fictional crime family active in Birmingham, England, and takes inspiration from the youth gang Peaky Blinders which existed during the 19th century. He also returned to film, appearing in “Trespass Against Us” alongside Sean Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Michael Fassbender.
In 2017, he was cast in the film “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”, which as the name denotes, is inspired by the Arthurian legends and folklore.
Recent Projects
After working on the series “Deep State”, Ben-Adir then attracted a little more international attention when he worked in the Netflix series “The OA”. The show follows the story of a blind young woman whose been missing for seven years, resurfacing with a different identity and with sight. The show featured aspects of fantasy, science fiction, and supernatural elements; it was set to complete its story within five seasons, but was canceled after its second season, ending the show on a cliffhanger.
He also had a minor role in the film “The Commuter”, which starred Liam Neeson and Vera Farmiga. The film received mixed reviews, mainly stemming from the fact that it was similar to a film that the director made that also starred Neeson, though the actor got favorable reviews for his performance. Kingsley then appeared in the Christmas movie “Noelle”, before working on “The Photography”, about a photographer who falls in love with a journalist who is studying the life of his late mother.
In recent years, he’s appeared in a few productions, including the film “One Night in Miami” alongside Eli Goree and Aldis Hodge, and is based on the play of the same name by Kemp Powers. He is also working on the show “A Higher Loyalty” which is based on the book of the same name written by James Comey.
Personal Life
Kingsley is single and there have been no reported relationships from the past, or present. He prefers to keep to himself, not having any social media accounts and engaging rarely with the media. He is very athletic, mostly spending time in the gym training his body. He has a background in gymnastics, and still does some of the gymnastics exercises to stay fit.
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