Danny Sapani

Danny Sapani is a British actor best known for his portrayal of Sembene in Penny Dreadful, Tony Morecombe in Misfits and supporting roles in Doctor Who, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Black Panther.

As an actor of Ghanaian descent, Sapani’s roles have ranged through a variety of genres within film, television and theatre. Born and raised in London, his first pursuit of acting was at the Weekend Arts College in Kentish Town, soon leading to more intense training at the Central School of Speech and Drama, an institution that well and truly helped him develop an approach to the industry.

In 1992, Sapani made his screen debut in The Bill, followed by a number of supporting roles in series including Casualty, Holby City, Judge John Deed, Ultimate Force, Little Britain and Doctor Who. Smaller roles soon introduced Sapani to the cast of Misfits in 2009, portraying the role of Tony Morecombe, a probation officer who attains extreme superhuman strength after the storm. With Misfits capturing so much global attention, it elevated Sapani into the known sphere, soon scoring a main role on The Bastard Executioner as Berber the Moor, and a recurring role on cult-hit Penny Dreadful as Sembene, appearing in 18 episodes of the production until his fan-favourite character met an untimely fate.

As a familiar face of the film industry, he has appeared in a number of short and feature films including The Oxford Murders, Anansi and Danny Boyle’s Trance. Most recently, Sapani has appeared as a medical frigate captain in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and as a border tribe elder in Black Panther.

In 2019, Danny Sapani is slated to appear in the television series MotherFatherSon as Jahan Zakari.