Paapa Essiedu
Paapa Kwaakye Essiedu (/ˈpɑːpə ˌɛsiˈeɪduː/) (born 1990) is a British actor. He started his career in 2012 when he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, acting in numerous productions, including The Merry Wives of Windsor (2012), King Lear (2014), Hamlet (2016), and Romeo and Juliet (2016).
His breakthrough came with his role in the HBO miniseries I May Destroy You (2020), which earned nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award and British Academy Television Award. He portrayed George Boleyn in the Channel 5 miniseries Anne Boleyn (2021). He had starring roles in the AMC+action series Gangs of London (2020–2022), the science fiction series The Lazarus Project (2020–2023), and Black Mirror: Demon 79 (2023).
Essiedu debuted his feature film acting as a policeman in Kenneth Branagh's mystery film Murder on the Orient Express (2017). He took roles in the horror film Men (2022), the fantasy film Genie (2023), and the drama The Outrun (2024). He gained acclaim for his stage roles in Caryl Churchill's play A Number (2022) and Lucy Prebble's play The Effect (2023–2024).
In 2025, it was announced that Essiedu would play Professor Severus Snape in HBO's Harry Potter television series.
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Acting
Movie
Murder on the Orient Express
as Young Policeman
2017
TV
Black Mirror
as Gaap
2011
Movie
Men
as James
2022
TV
Gangs of London
as Alexander Dumani
2020
TV
Utopia
as Roy
2013
TV
Black Doves
as Elmore Fitch
2024
Movie
The Outrun
as Daynin
2024
TV
The Capture
as Isaac Turner MP
2019
TV
The Capture
as Isaac Turner
2019
TV
The Graham Norton Show
as Self
2007
Movie
Genie
as Bernard Bottle
2023
TV
The Lazarus Project
as George Addo
2022
TV
The Miniaturist
as Otto
2017
TV
I May Destroy You
as Kwame Acheamong
2020
TV
Black Earth Rising
as Jaalen
2018
TV
Anne Boleyn
as George Boleyn
2021
Movie
The Miniaturist
as Otto
2017
Movie
Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic
as Self
2026
TV
Not Safe for Work
as Paul
2015
TV
Press
as Ed Washburn
2018
TV
Kiri
as Nate Akindele
2018
Movie
A Midsummer Night's Dream
as Demetrius
2016
Movie
Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
as Hamlet
2016
Movie
National Theatre Live: King Lear
as The Duke of Burgundy
2014