Alex Lanipekun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alex Lanipekun
Lanipekun on set of Being Human
Born	Alexander Olaseni James Lanipekun (1981-04-07) 7 April 1981 (age 44) London, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Actor/Writer
Years active	2001–present

Alex Lanipekun (born April 7, 1981) is a British actor. He is well-known for playing Ben Kaplan in the BBC drama Spooks. He also appeared in popular shows like Being Human and Homeland. Alex has acted in many films, TV shows, and plays. He also voices characters in video games, like Nil in Horizon Zero Dawn.

Early Life

Alex Lanipekun was born in London, England. His father is Nigerian, and his mother has Italian and English roots. When he was four, his parents separated. He then moved to Finsbury Park and was raised by his mother. She was a music teacher.

Alex went to several schools, including Crowland Junior School and St Aidan's Primary School. He later received a scholarship to Christ's Hospital School. He studied many subjects, including English, Psychology, and Drama. After college, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) to study acting.

Acting Career

Alex Lanipekun started acting at a young age. When he was thirteen, he joined the National Youth Music Theatre. He played Leroy The Boxer in a musical version of the film Bugsy Malone. At seventeen, he joined the National Youth Theatre. This is when he first thought about acting as a job.

Music and Journalism

Before acting full-time, Alex was part of a Hip-Hop group called 'ONE'. They released an album in 2001. The group was even nominated for a MOBO Award.

Alex also worked as a freelance journalist. He wrote for a promotional website and magazine. He reviewed music and interviewed artists. He also worked as an Entertainment Editor for an online magazine called 'ICON'.

First Acting Roles

Alex got his first professional acting role after a friend suggested him to a casting director. He later left RADA early to join the cast of Spooks. This was his very first audition for a big role. He played Ben Kaplan, a journalist who becomes a spy.

In 2007, he won the Carleton Hobbs Award. This allowed him to join the BBC Radio Drama Rep. He has appeared in over fifty radio plays.

TV Shows and Films

In 2008, Alex played Ashley in Apples and Oranges for Channel 4. He returned to this role in 2012. In 2009, he guest starred in the BBC show Being Human. He played a character named Saul.

He also appeared in big films like Clash of the Titans (2010) and Blitz (2011).

Stage Work

In 2010, Alex performed in Hamlet at the National Theatre. He played Laertes. The play was very popular and received great reviews. Critics praised Alex's performance.

In 2013, he returned to the stage in a play called Amygdala. Critics noted his strong and changing performance.

Recent Work

Alex has continued to work in many TV shows. He played Benjamin Lightfoot in Death in Paradise (2011). He was also Mohammed in The Borgias (2012).

In 2013, he played Steve in the Comedy Central show Big Bad World. He also appeared in the film Second Coming alongside Idris Elba.

In 2017, Alex voiced Nil in the video game Horizon Zero Dawn. He returned to voice Nil in Horizon Forbidden West (2022). In 2018, he played Pandarus in the Netflix/BBC show Troy: Fall of a City. In 2019, he joined the show Riviera for its second season. He played Raafi Al-Qadar. He also voiced Hugo Kupka in the video game Final Fantasy XVI (2023).

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Video games

See Also

In Spanish: Alex Lanipekun para niños