# Aaron Pierre (actor)

Aaron Stone Pierre (born 7 June 1994) is an English actor. After training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Pierre gained recognition for his role as Dev-Em in the science fiction series Krypton (2018–2019). He starred in the period drama miniseries The Underground Railroad (2021), and the thriller films Old (2021) and Rebel Ridge (2024). Also in 2024, he portrayed Malcolm X in the miniseries Genius and voiced Mufasa in Mufasa: The Lion King.

## Early life

Pierre was born on 7 June 1994 in London. He is of Jamaican, Curaçao and Sierra Leonean background.
He participated in athletics and sprinting as a child and developed an interest in acting as a teenager. He joined the Croydon Young People's Theatre (CRYPT) once he moved areas. He took Performing Arts at Lewisham College before going on to train in Toronto and at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 2016.

## Career

Pierre appeared in 2 episodes of the BBC One series The A Word and played a Roman soldier Antonius in series 1 of the Sky Atlantic series Britannia. In 2018, he began starring as Dev-Em in the Syfy series Krypton. That same year, Pierre starred as Cassio in Othello at Shakespeare's Globe. For his performance, he received an Ian Charleson Award commendation. He played the King opposite Lenny Henry in the 2019 production of King Hedley II at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
American director Barry Jenkins saw Pierre in Othello and sent him a message after, inviting him to audition for his new series. Pierre landed the role of Caesar in The Underground Railroad, released on Amazon Prime in May 2021. In July 2021, Pierre appeared as Mid-Sized Sedan / Brendan in M. Night Shyamalan's film Old.
In August 2021, it was reported that Pierre would reteam with Barry Jenkins as a young Mufasa in a Lion King film.
In October 2021, after John Boyega stepped down for family reasons, Pierre starred in Jeremy Saulnier's film Rebel Ridge, streamed on Netflix in 2024. In 2021, he starred in Foe, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Iain Reid.
In February 2022, Pierre joined the cast of the upcoming superhero film Blade, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and scheduled to be released on November 7, 2025, but was released from the project by March 2024 as a result of script rewrites.
He won the Best Supporting Performance in a Film at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, for his performance as Francis in the film Brother.
Pierre provided the voice of a young Mufasa in Mufasa: The Lion King.
In October 2024, Pierre was cast as John Stewart / Green Lantern in DC Studios's Lanterns television series.

## Filmography

| † | Film or show that is yet to be released |

### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2021 | Old | Mid-Sized Sedan / Brendan |
| 2022 | Brother | Francis |
| 2023 | Foe | Terrance |
| 2024 | Rebel Ridge | Terry Richmond |
| 2024 | Mufasa: The Lion King | Mufasa (voice) |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2017 | Prime Suspect 1973 | Terrence O'Duncie | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | The A Word | James Thorne | 2 episodes (series 2) |
| 2018 | Britannia | Antonius | 3 episodes (series 1) |
| 2018–2019 | Krypton | Dev-Em | Main role |
| 2021 | The Underground Railroad | Caesar | Miniseries |
| 2024 | Genius | Malcolm X | Lead role (season 4) |
| 2025 | The Morning Show † | Miles | Main role (season 4) |
| 2026 | Lanterns † | John Stewart / Green Lantern | Main role |

## Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2018 | Othello | Cassio | Globe Theatre, London |
| 2019 | King Hedley II | King | Theatre Royal Stratford East, London |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2018 | Ian Charleson Awards | Ian Charleson Awards | Othello | Nominated |
| 2023 | Canadian Screen Award | Best Supporting Performance in a Film | Brother | Won |
| 2025 | NAACP Image Award | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Television (Series, Special or Movie) | Rebel Ridge | Won |