Paapa Essiedu’s star is rising fast. In the space of a year, he’s gone from heartbreaking BBC dramas to leading Falling on Channel 4 – and soon, he’ll take on one of the most iconic roles in Harry Potter history.
In Falling, the actor stars opposite Keeley Hawes as Father David Hicks, a priest who unexpectedly falls in love with a nun.
It’s another reminder that Essiedu is becoming one of British TV’s most magnetic leading men. But there’s also a lot viewers may not know about him – including his devastating personal losses and the abuse he’s received over Harry Potter.
Paapa Essiedu started out with Shakespeare
Essiedu’s acting career began in theatre after joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2012.
After initially working as an understudy in Sam Mendes’ production of King Lear, he earned huge acclaim when he unexpectedly stepped into the role of Burgundy during a performance.
That breakthrough led to a string of acclaimed stage roles, including Hamlet and another version of King Lear where he played Edmund.
Critics quickly started describing him as one of Britain’s most exciting stage actors.
His TV breakthrough followed soon after, with roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kiri, and the underrated BBC drama Press.
“I started off in theatre, so you’re in the same room as people receiving your work,” he told Mr Porter.
Paapa Essiedu’s best movies and TV shows
If Falling is your introduction to Essiedu, you’ve got plenty of incredible performances to catch up on.
Most notably, he starred in Michaela Coel’s masterpiece I May Destroy You, one of the best BBC dramas ever made.
He also had major roles in Gangs of London, The Capture, and Black Mirror, where he memorably played the charming demon Gaap.
Movie-wise, he appeared in Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express, Alex Garland’s Men, and Saoirse Ronan drama The Outrun.
More recently, viewers praised his work in Babies, the emotional BBC drama about pregnancy loss.
Where is Paapa Essiedu from?
Essiedu was born in Southwark, London, and raised in Walthamstow by Ghanaian parents.
He attended Forest School on a scholarship and originally planned to become a doctor before discovering theatre and Shakespeare through one of his teachers.
After joining the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he met one of his closest collaborators and friends: Michaela Coel.
“We were the only two dark-skinned Black people there,” he later told NME.
How old is Paapa Essiedu?
Paapa Essiedu is currently 35 years old.
He was born on June 11, 1990, meaning he’s 15 years younger than his Falling co-star Keeley Hawes. You can read more about their age gap here.
Is Paapa Essiedu married?
Yes – Essiedu has been married to actor and comedian Rosa Robson since 2023.
Robson is known for Buffering, Extraordinary, and The Outlaws.
She was also part of the Cambridge Footlights comedy troupe, whose former members include David Mitchell, Richard Ayoade, Sue Perkins, and Tim Key.
He lost both of his parents at a young age
Essiedu has spoken openly about grief and losing both of his parents at a young age.
His father returned to Ghana when he was four and died ten years later.
Then, while Essiedu was attending drama school, his mother died from breast cancer.
“I was really close to my mum,” he said on Paloma Faith’s Mad Sad Bad podcast.
For years afterwards, he struggled to process the grief.
“I cried a bit at the funeral and then didn’t cry again for five or six years,” he admitted.
Why he received “murder threats” over Harry Potter
Essiedu’s next role may also be his biggest: Severus Snape in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot.
However, his casting has sparked a wave of racist abuse online.
Speaking to The Times, Essiedu revealed he’d received horrifying messages from people furious about him taking over the role made famous by Alan Rickman.
“I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you,’” he said.
Despite the abuse, he’s determined to make the character his own.
“The abuse fuels me,” he explained.
“I would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world? That’s motivation.”
Read more: The emotional ending of Channel 4’s Falling and what happens to Anna and David
Falling is available to stream on Channel 4 now.
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