Malachi Kirby Biography

Malachi Kirby is the young British actor who played Kunta Kinte in the 2016 remake of the television mini-series Roots, the role that made LeVar Burton famous in the 1970s.

He also earned critical praise for his performance in Mangrove, part of the Small Axe film anthology (2020, by Steven McQueen).

Kirby is a Londoner who studied acting at the Identity Agency Group. He made his film debut in 2008, alongside future Star Wars actor John Boyega.

Until he was thrust into the spotlight because of Roots, Kirby was a relatively unknown up-and-comer whose credits included a small role in 2013 in the serial Gone Too Far, and a brief stint on the series Eastenders in 2014.