Hammed Animashaun

{{Infobox person

| name = Hammed Animashaun

| image =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|05|06|df=y}}

| birth_place = Whitechapel, London, England

| occupation = Actor, writer

| education =

| television = Black Ops
The Wheel of Time

}}

Hammed Animashaun (born 6 May 1991) is a British stage, film and television actor. He won Best Male Comedy Performance at the 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards

Early life

Animashaun was born into a Nigerian family in Whitechapel in London. His father was a bus driver and his mother a voluntary worker.{{Cite web|website=BBC.com|accessdate=May 8, 2023|first=Vincent|last=Dowd|date=October 11, 2019|title= Hammed Animashaun: 'I was the only clown in the family'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-49962839}} He had a growth spurt in college and one summer grew five inches. His younger brother is 2m 6cm (6 ft 9”).{{Cite web|url=https://whynow.co.uk/read/hammed-animashaun-black-ops-interview|website=Whynow.co.uk|accessdate=May 8, 2023|first=Sarah|last=Kennedy|date=May 5, 2023|title= Hammed Animashaun on Black Ops: 'I never thought that being an actor was available to me'}} Hammed Animashaun is 1m 91cm (6 ft 3”). He was encouraged by his school drama teacher to join the Half Moon Children's Theatre in London's Limehouse.{{Cite web|website=The Guardian|accessdate=May 8, 2023|title= 'I love seeing jaws on the floor': Hammed Animashaun, megastar in training|first=Ryan|last=Gilbey|date=October 1, 2019|url= https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/oct/01/hammed-animashaun-nick-hytner-dream-master-harold-and-the-boys-national-theatre-london}} He studied philosophy with drama at university but dropped out when offered theatre roles.{{Cite web|url= https://britishyouthmusictheatre.org/news/interviews/interview-katherine-pearce-and-hammed-animashaun|website=British Youth Music Theatre|title= An interview with Katherine Pearce and Hammed Animashaun|first=Sean|last=Brooks|accessdate=May 8, 2023}}

Career

=Stage=

He received second prize in the 2021 Ian Charleson Awards which recognise actors under the age of 30 in classical roles, for his role as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Bridge Theatre.{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/winners-announced-of-30th-ian-charleson-awards_53688.html|title=Winners announced of 30th Ian Charleson awards|first=Theo|last=Bosanquet|date=March 29, 2021|accessdate=May 8, 2023|website=Whats On Stage}} He also won Best Supporting Actor at the WhatsOnStage Awards for the same production.{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/ian-charleson-awards-2020-nominees-announced_51662.html|first=Alex|last=Wood|title= Ian Charleson Awards 2020 nominees announced|date=May 26, 2020| accessdate=May 8, 2023|website=Whats On Stage}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/20th-annual-awards-winners-andrew-scott-claire-foy_50888.html|website=Whatsondtage|title= 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards winners include Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Come From Away and Six|first=Alex|last=Wood|date=March 20, 2020|accessdate=May 8, 2023}} Other stage roles have included "Master Harold"...and the Boys, Athol Fugard's drama set in apartheid South Africa, one of the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella at the Lyric Hammersmith, The Producers at the Manchester Royal Exchange, the original production of the Barber Shop Chronicles, Rufus Norris's staging of The Threepenny Opera at the National and Michael Longhurst's revival of Amadeus.{{Cite web|url=https://royalcourttheatre.com/cast/hammed-animashaun/#:~:text=Hammed%20Animashaun%20is%20an%20actor,Film%204%2FFudge%20Park).|title= Hammed Animashaun|website=Royal Court Theatre|accessdate=May 8, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Hammed-Animashaun/|website=Broadway World|accessdate=May 8, 2023|title= Hammed Animashaun}}

During 2024, Hammed Animashaun played a Gangster in a revival of Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Bartlett Sher at the Barbican Theatre, performing "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" alongside fellow Gangster Nigel Lindsay. Their performances were hailed as "hilarious Runyonesque theatre-enthusiast gangsters"[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/kiss-me-kate-barbican-review-line-of-duty-adrian-dunbar/ Kiss Me Kate review in the Daily Telegraph, Marianka Swain, 18 July 2024], Accessed 30 July 2024

=Television=

Animashaun appeared as Loial in the Amazon Prime Video series The Wheel of Time beginning in 2021. He stars in the 2023 BBC One comedy television series Black Ops, alongside Gbemisola Ikumelo and Akemnji Ndifornyen, playing an undercover policeman woefully out of his depth. His character, Kay, has been described as a "glass-half-full, God-fearing gentle giant and the opposite of street-smart." He described the role on the show as a "dream come true" and that he kept expecting to be replaced for a bigger named actor in the role.{{Cite web|website=The Independent|title= Hammed Animashaun on his groundbreaking BBC comedy: 'Black Ops is a huge step forward for every creative of colour in the industry'|first=Nicole|last=Vassell|date=May 8, 2023|accessdate=May 8, 2023|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/hammed-animashaun-black-ops-bbc-b2333189.html}} He has been praised for his chemistry with Ikumelo.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2023/05/05/53081/black_ops|website=Chortle|title=Black Ops|accessdate=May 8, 2023}}

He won Best Male Comedy Performance at the 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards.{{cite web|title= Hannah Waddingham, 'Happy Valley,' Bella Ramsey Among Winners of Royal Television Society Awards|website=Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=27 March 2024|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/royal-television-society-program-awards-2024-winners-1235859466/|first=Giorg|last=Szalai|date=26 March 2024}}{{cite web|url= https://rts.org.uk/award/rts-programme-awards-2024|date=7 March 2024|website=RTS.org.uk|title= RTS PROGRAMME AWARDS 2024}} In March 2024, Animashaun was nominated in the Male performance in a comedy programme category at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards.{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/mar/20/bafta-tv-awards-2024-nominations-full-list|website=The Guardian|date=20 March 2024|accessdate=20 March 2024|title= Bafta TV awards 2024 nominations: full list|first=Hollie|last=Richardson}}

=Writing=

In 2023, he was awarded one of two scripted creators in residence for BBC Studios TalentWorks to work with producers on scripted comedy and drama.{{Cite web|url=https://www.italktelly.com/post/i-talk-to-hammed-animashaun|website=I Talk Telly|accessdate=May 8, 2023|date=May 5, 2023|title= I TALK TO Hammed Animashaun}}{{Cite web|url=https://tbivision.com/2023/03/27/bbc-studios-talentworks-recruits-scripted-creators-in-residence/|website=Tbivision.com|accessdate=May 8, 2023|title= BBC Studios TalentWorks recruits scripted creators in residence|first=Mark|last=Layton|date=March 27, 2023}}