Kurt Egyiawan

Kurt Egyiawan is an English theatre and television actor. He is most known for playing various roles in Shakespearean plays at the Globe, including the role of Othello. He is also known for his various television roles, most notably the role of Grand Maester Orwyle in HBO's ''House of the Dragon''.

Early life and education

Egyiawan was born in Cameroon, and moved to the United Kingdom early in his childhood. As a child, Egyiawan participated in the National Youth Music Theatre.
Egyiawan then trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 2011, he won the Spotlight Prize with a performance of the Best Man Speech by Ben Lloyd-Hughes. He was also nominated for the Ian Charleson Award for his role of Arsace in ''Bérénice''. Egyiawan has returned to the Guildhall as a visiting tutor in the school's acting program, where he teaches screen acting.

Career

Egyiawan's first professional roles were in 2008, where he performed in a production of ''King Lear'', where he played various supporting roles, as well as in a production of ''The Frontline'' by Ché Walker. Both plays were performed at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

In 2011, Egyiawan performed in the ensemble of the UK touring production of ''Earthquakes in London''. The next year, he appeared in his first cinema role, where he played Q's assistant in ''Skyfall''. He then took on the roles of the Dauphin and of Lord Scroop in a Shakespeare's Globe production of ''Henry V'', where his performances received praise. He also performed in the televised version of the play.

In late 2012 until 2013, Egyiawan performed in an all-male double feature at Shakespeare's Globe, where he was cast as Richmond and the Duchess of York in ''Richard III'', as well as in the roles of Valentine and an officer in ''Twelfth Night''. He performed alongside Stephen Fry and Mark Rylance.
Egyiawan then took on various supporting roles in an English production of Aimé Césaire's political play '' A Season In the Congo''.
From November 2013 to February 2014, the double feature of ''Richard III'' and ''Twelfth Night'' moved to the Belasco Theatre on Broadway, where Egyiawan received praise from American reviewers and press for his performances.

In 2015, was cast in the role of Chidhina in ''The Rise and Shine of Comrade Fiasco'', a play about post-colonial Zimbabwe. The play was produced in collaboration with the Gate Theatre for their "Freedom Burning" season, which sought to highlight plays about the quest for liberation. Egyiawan's performance received praise. In the same year, Egyiawan performed in the role of Angelo in the Shakespeare's Globe production of ''Measure for Measure'', as well as in the televised version of the play.

Also in 2015, Egyiawan acted in various film roles, such as the role of Murray in '' Pan'', the role of Tim in '' Kill Your Friends'', and the role of 2nd I-C in ''Beasts of No Nation''. For the latter, he was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards in the 'Outstanding Performance by a Cast in Motion Picture' category alongside the cast of the film.

From 2016 to 2017, Egyiawan was part of the main cast of the Fox network's American supernatural horror series ''The Exorcist'', playing Father Devon Bennet. This was Egyiawan's first television role.

In 2017, Egyiawan played the eponymous role in Shakespeare's tragedy ''Othello'' at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. His performance received praise, including from the ''Evening Standard''.

In 2018, Egyiawan joined the cast of ''Mood Music'' at the Old Vic Theatre, playing the role of Miles.
The following year, Egyiawan took on a supporting role of Lundi in a Manchester International Festival production of ''Tree''. The play then opened at the Young Vic.

In 2022, Egyiawan performed the role of Moses in the short film ''Lions'', which won the Unifrance short film award. He also took on the role of Dia in the film ''I Used to Be Famous''. The same year, Egyiawan was cast in the guest role of Roger Barrowby in the British spy thriller ''Slow Horses''. Egyiawan was also a recurring cast member in season 1 of HBO's ''House of the Dragon'', playing Grand Maester Orwyle. He was promoted to the main cast in the second season of the show in 2024, and his performance has been praised.

Egyiawan was cast as Philip Dust in the 2023 mini-series ''Bodies''.

In 2024, he played the recurring role of Adrian in the British mythological dark comedy '' Kaos'', before it was cancelled after one season. He has received praise for his role.
Egyiawan was also cast in the widely acclaimed film ''A Real Pain'' as Eloge. His performance received recognition from ''The Hollywood Reporter''.

Egyiawan was then cast in the American thriller '' The Agency'' as Osman. The series premiered on 29 November 2024.

In 2025, Egyiawan joined the cast of season 2 of '' Andor'', a ''Star Wars'' spin-off series.

Filmography

Film

Television

Voice roles

Theatre

References

Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
1983 births
Living people
Cameroonian actors
English television actors
21st-century English actors
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