David Harewood
Since winning the EMMA Award (TV Actor)
David Harewood is a British Actor, Author, Director and Presenter who received an MBE in 2012 and an OBE in 2023 for services to Drama and Charity.
David has starred in various films and TV shows including Homeland, The Night Manager, Man in the High Castle, Supergirl and Blood Diamond.
In 2019, David was a goalkeeper for England in Soccer Aid for UNICEF. In the same year, his documentary ‘David Harewood: Psychosis and Me’, which first aired on BBC Two during Mental Health Awareness Week 2019, won multiple awards and a BAFTA nomination. The documentary highlights David’s battle with mental health during his twenties.
In 2021, David released his memoir “Maybe I Don’t Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery”, which touches on life after psychosis as well as the topics of race, identity, breakdown and recovery.
In February 2024, David was announced as the new President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and appeared in the Star Wars series The Acolyte that same year.
David has become a driving force for systemic and cultural change through his documentation and exploration of important and challenging subjects.
David has also helped raise awareness and millions of pounds for many charities, organisations, and individuals across our global communities.
Background (Before 2000)
Born in Birmingham, England, to Barbadian parents who moved to the UK as part of the Windrush Generation, David trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began acting in 1990.
His earlier credits include roles in The Hawk, Great Moments in Aviation, Harnessing Peacocks, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Casualty and The Bill. In 1997, he was the first black actor to play Othello at the National Theatre in London.
