Tosin Cole () is a British actor. He is known for various roles in British television series and films. He began his on-screen career starring in ''
The Cut'' and ''
EastEnders: E20'', later securing a regular role as
Neil Cooper in the soap opera ''
Hollyoaks
''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...
'' and
Ryan Sinclair in ''
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 ...
''. In 2024, Cole appeared in Netflix's ''
Supacell
''Supacell'' is a 2024 British Superhero fiction, superhero television series, created and written by Rapman for Netflix. It was directed by Rapman and Sebastian Thiel, and premiered with six episodes on 27 June 2024.
Set in modern-day South Lo ...
'' in a lead role.
Early life
Born in
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
,
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 ...
to parents of
Nigerian heritage and raised in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
.
Cole moved from New York to
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
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
at age 8. He attended
Abbey Wood
Abbey Wood is an List of areas of London, area in southeast London, England, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and bordering the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross. According to the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 ...
Secondary School in
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
, London. He left school before his A-levels to pursue a career in acting.
Although Cole holds dual
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
and
American citizenship, he considers himself as
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
.
Career
In 2009, Cole was part of a theatre production titled ''Wasted!'', a modern reproduction of Shakespeare's ''
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
'', produced by Intermission Theatre, a company which helps teenagers stay away from crime. In 2010, Cole joined the cast of
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
teen drama ''
The Cut'', in which he played the role of
Noah Achebe, who was introduced in the third series. In 2011, he filmed parts in two short films titled ''Me and My Dad'' and ''Jasmine''.
[
Cole later secured the role of Sol Levi in '' EastEnders: E20'', a spin-off of the British soap opera '']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 ...
''. The role required Cole to learn to dance and perform his routine in front of professional dance group Flawless in the series finale. He was quoted as saying the experience was "very, very, very stressful." Cole said it was a privilege to work on ''E20'' and said the cast were fantastic. Cole then agreed to reprise the role for the third series. He was then cast as a regular character in soap opera ''Hollyoaks
''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...
'' as Neil Cooper. Neil was one of six new characters the programme introduced, playing the role from 2011 until the character's death in a bus explosion in 2012. He also filmed a television advert as part of the serial's promotional push for the new characters.
The actor went on to appear in a 2013 episode of the BBC medical drama ''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 '' ...
'' as Keith Potts. He also played his first cinematic film role in '' Gone Too Far!'', portraying Razer. This was followed by another film role in ''Second Coming
The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is the Christianity, Christian and Islam, Islamic belief that Jesus, Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his Ascension of Jesus, ascension to Heaven (Christianity), Heav ...
''. In 2014, came the role of Anthony in the miniseries '' The Secrets''.[ In 2015, Cole played the characters of Djimon Adomakoh in ITV drama '']Lewis
Lewis may refer to:
Names
* Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Music
* Lewis (musician), Canadian singer
* " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...
'' and Kobina in an episode of historical series ''Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
''.[ That year Cole also had a brief appearance in the film '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', as the X-Wing pilot Lt. Bastian.
On 4 October 2017, Cole starred in the short film ''Father of Man''. He then played Amjad in the film '' Unlocked''. On 22 October 2017, it was announced that Cole had been cast in the eleventh series of '']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 ...
'', playing Ryan Sinclair, a companion to The Doctor
The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...
, played by Jodie Whittaker
Jodie Auckland Whittaker (born 17 June 1982) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles on television as Beth Latimer in ''Broadchurch'' (2013–2017) and the Thirteenth Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2017–2022, 2025).
She came to pro ...
, starting in 2018. Cole departed the role in 2021 making his last appearance in the New Year's Day special " Revolution of the Daleks".
In August 2022, Tosin Cole was announced as a lead character alongside an ensemble cast in Netflix's ''Supacell
''Supacell'' is a 2024 British Superhero fiction, superhero television series, created and written by Rapman for Netflix. It was directed by Rapman and Sebastian Thiel, and premiered with six episodes on 27 June 2024.
Set in modern-day South Lo ...
'', directed by Rapman
Andrew Onwubolu , better known by his stage name Rapman, is a British rapper, record producer, screenwriter, and film director. He is known for his three-part YouTube series ''Shiro's Story'' (2018), his debut feature film ''Blue Story'' (2019 ...
. The six episode series was released on 27 June 2024.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Tosin
1992 births
Living people
English male soap opera actors
Black British male actors
English male television actors
English people of Nigerian descent
English people of Yoruba descent
American people of Yoruba descent
Yoruba male actors
American emigrants to England
Actors from the Royal Borough of Greenwich
Male actors from London
Male actors from New York City