Peter Mensah

{{Infobox person

| name = Peter Mensah

| image = Peter Mensah Comic-Con 2009.jpg

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1959|08|27}}

| birth_place = Chiraa, Bono Region, Ghana

| nationality = British, Ghanaian

| caption = ComicCon Spartacus Press Release 2009

| occupation = Actor

| yearsactive = 1995–present

}}

Peter Mensah (born 27 August 1959) is a Ghanaian-British actor, based in Canada.{{cite web|url= https://jackjilltalentagency.com/?model=peter-mensah | title=PETER MENSAH | Jack & Jill }} He is best known for his role as Oenomaus on the Starz television series Spartacus (2010–2013). He has also appeared in such films as Tears of the Sun, Hidalgo, The Incredible Hulk, 300, Avatar, and Gladiator II.

Early life

Mensah was born in Chiraa, Ghana, and comes from an academic family. He was born to parents from the Brong Ahafo Region,{{cite web |url=http://www.starz.com/originals/spartacus/cast/Doctore/PeterMensah/Pages/PeterMensah.aspx |title=Starz - Spartacus: Blood and Sand - Peter Mensah |access-date=2012-03-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315135525/http://www.starz.com/originals/spartacus/cast/Doctore/PeterMensah/Pages/PeterMensah.aspx |archive-date=15 March 2012 }} and moved to Hertfordshire, England, with his father, Peter Osei Mensah,{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydjlive.com/hollywood-star-peter-mensahs-father-passes-away-kumasi/|title=Hollywood Star Peter Mensah's Father Passes Away in Kumasi - NYDJ Live|last=Donkoh|first=Ebenezer|website=nydjlive.com|date=9 November 2017 |language=en-GB|access-date=2017-11-09}} an architect engineer, his mother, a writer, and two younger sisters at a young age. Mensah began practicing martial arts at the age of six.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2008/06/12/slice-of-scifi-interview-with-the-hulks-peter-mensah/|title=Slice of SciFi Interview With "The Hulk's" Peter Mensah {{!}} Slice of SciFi|date=2008-06-12|access-date=2017-06-21}}{{Cite web|date=2018-11-13|title=Ghanaian-British actor Peter Mensah in Ghana|url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/entertainment/ghanaian-british-actor-peter-mensah-in-ghana/|access-date=2020-06-04|website=MyJoyOnline.com|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Peter Mensah: Movies, TV, and Bio {{!}} Prime Video|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/prime-video/actor/Peter-Mensah/nm0579795/ref=atv_pp_carouselIndex_cardIndex|access-date=2020-06-04|website=amazon.co.uk}}

Though he had done drama in school, Mensah originally studied engineering, and arrived in Canada as an engineer for British Gas, developing gas fields at Morecambe Bay.

Career

Mensah's film credits include Avatar, 300, Hidalgo, Tears of the Sun, Jason X, Harvard Man, Bless the Child and The Incredible Hulk. He also stars in the short film The Seed, produced and directed by Linkin Park's DJ Joe Hahn. He has made television appearances in Star Trek: Enterprise, Tracker, Witchblade, Blue Murder, Relic Hunter, Earth: Final Conflict, Highlander: The Raven, and La Femme Nikita. He was a member of the repertory cast of the A&E Network series A Nero Wolfe Mystery and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

He voiced and provided his likeness for Sgt. Zach Hammond in EA's video game Dead Space.

Mensah played the character Oenomaus in Spartacus and was on the Spartacus Panel at Comic Con 2009 and 2011.[http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/features/article_1533361.php/The-Doctore-is-in-Spartacus-Peter-Mensah-exclusive-interview "The Doctore is in: Spartacus' Peter Mensah exclusive interview"], 18 November 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324082135/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/features/article_1533361.php/The-Doctore-is-in-Spartacus-Peter-Mensah-exclusive-interview |date=24 March 2010 }} He had a recurring role in the fifth season of True Blood.

He is the voice of Predaking, the dragon-like leader of the Predacons in Transformers: Prime.

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable unsortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes !Ref.
1999 \|Striking Poses \|Hunky Receptionist \| \|
2000 \|Bruiser \|Skinhead \| \|
2000 \|Bless the Child \|Good Samaritan Janitor \| \|
2000 \|The Perfect Son \|Tall Gay Basher \| \|
2001 \|Harvard Man \|Cyrill The Butler \| \|
2001 \| Jason X \| Sgt. Brodski \| \|
2002 \|Triggerman \|Boxer \| \|
2002 \|Cypher \|Vault Security Guard \| \|
2003 \|Tears of the Sun \|Terwase \| \|
2004 \|Hidalgo \|Jaffa \| \|
2006 \|The Seed \| \|Short film \|
2006 \|300 \|Persian Messenger \| \|
2008 \|The Incredible Hulk \|General Joe Greller \| \|
2009 \|Avatar \|Akwey \| \|
2014 \|300: Rise of an Empire \|Persian Messenger \| \|
2016 \|The Second Sound Barrier \|Thelonious Courage as The Powerhouse \|Short film \|
2016 \|Kevin Hart: What Now? \|African Dictator \| \|
2018 \|The Scorpion King: Book of Souls \|Nebserek \|Direct-to-video \|
2019 \|Rise \|Governor Gaddo \| \|
2021 \|Snake Eyes \|Blind Master \| \|
2022 \|The Devil Conspiracy \|Archangel Michael \| \|
2024 \|Gladiator II \|Jubartha \| \|

class="wikitable unsortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

!Ref.

1999

|Striking Poses

|Hunky Receptionist

2000

|Bruiser

|Skinhead

2000

|Bless the Child

|Good Samaritan Janitor

2000

|The Perfect Son

|Tall Gay Basher

2001

|Harvard Man

|Cyrill The Butler

2001

| Jason X

| Sgt. Brodski

2002

|Triggerman

|Boxer

2002

|Cypher

|Vault Security Guard

2003

|Tears of the Sun

|Terwase

2004

|Hidalgo

|Jaffa

2006

|The Seed

|Short film

2006

|300

|Persian Messenger

2008

|The Incredible Hulk

|General Joe Greller

2009

|Avatar

|Akwey

2014

|300: Rise of an Empire

|Persian Messenger

2016

|The Second Sound Barrier

|Thelonious Courage as The Powerhouse

|Short film

2016

|Kevin Hart: What Now?

|African Dictator

2018

|The Scorpion King: Book of Souls

|Nebserek

|Direct-to-video

2019

|Rise

|Governor Gaddo

2021

|Snake Eyes

|Blind Master

2022

|The Devil Conspiracy

|Archangel Michael

2024

|Gladiator II

|Jubartha

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes !Ref.
1999 \|The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery \|Mort Erwin \|TV movie, pilot for the series Nero Wolfe \|
2000 \|Enslavement: The True Story of Fanny Kemble \|Quaka \|TV movie \|
2000 \|Relic Hunter \|Witch Doctor \|Episode: "Cross OF Voodoo" \|
2000 \|Deep in The City \|Lang \|Episode: "Gorky Parkette" \|
2001 \|Blue Murder \|Marlon Anderson \|2 episodes \|
2001 \|A Nero Wolfe Mystery \|Receptionist, Arthur \|Episodes: "The Doorbell Rang", "Over My Dead Body" Pt.1/Pt.2 \|
2001–02 \|Witchblade \|Hecter "Moby" Mobius \|3 episodes \|
2002 \|Tracker \|Marak \|Episode: "Native Son" \|
2002 \|Conviction \|T-Bone \|TV movie \|
2005 \|Star Trek: Enterprise \|Daniel Greaves \|2 episodes \|
2008 \|Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles \|General Perry \|2 episodes \|
2010 \|Spartacus: Blood and Sand \|Oenomaus / Doctore \|Main cast \|
2011 \|Spartacus: Gods of the Arena \|Oenomaus / Doctore \|Main cast \|
2012 \|True Blood \|Kibwe \| \|
2012 \|Spartacus: Vengeance \|Oenomaus / Doctore \|Main cast \|
2013 \|Transformers: Prime \|Predaking (voice) \|Recurring role (season 3) \|
2013 \|Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising \|Predaking (voice) \|TV movie \|
2013 \|Burn Notice \|Marco Cabral \|Episode: "Nature of the Beast" \|
2015–16 \|Sleepy Hollow \|Hidden One \| \|
2017–2018 \|Midnight, Texas \|Lemuel Bridger \| \|
2018 \|Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. \|Qovas \|Recurring role (season 5) \|
2019 \|Departure \|Levi Hall \|Main cast (season 1) \|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

!Ref.

1999

|The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery

|Mort Erwin

|TV movie, pilot for the series Nero Wolfe

2000

|Enslavement: The True Story of Fanny Kemble