Sope Dirisu is a British actor of Nigerian heritage who has built a striking career spanning UK television, Hollywood features, and now landmark Nigerian cinema. Born in London in January 1991, he first broke through with roles in Sand Castle and The Huntsman: Winter’s War before landing his star-making part as Elliot Carter in the Sky Atlantic crime drama Gangs of London in 2020.

Dirisu went on to headline the period drama Mr. Malcolm’s List in 2022 and joined the ensemble of Apple TV+’s acclaimed spy thriller Slow Horses, later starring alongside Jude Law and Jason Bateman in Netflix’s 2025 crime series Black Rabbit.

In 2025, Dirisu took on the most personally significant role of his career, starring as an absent father reconnecting with his two sons over one turbulent day during Nigeria’s 1993 election crisis in My Father’s Shadow. Directed by Akinola Davies Jr. and shot largely on location in Lagos, the film became the first Nigerian production ever selected for the official Cannes Film Festival lineup, premiering in the Un Certain Regard category before screening at the Toronto International Film Festival and reaching UK audiences via Mubi in early 2026.

Dirisu has spoken openly about his admiration for Nollywood classics like The Wedding Party and Lionheart, and described Lagos itself as a character in My Father’s Shadow. His performance was widely praised as revelatory, cementing his place as one of the most compelling bridges between British screen acting and Nigerian storytelling.