Arinzé Kene facts for kids

Arinzé Kene is a talented British actor and playwright. He was born in Nigeria and has starred in many plays, musicals, and TV shows. He is also known for writing his own plays.

Early Life

Arinzé Kene was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1987. When he was four years old, his family moved to London, England. His father worked as a taxi driver.

Growing up, Arinzé faced bullying. Because of this, he started taking kickboxing lessons. He became very good at it! When he was 16, he began his amateur kickboxing career. He even won two national championships.

However, when he turned 21, Arinzé decided to stop kickboxing. He chose to follow his dream of becoming an actor instead.

Acting and Writing Career

Arinzé Kene has had many exciting roles in theatre. He played Simba in the famous musical The Lion King. He also appeared in Daddy Cool. In 2009, he starred as Raymond LeGrendre in the musical Been So Long. This musical was based on a play by Ché Walker.

In 2010, Arinzé took on the lead role in the movie Freestyle. He also joined the cast of the BBC TV show EastEnders. He played a character named Connor Stanley. For this role, he was nominated for an award called Best Newcomer.

Arinzé is also a talented writer. His play Suffocation opened in London in 2011. He also helped write for the TV series EastEnders: E20. In 2011, he was cast as Rocco in the TV show Hollyoaks.

In 2013, Arinzé's play God's Property was produced. It was a team effort by several theatre companies.

In 2016, he played Tyler in the TV series Crazyhead. He also performed and sang as Sam Cooke in the play One Night in Miami. This play was shown at the Donmar Warehouse theatre. He also appeared in the movie How to Build a Girl.

In 2018, Arinzé starred in his own play, Misty. It was very popular and moved to a bigger theatre. Arinzé wrote the play himself.

In 2020, it was announced that Arinzé Kene would play the legendary Bob Marley in a new musical. The musical is called Get Up, Stand Up!. It opened in London's West End in 2021. In 2022, he was nominated for a special award, the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, for his amazing performance.

Arinzé Kene was also given a special honor. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2020. This was for his great contributions to drama and screenwriting.

Selected Filmography

Awards and Nominations

Arinzé Kene has been nominated for and won several awards for his acting and writing.

Major Awards

Other Awards

See Also

In Spanish: Arinze Kene para niños