# Marlon Kazadi

Marlon S. Kazadi (born November 16, 2004) is a Canadian actor and music artist. He is known for the role of Mike Broadstreet in the film Zombie Town (2023), a zombie thriller based on author R. L. Stine's book of the same name. Before that, Kazadi's first lead role was in the independent film Chained in which he won "Best Young Actor" from the New York International Film Awards, and nominations for Best Actor for a Canadian Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards, as well as Best Lead Performance, Male at the UBCP/ACTRA Awards.

## Early life

Marlon S. Kazadi moved to Vancouver, B.C. from the Democratic Republic of Congo, at the age of 7, with his mother, Fatou Kazadi; who later remarried to Kayvon. Marlon Kazadi attended French-speaking schools – Ecole Anne Hébert and Ecole des Pionniers, before continuing his education in English.

## Career

Kazadi made his first acting debut at 9 years old, on the ABC series The Whispers. He decided to respond to an open call after his mother suggested that he may take a liking to acting, as she noticed his talent from him replaying movie characters that he watched as a child.
Marlon then took a three-year hiatus from acting to pursue a career as a professional soccer player, which was his first dream. One day during his soccer training, Kazadi had an epiphany and realized that acting was his true calling. In 2018 he made his return to acting; where he landed the supporting role of Omar in the film Child's Play, a remake of the original classic horror film featuring the infamous Chucky doll. That same year, Kazadi was cast in two popular series: first as Young James (Jimmy) Olsen in Supergirl, and then in a recurring role as Malcolm in Riverdale.
By the age of 15, Marlon landed his first lead role as Taylor in the feature film Chained (2020), a crime thriller by Titus Heckel, in which Kazadi won, and was nominated for multiple awards based on his performance.
His work in Chained caught the eyes of various producers, which eventually landed him another lead role, this time as Mike Broadstreet in Zombie Town, a zombie thriller directed by Peter Lepeniotis, based on author R.L. Stine's book of the same name. The film premiered in theatres in 2023.

## Filmography

Film and television :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2023 | Zombie Town | Mike Broadstreet | Lead Actor |
| 2021 | Ghostbusters: Afterlife | Thickneck | Cameo appearance |
| 2021 | Chained | Taylor | Lead Actor |
| 2020 | Christmas In Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing | David | Main Cast |
| 2019 | Child's Play | Omar | Main Cast |
| 2019 | Supergirl | Young James | Episode 419: "American Dreamer" |
| 2019-2021 | Riverdale | Malcolm | Episodes: Chapter Sixty: Dog Day Afternoon Chapter Sixty-Four: The Ice Storm Chapter Seventy-Two: To Die For Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Preppy Murders Chapter Seventy-Nine: Graduation |
| 2019 | Christmas In Evergreen: Tidings of Joy | David | Main Cast |
| 2018 | Christmas In Evergreen: Letters to Santa | David | Main Cast |
| 2015 | The Whispers | Nomad Boy | Episode 2: "Hide & Seek" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
| 2021 | New York International Film Awards | Best Young Lead Actor | Chained | Won |
| 2021 | UBCP/ACTRA Awards, Vancouver | Best Lead Performance, Male | Chained | Nominated |
| 2021 | VFCC Awards | Best Actor in a Canadian Film | Chained | Nominated |