Ariyon Bakare (born 1 July 1971) is a renowned Nigerian-English movie actor, television personality, entrepreneur, entertainer, and model.
Early Life
Bakare left his family home at the age of 15 due to conflict with his father and completed his education while homeless. He returned home years later and “made peace” with his father. Bakare then moved from London to New York at the age of 17 to pursue a career in dance, training at various conservatories including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He learned two years into his training that dancers frequently retire at a young age. He gave up dancing the next day and began focusing on acting.
At the age of 20, he returned to London and began studying acting at the Drama Centre London. The Royal Shakespeare Company was his first professional job (RSC). He stated that in addition to performing with the RSC, he worked on jobs in Scotland, learned scriptwriting, and sang soul and opera music.
Career
Bakare played Ben Kwarme in the BBC soap opera Doctors from 2001 to 2005. He was nominated for Best Actor at the 2004 British Soap Awards for his portrayal of the role. Bakare returned to Doctors after leaving to direct and write several episodes. He went on to co-write and star in the Channel 4 drama Stealing Lives. He appeared as a villain in the BBC drama Spooks in November 2008, and in Casualty in October 2009. Bakare appeared as Carl Lucas, a minicab driver, in the final episode of the sixth series of Law & Order UK, which aired in 2012.
He played Wesley Holt, a band manager, in Dancing on the Edge, which premiered in 2013. Bakare later appeared in the Doctor Who episode “The Woman Who Lived” in 2015, alongside Maisie Williams. He portrayed the episode’s antagonist, a lion-like creature named Leandro. In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, he appeared as a Rebel pilot. In 2019, he began playing Lord Boreal in the BBC TV series His Dark Materials.
Bakare has appeared in productions at the RSC and the Lyric Hammersmith. He was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award for his performance as Florindo in Tim Supple’s production of A Servant to Two Masters at the Young Vic. He played a South African nattily dressed architect, “Look Smart,” opposite Janet Suzman in the British premiere of Dream of the Dog.
Is Ariyon Bakare Married?
Not yet as Ariyon is yet to introduce or call anyone his girlfriend. Plainly, he is not married, she is not dating anyone currently either.
Awards And Achievements
° In 2019 he appeared in the BBC TV series His Dark Materials, in the role of Lord Boreal
° Played the antagonist of the episode, a lion-like creature called Leandro
° He had a cameo as a Rebel pilot in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
° He appeared in BBC series His Dark Materials
° Appeared in Dancing on the Edge, first broadcast in 2013, as Wesley Holt, a band manager.
° He co-wrote and starred in the Channel drama Stealing Lives
° He made appearances on British dramas such as The Bill, Holby City, and Casualty
° In 2011, Bakare played a mini-cab driver, Carl Lucas, in the last episode of the sixth series of Law & Order UK first broadcast in 2012
° Appeared in the BBC miniseries A Respectable Trade (1995)
° Also appeared in British soap opera Doctors from 2001 to 2005, the Prime series Good Omens, and Carnival Row (2019)
° In November 2008, he appeared as a villain in the BBC1 drama Spooks
° in 18 October 2009, he made an appearance in Casualty (BBC1, series 24, episode 7, “Love is a Sacrifice”) as the brother of a patient
° He later appeared in Doctor Who, in the 2015 episode, “The Woman Who Lived”, alongside Maisie Williams
