Johnny Sekka (born Lamine Secka, 21 July 1934 – 14 September 2006) was a Senegalese

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Early life and move to Europe

He was born Lamine Secka in Dakar, Senegal to a Wolof family, the youngest of five siblings; his Gambian father died shortly after his birth. When he was still young, his Senegalese mother sent him to live with an aunt in Georgetown (now Janjanbureh) in

the Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

, but he ran away to live on the streets in the capital, then known as Bathurst (now

Banjul Banjul (, (US) and ), officially the City of Banjul, is the capital city of The Gambia. It is the centre of the eponymous administrative division which is home to an estimated 400,000 residents, making it The Gambia's largest and most densely ...

). During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he found employment as an interpreter at an American air base in Dakar. He then worked on the docks. When he was 20, he stowed away on a ship to

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, France, and lived for three years in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He arrived in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England in 1952, and served for two years in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, where he first received the nickname "Johnny", but then Bermudian actor Earl Cameron persuaded him to become an actor, and he attended

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

. He became a stagehand at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

, and appeared on stage in various plays from 1958. He had a small part in the 1958 film version of '' Look Back in Anger'', directed by

Tony Richardson Cecil Antonio Richardson (5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991) was an English theatre and film director, producer and screenwriter, whose career spanned five decades. He was identified with the "angry young men" group of British directors and play ...

, who had seen him on stage. He took a leading role in the 1961 film '' Flame in the Streets'', playing the

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

n boyfriend of the (white) daughter (played by Sylvia Syms) of a liberal working-class

trades union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

ist (played by John Mills). He also had a leading role in the 1961 film for ITV, ''The Big Pride'', by Guyanese writer Jan Carew and Jamaican writer Sylvia Wynter. The film was set in then British Guiana; Sekka's character was a young prisoner who broke out with his older mentor. He lived for a period in Paris, where he met his future wife, Cecilia Enger. He continued in British films during the 1960s, portraying stereotypical roles, such as a

manservant A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly de ...

in the film ''

Woman of Straw ''Woman of Straw'' is a 1964 British crime thriller directed by Basil Dearden and starring Gina Lollobrigida and Sean Connery. It was written by Robert Muller (screenwriter), Robert Muller and Stanley Mann, adapted from the 1954 novel ''La Femme ...

'' (1964), and in other films, such as '' East of Sudan'' (1964), ''

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

'' (1966) and '' The Last Safari'' (1967). He also appeared on television, in programmes such as '' The Human Jungle'', ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...

'', ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'', ''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series that was made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, following the 1958 film, '' Gideon's Day''. The film and series are based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. ...

'', ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...

'', and a 1968 episode of '' The Avengers''. In 1968, he also played the lead role in a West End production of ''Night of Fame''. According to his obituary in ''The Times'', this was the first time that a black actor had played a role written for a white man in English theatre. He was seen as a British equivalent to Sidney Poitier, and was frustrated that actors who started out at around the same time as him – such as

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

Terence Stamp Terence Henry Stamp (born 22 July 1938) is an English actor. Known for his sophisticated villain roles, he was named by ''Empire (magazine), Empire'' as one of the 100 Sexiest Film Stars of All Time in 1995. He has received various accolades in ...

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

, Tom Courtenay and

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...

– had become stars, and he had not. In 1970, the novel ''

Things Fall Apart ''Things Fall Apart'' is a 1958 novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It is Achebe's debut novel and was written when he was working at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. The novel was first published in London by Heinemann (publisher), ...

'' by

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel ''Things Fall Apart'' ( ...

was turned into a film of the same name - also known as ''Bullfrog In The Sun'' - directed by the award-winning German filmmaker and producer Hansjürgen Pohland eand starred Princess Elizabeth of Toro, Johnny Sekka and Orlando Martins. In 1965, Nigerian co-producer Francis Oladele founded Calpenny Nigeria Limited, the first film production company in Nigeria after independence. ''Things Fall Apart'' - his second production - was considered lost for decades until more than 2,000 stills by Stephen Goldblatt, production documents, correspondence, contemporary newspaper clippings and more were found in a satellite storage of the Deutsche Kinemathek Berlin in 2019. This led to the development of an extensive research and digitisation project on Nigerian film heritage, with exhibitions and screenings in Lagos, Kampala, Abidjan, Accra and Atlanta, among other places. In his essay ''When The Bullfrog Jumps In The Sun'' ''- Why Things Fall Apart is still a very relevant Black film till this day,'' Lagos-based contemporary artist Mallam Mudi Yahaya describes the complex background of the production.

Later life

Sekka eventually moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with the aim of getting better roles. He had a minor part in the films '' A Warm December'' (1972) and '' Uptown Saturday Night'' (1974), both directed by Poitier. The first also featured Earl Cameron and the second

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

and

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

. These roles led to a more memorable role in the sitcom '' Good Times'', where he portrayed ''Ibe'', Thelma's ( BernNadette Stanis) African love interest. In 1976, he starred in the movie ''

Mohammad, Messenger of God ''The Message'' () originally known as ''Mohammed, Messenger of God'' () is a 1976 epic film directed and produced by Moustapha Akkad that chronicles the life and times of Muhammad, who is Depictions of Muhammad, never directly depicted. Relea ...

'' (also known as ''The Message'') about the origin of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and the message of Muhammad, in which he played Muhammad's

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

n companion Bilal al-Habashi. He appeared in the 1982 film '' Hanky Panky'', and played Banda in the 1984 miniseries '' Master of the Game''. He was not cast in ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...

'' (1977), being considered insufficiently American, but secured a role in the sequel, '' Roots: The Next Generations'' (1979), playing an African interpreter. Sekka is widely known among

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

fans for his role as Dr. Benjamin Kyle in the television series ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tel ...

s pilot movie, '' The Gathering'' (1993). Recurring health problems forced him to decline a future role in the series, and ultimately were the reason he retired from acting altogether.

Death

On 14 September 2006, Sekka died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

at his ranch in Agua Dulce, California, aged 72, survived by his wife Cecilia and son. He is buried at

Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Holy Cross Cemetery is a Catholic Church, Catholic cemetery at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Archdiocese. It is partially in the Culver City city limi ...

.Obituary by Kaye Whiteman
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 29 September 2006.

Filmography

*'' The Big Pride'' (1961) — Smallboy Dowling *'' Flame in the Streets'' (1961) – Peter Lincoln *'' The Wild and the Willing'' (1962) – Reggie *''

'' (1964) – Thomas *'' East of Sudan'' (1964) – Kimrasi *''

'' (1966) – Khaleel *'' The Last Safari'' (1967) – Jama *'' The Southern Star'' (1969) – Matakit *'' Incense for the Damned'' (1970) – Bob Kirby *''Things Fall Apart'' (1971) *''Reou-Takh'' (1972) – Bob (uncredited) *'' A Warm December'' (1973) – Dr. Joseph Myomo *'' Visit to a Chief's Son'' (1974) – Nemolok *'' Uptown Saturday Night'' (1974) – Geechie's Henchman *'' The Message'' (1976) – Bilal *'' Ashanti'' (1979) – Captain Bradford *'' Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen'' (1981) – Stefan *'' Hanky Panky'' (1982) – Lacey *'' Fever Pitch'' (1985) – Chocolate *'' Passion and Paradise'' (1989) – Alfred Adderly *'' Babylon 5: The Gathering'' (1993) - Benjamin Kyle, M.D.

References

External links

*
Obituary at Variety.com (subscription required)Obituary
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 29 September 2006
Obituary
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', 5 October 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sekka, Johnny 1934 births 2006 deaths People from Dakar Senegalese male film actors English male film actors Senegalese people of Gambian descent English people of Gambian descent English people of Senegalese descent Senegalese emigrants to the United Kingdom Black British male actors 20th-century English male actors English male television actors Senegalese emigrants to the United States Deaths from lung cancer in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Male actors from Los Angeles County, California Senegalese male actors