Honestly, if you haven’t been paying attention to Kingsley Ben-Adir, you’ve probably seen him anyway and just didn’t realize it was the same guy. That’s the thing about him. He doesn't just "play" people; he vanishes. One minute he’s a British pathologist in a rainy crime drama, the next he’s the President of the United States, and then suddenly he’s a plastic-coated Ken in a neon pink dreamworld. It’s wild.
Most people started really noticing the name around 2020. That was his "I’ve arrived" year. But his career actually goes way back into the weeds of British television and Shakespearean theater. If you’re trying to navigate the list of Kingsley Ben-Adir movies and tv shows, you’re basically looking at a masterclass in how to not get pigeonholed. He’s played icons, villains, and best friends, usually with a level of intensity that makes you feel like you’re intruding on a private moment.
The Roles That Changed Everything
You can’t talk about his filmography without starting with One Night in Miami. This was the big one. Playing Malcolm X is a terrifying prospect for any actor—especially after Denzel Washington basically set the gold standard. But Ben-Adir did something different. He didn't focus on the "lacerating demagogue" we see in history books. Instead, he found the vulnerability. He showed us a man who was scared, who loved his friends, and who was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders in a cramped motel room.
It was a pivot point. Suddenly, he wasn't just "that guy from that show"; he was a leading man.
Why the "Bob Marley: One Love" Performance Matters
Fast forward to 2024, and he’s taking on another titan: Bob Marley.
People were skeptical. He’s British, he doesn't look exactly like Bob, and the "accent" hurdle is real. But Ben-Adir basically went into a cave for months to learn the Patois and the guitar.
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- He actually learned to play the guitar from scratch.
- He studied hours of archival footage to get the "weird spasmodic dance" right.
- He performed many of the songs himself (mixed with Marley's real vocals).
The movie itself got some mixed reviews for being a bit of a "safe" biopic, but almost everyone agreed that Ben-Adir was magnetic. He captured that "leonine grace" that Marley had. It wasn’t a caricature; it felt lived-in.
The TV Years: From Vera to The OA
Before the big movie deals, Ben-Adir was a staple of British TV. If you’re a fan of Vera, you know him as Dr. Marcus Summer. He did that for four years. It’s a solid, dependable role, but it didn't exactly scream "future Marvel villain."
Then came The OA.
If you haven't seen the second season of The OA, go do it. Like, now.
He plays Karim Washington, a private investigator looking for a missing girl in San Francisco. It’s neo-noir at its weirdest. He brought a grounded, skeptical energy to a show that was otherwise about interdimensional travel and interpretive dance. It’s probably one of his most underrated performances because the show was canceled too soon, but it proved he could carry a heavy mystery plot with ease.
Breaking Into the Mainstream
- Peaky Blinders: He played Colonel Ben Younger. He was the one who got involved with Ada Shelby. It was a brief but impactful role that put him on the radar of a lot of casting directors.
- High Fidelity: He was "Mac," the ex-boyfriend of Zoë Kravitz’s character. This showed he could do the "charming, slightly messy romantic lead" thing.
- The Comey Rule: He played Barack Obama. Think about that for a second. Malcolm X and Obama in the same year. That’s insane range. He focused heavily on the "muscularity of the mouth" to get the voice right, avoiding the usual "Saturday Night Live" impression style.
The Blockbuster Era: Barbie and Marvel
It is sort of hilarious that while he was prepping to play the heavy, emotional role of Bob Marley, he was on the set of Barbie playing "Basketball Ken."
He’s talked about this in interviews—how he’d be in his Ken outfit, surrounded by pink, and then he’d go to his trailer during lunch to practice Marley’s dialect and play the guitar.
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The Gravik Controversy in "Secret Invasion"
Then we have the MCU.
He played Gravik in Secret Invasion.
Look, the show itself was... divisive. A lot of fans felt it didn't live up to the hype. But Ben-Adir’s performance as the leader of the Skrull rebellion was actually one of the highlights. He played Gravik as a man who was deeply traumatized and felt betrayed. He wasn't just a "bad guy" who wanted to rule the world; he was a foster kid who felt like his "dad" (Nick Fury) had abandoned him.
He brought a cold, "snake-like unpredictability" to the role. Even when the script got a little wonky, he stayed terrifying. It’s worth a watch just to see him go toe-to-toe with Samuel L. Jackson.
What’s Coming in 2026 and Beyond?
As of early 2026, the project everyone is talking about is Frank & Louis.
It’s a drama directed by Petra Biondina Volpe.
He’s starring alongside Rob Morgan and Laurence Fishburne. The film deals with a man working in a prison’s memory care unit—it sounds like the kind of heavy, character-driven stuff he excels at.
There’s also his recent return to the stage. In 2024, he played Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Almeida in London. It’s clear that even with the movie star fame, he’s still interested in the "work" of acting rather than just the red carpets.
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The Practical Takeaway
If you want to see the best of Kingsley Ben-Adir movies and tv shows, you have to look past the blockbusters. Here is how I’d suggest watching his stuff if you’re a newcomer:
- Watch "One Night in Miami" first. It’s the definitive proof of his talent.
- Binge "The OA" Season 2. It’s his best "cool guy" performance.
- Check out "Bob Marley: One Love" for the pure physical transformation.
- Find the "The Comey Rule" clips on YouTube just to see how he handles the Obama voice.
The guy is a chameleon. He’s not interested in being "Kingsley Ben-Adir" on screen; he wants to be the character. In a world of actors who play themselves in every movie, that’s actually pretty rare.
If you're looking for his next move, keep an eye on the independent drama circuit. While he's proved he can do the "Ken" thing and the "Marvel" thing, his heart seems to be in these deeply researched, historically significant, or emotionally complex roles. He’s basically the guy you hire when you need someone to play a legend without it feeling like a costume party.
You can find most of his recent work streaming—Secret Invasion is on Disney+, One Night in Miami is on Amazon Prime, and The OA remains a Netflix staple. Dig in, because he’s probably going to be winning an Oscar sooner rather than later.