Jacob Basil Anderson (born 18 June 1990) is a British actor and musician. As an actor, he is known for his roles as Grey Worm in '' Game of Thrones'' and

Louis de Pointe du Lac Louis de Pointe du Lac is a fictional character in Anne Rice's '' The Vampire Chronicles'' series. He begins his life as a mortal man and later becomes a vampire. He is the protagonist who tells his story in ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1 ...

in '' Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire'', and his recurring appearances in the first seasons of ''

Episodes Episodes may refer to: * Episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek ...

'' and ''

Broadchurch ''Broadchurch'' is a British crime drama television series broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV for List of Broadchurch episodes, three series between 2013 and 2017. It was created by Chris Chibnall, who acted as an executive producer and wrote a ...

'', and the thirteenth series of the revival of '' Doctor Who''. As a musician, he uses the alias Raleigh Ritchie (named after his favourite characters from ''

The Royal Tenenbaums ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. It stars Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Owen W ...

''); his debut album, '' You're a Man Now, Boy'', was a

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

and

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...

album released in 2016 to positive reviews. Anderson's second studio album, ''

Andy Andy may refer to: People * Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...

'', was released in 2020.

Early life

Anderson was born and raised in Bristol, England. His father is of Afro-Caribbean descent. At the age of 17, Anderson moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in order to launch his music career.

Acting career

Anderson played Angelo in the film ''

4.3.2.1. ''4.3.2.1.'' (which stands for "4 girls, 3 days, 2 cities, 1 chance") is a 2010 British crime thriller film directed by Noel Clarke and Mark Davis, written by Clarke and starring Emma Roberts, Tamsin Egerton, Ophelia Lovibond, Shanika-Warre ...

'' He starred in the ITV drama series ''

Injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but n ...

'' as Simon, a teenager in a youth offender institution. He also had a one-episode guest role on '' Outnumbered''. He also appeared in an episode of '' Skins'', and appeared in the feature film '' Comedown'', co-starring ''

Adulthood An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of majo ...

''s Adam Deacon and directed by ''

Kidulthood ''Kidulthood'' (stylised as ''KiDULTHOOD'') is a 2006 British crime drama film directed by Menhaj Huda and written by Noel Clarke, who appeared in the film alongside Aml Ameen, Red Madrell, Adam Deacon, Jaime Winstone, Femi Oyeniran, Madelei ...

'' director

Menhaj Huda Menhaj Huda (born 20 March 1967) is a Bangladesh-born British film and television director and producer best known for the film ''Kidulthood''. Career Huda's first directing job was the 1993 television series ''Hypnosis''. He directed ''Jump Boy ...

. Anderson featured in various

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

, including '' Dunsinane'' for the RSC, ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'' (with

Pete Postlethwaite Peter William Postlethwaite, (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an English character actor. After minor television appearances, including in '' The Professionals'', his first major success arose through the British autobiographical fil ...

) at the

Young Vic Theatre The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

, and ''

War Horse The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot designs ...

'' at the National Theatre. He was seen in the teen slasher film ''

Demons Never Die ''Demons Never Die'' (originally titled ''Suicide Kids'') is a 2011 British slasher film starring Robert Sheehan, Jennie Jacques, Jacob Anderson, Jason Maza, Emma Rigby, Ashley Walters, Reggie Yates and Tulisa Contostavlos. Plot While at home ...

'', playing Ricky, and appeared in the BBC Two comedy ''

'', alongside

Matt LeBlanc Matthew Steven LeBlanc (; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' and in its spin-off series, ''Joey''. For his work on ''Friends'', LeBlanc r ...

and

Stephen Mangan Stephen James Mangan (born 16 May 1968) is an English actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He has played Guy Secretan in ''Green Wing'', Dan Moody in ''I'm Alan Partridge'', Seán Lincoln in '' Episodes'', Bigwig in ''Watership Down'', Postm ...

. In 2012, Anderson was cast for the third season of HBO's television series '' Game of Thrones'' as Grey Worm, the leader of

Daenerys Targaryen Daenerys Targaryen ( ) is a fictional character in the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' by American author George R. R. Martin. She is a prominent Narrative mode#Third-person view, point of view character, and is one of ...

's Unsullied army. Anderson continued to portray this role through

season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also * ...

, season 5, season 6, season 7 and

season 8 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

. He played Dean Thomas, the boyfriend of Chloe Latimer, on the ITV drama ''

'' in 2013. In July 2021, he was revealed to be joining the cast of '' Doctor Who'' for the 13th series. In August 2021, Anderson was cast as

in the

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

television series ''

Interview with the Vampire ''Interview with the Vampire'' is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac ...

''.

Music career

2005–2009: Early career

In 2006, Anderson was featured as a vocalist on Typesun's " The PL". They released another track in 2007, titled "Let Me Know." Anderson recorded a song with

Plan B Plan B typically refers to a contingency plan, a plan devised for an outcome other than in the expected plan. Plan B may also refer to: * Plan B, a brand name of levonorgestrel, an emergency contraception drug Film and television * Plan B En ...

, which was featured on the ''

'' soundtrack, titled "

2010–2017: ''You're a Man Now, Boy''

In 2013, Anderson signed to Columbia Records, and released a free three-track EP, ''The Middle Child'', under the stage name Raleigh Ritchie. A second EP, ''Black and Blue'', followed in 2014. Anderson's musical influences include

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, Jill Scott,

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

, and Stevie Wonder. In March 2014, his track " Stronger Than Ever" from ''Black and Blue'' was remixed by

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. It ...

producer

MJ Cole Matthew James Firth Coleman, better known by his stage name MJ Cole, is an English garage DJ, record producer and remixer. Career Born in London, England, in his youth, Cole was classically trained on the oboe and piano, and won scholarships ...

and released as a standalone single. "Stronger Than Ever" has been used in television adverts promoting the launch of

ITV Encore ITV Encore was a British drama pay television channel in the United Kingdom that was owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel was exclusive to Sky's digital satellite platform, Sky Go, Now TV, and Sky Store. The ...

, as well as in montage videos during

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

' coverage of Professional Darts Corporation events. The song reached number 30 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in June 2014. Anderson supported

George Ezra George Ezra Barnett (born 7 June 1993) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. After releasing two EPs, '' Did You Hear the Rain?'' (2013) and '' Cassy O (2014), Ezra rose to prominence with the release of his hit single, "Budapest", ...

on his February 2015 UK tour. His debut album, '' You're a Man Now, Boy'', was released on 26 February 2016; it charted at number 32 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

. He also featured on Stormzy's debut album '' Gang Signs & Prayer'' track 13 – "Don't Cry For Me" which was released on 24 February 2017.

2020–present: ''Andy''

On 6 May 2020, Anderson released a new single called "Aristocrats". It was the second single to promote Anderson's second studio album ''

'', after a 2018 single "Time In A Tree" also included on the record. In June, "Aristocrats" was followed by the songs "Party Fear" and "Squares". ''Andy'' was released on 26 June 2020 via Alacran Records. On 30 July 2021, Anderson released the single "Say What You Mean". Robin Murray for ''Clash'' called it a "defiant return". Anderson commented, “I write songs for myself, to get things off my chest and process my emotions, but then I release them and I don’t own them anymore ��I hope there is someone who listens to it and ��I hope that makes them feel less lonely.” "Say What You Mean" was followed by the release of the single "Lucky".

Personal life

Anderson has two younger siblings, sisters Charlotte and Olivia. In December 2018, Anderson married actress Aisling Loftus. He and Loftus are parents of a daughter, born July 2020.

Discography

*'' You're a Man Now, Boy'' (2016) *''

'' (2020)

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Awards and nominations

MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...

Screen Actors Guild Award

Urban Music Awards The Urban Music Awards (UMA) is a hip-hop, R&B, dance, and soul music awards ceremony which was launched by Jordan Kensington in 2003 and is now held in several countries. The US version of the award ceremony, the Urban Music Awards USA, was ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Jacob 1990 births 21st-century British male actors 21st-century Black British male singers Black British male actors British contemporary R&B singers British male film actors British male television actors English people of West Indian descent Columbia Records artists Living people Male actors from Bristol Musicians from Bristol