Michael Obiora (born 8 October 1986) is a British actor, writer, director, and producer.

Early life

Michael Obiora (pronounced OH-BEE-ORA) was born on 8 October 1986 in north-west London, England, to

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

parents. As a six-year-old, he was determined to become an entertainer like his idol

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

, and his mother enrolled him in drama lessons. He describes having challenging teen years, as he was once badly injured, later expelled from secondary school before his

GCSEs The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

, and then his father died.

Career

At the age of nine, Obiora became the youngest actor to have appeared in the

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...

''; he played Max Abassi on the programme for five years. Just before his 18th birthday, Obiora landed a role playing the part of Gunner Jackson Clarke, a soldier in ITV's eight-part series '' Bombshell''. Shortly after filming that series, he started a seven-month run as one of the leads in the award-winning play ''

Elmina's Kitchen ''Elmina's Kitchen'', first performed in May 2003, is the fifth play from the British actor, playwright and broadcaster, Kwame Kwei-Armah. Set in a West Indian restaurant in London, ''Elmina's Kitchen'' tells a tale of family, drugs and crime o ...

'', at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

. He later had the lead role in the play ''Exclude Me'', in an 11-week run at the Chelsea Theatre, and lead roles in the plays ''Fallout'', 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 ...

, ''Badnuff'', at the

Soho Theatre Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, and Soho Theatre Walthamstow in north-east London. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three pe ...

, and ''Headstone'' at the

Arcola Theatre Arcola Theatre is in the London Borough of Hackney. It presents plays, operas and musicals featuring established and emerging artists. The theatre building, in the former Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street, Dalston, houses two studio ...

. Obiora has had television roles in ''

My Family ''My Family'' is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadc ...

'', ''

Judge John Deed ''Judge John Deed'' is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Mr Justice Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real ...

'', ''

Misfits MiSFiTS was the acronym for the ''Minnesota Society for Interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy''. This organization has now changed its name to GPS, an acronym for Geek Partnership Society. It was founded in 1999 and was the parent non-profit org ...

'', ''

Sea of Souls ''Sea of Souls'' is a BBC paranormal drama series, recounting the fictional activities of a group of investigators into psychic and other paranormal events. Produced in-house by BBC Scotland and for the final season by Carnival Films, initially ...

'', ''

Afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

'', and the acclaimed 2007 ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' episode "

Blink Blinking is a bodily function; it is a semi-autonomic rapid closing of the eyelid. A single blink is determined by the forceful closing of the eyelid or inactivation of the levator palpebrae superioris and the activation of the palpebral por ...

", He has also starred in ''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

'', '' Powers'', ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'' for five episodes as Nathan Morley, and ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

''. In 2009, he appeared in four episodes of ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'', as playboy footballer Ellis Prince. Obiora gained attention as the openly gay receptionist

Ben Trueman Hotel Babylon may refer to: Television * ''Hotel Babylon'' (BBC series), a 2000s BBC drama series * ''Hotel Babylon'' (music programme), a 1990s ITV late night music programme Literature * ''Hotel Babylon'' (novel), a novel by Imogen Edward ...

, in the main cast of the drama series '' Hotel Babylon'' (2006–2009). He played nurse

Lloyd Asike ''Casualty'' is a British medical drama television series that premiered on 6 September 1986 on BBC1. The series was created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin. It is set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, in the equally fictitious city of Holby ...

for two seasons (2011–2013), on the long-running medical drama ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

''. He was part of international ensemble that formed the cast of the 2015 epic eleven-part crime thriller, '' Fortitude'', filmed in Iceland. He then appeared in the 2016 film ''

Hooten & the Lady ''Hooten & the Lady'' is a British adventure drama television series that follows the story of two treasure hunter partners, British Museum curator Lady Alexandra (Ophelia Lovibond) who teams up with charismatic, roguish American adventurer Hoot ...

'', shot in South Africa. He starred in the television remake of

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter known primarily for British comedy gangster films and large-scale action-adventure films. Ritchie left school at the age of 15, and worked in e ...

's '' Snatch'', as New York jewelry dealer Nas Stone. He starred as Errol Minty in '' Luther'', between 2015 and 2019. In 2018 he played Baxter in the ''

Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. The franchise i ...

'' film reboot. In 2021, he starred as a charismatic American preacher in the comedy series '' Jerk''. In 2023 Michael Obiora was announced as part of the cast of the

Martin Clunes Alexander Martin Clunes (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV comedy-drama series '' Doc Martin'', Gary Strang in the BBC sitcom ''Men Behavin ...

led six-part ITV series Out There. It was released in January 2025. Obiora made his directorial debut with the short film ''Soaperstar'' in 2020, which he also wrote and starred in. The work earned him: Film Short: Award of Recognition and Award of Merit: Best Actor, at the Best Shorts Awards 2020; Best Actor at the Europe Film Festival 2020; and it was officially selected for screening at the Pan African Film Festival 2021. In 2021, he wrote, directed and starred in the short film ''KARMArcus'', winning Best Actor at the London Movie Awards 2021 for his role as Marcus, as well as Outstanding Short Script at the Black Swan International Film Festival 2022. Obiora has worked as a

voice artist Voice acting is the art of performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animated, off-stage, off-scr ...

for a number of years, including: advertising campaigns for Adidas, Jacamo and others; narration on the ''London to Lagos: Lifestyles of The Super Rich'' television documentary; and the voice of Chike in the American cartoon series ''

Robozuna ''Robozuna'' is a British animated science fiction children's television series on CITV and Netflix starring Taylor Clarke-Hill, Tom Clarke-Hill and Luke Howard. The premise revolves around a planet seized by an evil empire and its legion of robo ...

'' and Valentin in ''Kitti Katz''. He has narrated numerous audiobooks, including works by

Sarah Burns Sarah Burns is an American film and television actress and comedian, best known for playing Krista on HBO's '' Enlightened''. Early life Born on Long Island, New York, Burns has performed improvisational comedy regularly at the Upright Citizens ...

Courttia Newland Courttia Newland (born 25 August 1973) is a British writer of Jamaicans, Jamaican and Barbados, Barbadian heritage. Background Born in 1973 in west London, to parents of Caribbean heritage, Newland grew up in Shepherd's Bush, where he became a ...

Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka , (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian author, best known as a playwright and poet. He has written three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty five plays and five memoirs. He also wrote two transla ...

and others. He narrated the part of Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, for the audiobook of Geraldine Brooks' historical fiction novel, ''

Horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

'', sharing an '' AudioFile'' magazine Earphone Awardwith the other four narratorsin 2022. Obiora played DS Watende Robinson in the BBC Radio 4 detective drama ''Craven'', from 2009 to 2014. Obiora's first novel, ''Black Shoes'', was released in 2009. His second novel, ''Vivian's Couch'', was published in November 2014. His debut children's boo
Zee Zee The Humble Bee
was published in March 2025.

Personal life

Obiora is a sports and fitness enthusiast and is a keen

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

fan. In 2008 he was diagnosed with

celiac disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine. Patients develop intolerance to gluten, which is present in foods such as wheat, rye, spel ...

and has thus had to control his diet. In 2014, Obiora married his long term partner in a beach wedding ceremony in her native the Seychelles. The couple have a child who was born in 2020.

Performances

Film and television

Audiobooks

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Obiora, Michael 1986 births Living people Male actors from London English male television actors English male stage actors English male child actors Black British male actors Black British writers English people of Igbo descent Igbo male actors Actors from the London Borough of Camden