# Fisayo Akinade

Fisayo Akinade is an English actor, best known for his roles as Dean Monroe in Cucumber and Banana on Channel 4 and Mr. Ajayi in the popular Netflix series Heartstopper. He has also done work in theatre, such as The Crucible at the Gielgud Theatre in London.

## Early life and education

Akinade was born in Liverpool. He spent four years of his childhood in Nigeria before returning to the UK where he grew up in the Fallowfield and Moss Side areas of Manchester.
He wanted to be a gymnast growing up. However, after suffering injury, and the closure of the place where he practiced, Akinade began attending drop-in drama classes at the Contact Theatre, later joining the Contact Young Actors Company, and workshops at the Royal Exchange Theatre. He went on to train at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

## Career

Akinade has performed in a number of productions on both stage and screen. On stage, he played Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Eros in Antony and Cleopatra. and several National Theatre productions.
His television breakthrough came in 2015, when he starred as Dean Monroe in Russell T Davies' drama Cucumber and its offshoots Banana and Tofu. In 2016, Akinade starred alongside Glenn Close, Gemma Arterton, and Paddy Considine in The Girl with All the Gifts.
He appeared in the 2019 feature film The Personal History of David Copperfield.
In 2020 he appeared in the National Theatre musical production, Barber Shop Chronicles, written by Inua Ellams. The show was presented live on stage and streamed on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.<refAkbar, Arifa (13 May 2020). "Inua Ellams: 'Barber shops are a safe, sacred place for British black men'". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2025.</ref>
In 2021 he played Mercutio in the National Theatre production of Romeo and Juliet, made for television. It premiered on 4 April 2021 on Sky Arts in the UK.
In February 2022, Akinade starred in Alistair McDowall's play The Glow. The play was performed at Royal Court Theatre Downstairs. Akinade featured in the Netflix series Heartstopper, which was released in April 2022. In the series, he plays Nathan Ajayi. In November 2022, Akinade starred as Chevalier de Saint-Jacques in Starz drama Dangerous Liaisons, alongside Alice Englert, Nicholas Denton and Lesley Manville. Dangerous Liaisons was picked up for a second series.

## Personal life

Akinade is openly gay. He cites Heartstopper as the kind of programme which would have helped him to come out of the closet much sooner. He also said the show has helped him become more joyful, bold, and brave about his own queerness.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Lifesaver | Ben | Short film |
| 2016 | The Works | Iago | Short film |
| 2016 | The Girl with All the Gifts | Private Kieran Gallagher | |
| 2018 | The Isle | Cailean Ferris | |
| 2019 | The Personal History of David Copperfield | Markham | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Fresh Meat | Vlad Supporter 1 | Series 3 Episode 8 |
| 2015 | Cucumber | Dean Monroe | 7 episodes |
| 2015 | Banana | Dean Monroe | 6 episodes |
| 2015 | Ordinary Lies | Ziggy | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | The Vote | Jonathan Clarke | Television film |
| 2016 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Flute | Television film |
| 2017 | In the Dark | Theo | Miniseries |
| 2018 | A Very English Scandal | Clive Otunde | Series 1 Episode 3 |
| 2019 | Silent Witness | Andrew Dewey | Episodes: "To Brighton, To Brighton" (Parts 1&2) |
| 2019 | Martin's Close | William | Television film |
| 2021 | Romeo & Juliet | Mercutio | Television film |
| 2021 | The Complaints Department | Narrator | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Atlanta | Khalil | Episode: White Fashion |
| 2022–present | Heartstopper | Nathan Ajayi | 10 episodes |
| 2022 | Dangerous Liaisons | Chevalier de Saint-Jacques | 8 episodes |

### Web

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | Tofu | Self | Web series; 5 episodes |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2019 | Blood & Truth | | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 2014 | Ian Charleson Awards | Ian Charleson Awards | As You Like It | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Ian Charleson Awards | Ian Charleson Awards | Saint Joan | Third | |