Kwesi Boakye

{{short description|American actor (born 1999)}}

{{BLP one source|date=August 2021}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Kwesi Boakye

| image = Kwesi Boakye at Hub Network Halloween Bash 2013.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Boakye at Hub Network Halloween Bash 2013

| birth_name = Kwesi Nii-Lante Boakye

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1999|4|6}}

| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 2005–present

| relatives = Kofi Siriboe (brother)

| website =

}}

Kwesi Nii-Lante Boakye ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|w|eɪ|s|i|_|b|uː|ɑː|ˈ|tʃ|iː}} {{respell|KWAY|see|_|boo|ah|CHEE}}; born April 6, 1999) is an American actor. He is best known as the original voice of Darwin, Gumball's best friend and adoptive brother on the Cartoon Network animated TV series The Amazing World of Gumball. He also voiced Gossamer on The Looney Tunes Show and The Passenger on Bravest Warriors. He also played Manny in the 2009 Tyler Perry film I Can Do Bad All By Myself.

Early life

Kwesi Nii-Lante Boakye was born on April 6, 1999 in Los Angeles, California. He is the youngest of three brothers who are also actors; Kwame Boateng, and Kofi Siriboe. Boakye's family is originally from Ghana.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090828101256/http://www.africanloft.com/kwesi-boakye-hollywood%E2%80%99s-cutest-kid/ "Kwesi Boakye: Hollywood's Cutest Kid"], AfricanLoft.com

Career

Boakye began his acting career at the age of six, making one-episode appearances on the television shows Strong Medicine and Inconceivable. He then appeared in eighteen episodes of the NBC soap opera series Days of Our Lives. In 2006, he appeared in five episodes of Day Break as James Mathis. He then began his voice acting career at the age of seven, where he provided several voices to the animated film Happy Feet. He then continued to make one-episode appearances on The Shield and 'Til Death, the latter in 2007. In the same year, he appeared as a little boy in the film If I Had Known I Was a Genius. He also had minor voice roles in the Nick Jr. series Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, marking this as his first time voice acting on a preschool show. He then appeared on an episode as Turnip in the legal drama series Boston Legal. In 2009, he appeared in Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself as Manny. He voiced Newspaper Boy on the Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog and starred on the TV series Men of a Certain Age as Jamie Thoreau.

In 2010, he appeared on the NBC television series Community as Elijah Bennett and the romantic comedy film Valentine's Day as a soccer kid. He also appeared as Andrew on an episode of the Playhouse Disney television series Special Agent Oso and William Glass in the TNT TV series Hawthorne. From 2011 to 2014, he voiced Darwin Watterson on Cartoon Network's The Amazing World of Gumball. During 2014, he was replaced by Terrell Ransom Jr. due to puberty. He appeared on an episode of Southland as Richard, Hawaii Five-0 as Kevin and The Mentalist as Anthony Rome. He also played young Narrator on two episodes of the TV series The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. From 2011 to 2013, Boakye provided the voice of Gossamer on the television cartoon The Looney Tunes Show, which also aired on Cartoon Network. In 2012, he appeared on an episode of Touch as Farai and the biographical drama film Unconditional as Macon. He then provided the voice of The Passenger on the YouTube/VRV television series Bravest Warriors. In 2014, Boakye appeared on an episode of the ABC comedy-drama series Mind Games as Tyler.

He appeared in the black comedy film Pocket Listing as Billy and made three-episode appearances on Murder in the First and Colony. He most recently appeared in the TNT drama series Claws as Malik and the drama film Tazmanian Devil as Ike.

Filmography

=Film and television=

class="wikitable"
YearTitleRoleNotes
rowspan="2" | 2005Strong MedicineLavonnerowspan="2" | 1 episode
InconceivableKid
2005–2007Days of Our LivesArtemis / Scott{{cite web |title=Days Nick Fallon's new storyline! |url=https://soaps.sheknows.com/days-of-our-lives/news/1036/days-nick-fallons-new-storyline/ |website=soaps.sheknows.com |date=21 September 2007 |access-date=2023-07-28 |archive-date=2023-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728011830/https://soaps.sheknows.com/days-of-our-lives/news/1036/days-nick-fallons-new-storyline/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Q&A with Kwesi Boakye |url=https://michiganchronicle.com/2009/08/26/qaa-with-kwesi-boakye/ |website=michiganchronicle.com |access-date=2023-07-28 |archive-date=2023-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728011831/https://michiganchronicle.com/2009/08/26/qaa-with-kwesi-boakye/ |url-status=live }}18 episodes
2006–2007Day BreakJames Mathis5 episodes
rowspan="2" | 2006Happy FeetOther VoicesFilm
The ShieldWendellrowspan="2" | 1 episode
rowspan="2" | 2007'Til DeathKid
If I Had Known I Was a GeniusLittle BoyFilm
2008–2010Ni Hao, Kai-LanWorm # 1 / Mr. HoppyVoice, 2 episodes
2008Boston LegalTurnip1 episode
rowspan="2" | 2009I Can Do Bad All By MyselfManny{{cite web |title=Ten-Year Old Kwesi Boakye Stars in The Number One Box Office Film and Finds Tyler Perry An Inspiration |url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/09/prweb2915424.htm |website=PRWeb |access-date=2022-11-26 |archive-date=2022-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126034604/https://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/09/prweb2915424.htm |url-status=dead }}Film
The Princess and the FrogNewspaper Boy

|Voice, film

2009–2011Men of a Certain AgeJamie Thoreau{{cite web |title='Men of a Certain Age' Series Preview: Cast, Plot Details, and Trailer |url=https://www.showbizjunkies.com/tv/men-of-a-certain-age/ |website=www.showbizjunkies.com |date=13 June 2011 |access-date=2023-07-28 |archive-date=2023-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728011943/https://www.showbizjunkies.com/tv/men-of-a-certain-age/ |url-status=live }}14 episodes
2010–2012CommunityElijah Bennett2 episodes
rowspan="4" | 2010Faith and DreamsStudentShort Film
Valentine's DaySoccer Kid{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}Film
Special Agent OsoAndrewEpisode: "Thunderbubble"
HawthorneWillam Glass

|1 episode

2011–2014The Amazing World of GumballDarwin WattersonVoice, main role (seasons 1-3)
rowspan="4" | 2011SouthlandRichardrowspan="3" | 1 episode
Hawaii Five-0Kevin{{cite web |title=Kwesi Boakye stars with hip-hop mogul Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs on Hawaii Five-O |url=https://lasentinel.net/kwesi-boakye-stars-with-hip-hop-mogul-sean-p-diddy-combs-on-hawaii-five-o.html |website=lasentinel.net |access-date=2022-11-26 |archive-date=2022-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126034133/https://lasentinel.net/kwesi-boakye-stars-with-hip-hop-mogul-sean-p-diddy-combs-on-hawaii-five-o.html |url-status=live }}
The MentalistAnthony Rome
The Legion of Extraordinary DancersYoung Narrator2 episodes
2011–2013The Looney Tunes ShowGossamer{{cite web |title=The Voice Artist's Spotlight official Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/vas_90s/status/1322004165002956800?lang=en |website=twitter.com |access-date=2022-11-26 |archive-date=2023-08-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802004111/https://twitter.com/vas_90s/status/1322004165002956800?lang=en |url-status=live }}Voice, recurring role (14 episodes)
rowspan="2" | 2012TouchFarai1 episode
UnconditionalMaconFilm
2012–PresentBravest WarriorsThe PassengerVoice
rowspan="2" | 2014SketchSketchShort Film
Mind GamesTyler1 episode
rowspan="2" | 2015Pocket ListingBilly{{cite web |title=Pocket Listing Cast and Crew - Cast Photos and Info |url=https://www.fandango.com/pocket-listing-198106/cast-and-crew |website=www.fandango.com |access-date=2023-07-28 |archive-date=2023-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728012246/https://www.fandango.com/pocket-listing-198106/cast-and-crew |url-status=live }}Film
Murder in the FirstKormega3 episodes
2017

| Colony

Emmett{{cite web |title=Koshie Mills Presents THE DIASPORA DIALOGUES Live Tour 2019 |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Koshie-Mills-Presents-THE-DIASPORA-DIALOGUES-Live-Tour-2019-20191003Koshie |website=www.broadwayworld.com |access-date=2023-07-28 |archive-date=2023-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728012538/https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Koshie-Mills-Presents-THE-DIASPORA-DIALOGUES-Live-Tour-2019-20191003Koshie |url-status=live }}3 episodes
2018

| Claws

Malik{{cite web |title=Video: Abraham Attah, Kwesi Boakye In Official Trailer For Tazmanian Devil Movie |url=https://www.nydjlive.com/video-abraham-attah-kwesi-boakye-in-official-trailer-for-tazmanian-devil-movie/ |website=www.nydjlive.com |date=25 July 2020 |access-date=2023-07-28 |archive-date=2021-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623141842/https://www.nydjlive.com/video-abraham-attah-kwesi-boakye-in-official-trailer-for-tazmanian-devil-movie/ |url-status=live }}2 episodes
2019Costume QuestBenji NicholsVoice, 3 episodes
2020Tazmanian DevilIke{{cite web |title=Official Trailer for 'Tazmanian Devil' Film About a Nigerian Immigrant |url=https://www.firstshowing.net/2021/official-trailer-for-tazmanian-devil-film-about-a-nigerian-immigrant/ |website=firstshowing.net |date=25 January 2021 |access-date=2022-11-26 |archive-date=2022-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126040300/https://www.firstshowing.net/2021/official-trailer-for-tazmanian-devil-film-about-a-nigerian-immigrant/ |url-status=live }}Film

References

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