David Harewood


David Michael Harewood OBE is an English actor and presenter who has served as president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art since February 2024. He is known for his television roles as David Estes in Homeland, J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter and Hank Henshaw / Cyborg Superman in Supergirl. He has also appeared in films such as Blood Diamond, The Merchant of Venice, and Strings, whilst his video game roles include Usef Omar in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Warlin Door in Alan Wake II.

Early life

David Michael Harewood was born in the Small Heath area of Birmingham, on 8 December 1965. He has one sister and two brothers. His parents were part of the Windrush generation and had moved to England from Barbados in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His mother worked as a caterer and his father was a lorry driver. Harewood attended St Benedict's Junior School and Washwood Heath Academy. He later joined London's National Youth Theatre. In his youth, he worked at a wine bar in Birmingham city centre. At the age of 18, he gained a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Career

Harewood began acting in 1990 and has appeared in films such as The Hawk, Great Moments in Aviation, Harnessing Peacocks, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Blood Diamond, The Merchant of Venice and Strings. He is known for his television appearances on Ballykissangel, The Vice and Fat Friends. He played Don Coleman in Hustle. In 1997, he was the first black actor to play Othello at the National Theatre in London.
In 2008, he played Major Simon Brooks in The Palace; he also appeared on Celebrity Mastermind, with specialist subject Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. He appeared in the BBC film adaptation of the Philip Pullman novels The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North, both of which are titles from the Sally Lockhart Mysteries.
In 2009, Harewood appeared in the BBC single drama Mrs Mandela, playing Nelson Mandela. He played Brother Tuck in the third series of Robin Hood. He appeared in the Doctor Who story "The End of Time". He played Martin Luther King Jr. in the premiere of The Mountaintop, written by American playwright Katori Hall, directed by James Dacre, which opened at Theatre503 in London on 9 June 2009.
Harewood next appeared in two episodes of Chris Ryan's Strike Back as Colonel Tshuma. From June to September 2010, he played Theseus in the premiere of Moira Buffini's play Welcome to Thebes at the National Theatre in London. He played Martin Viner in an episode of New Tricks. He narrated Welcome to Lagos, a BBC documentary about Lagos, Nigeria. He also starred in British independent film The Hot Potato, the film also starred Ray Winstone, Colm Meaney and Jack Huston. He played Frankenstein's monster in the TV live event Frankenstein's Wedding.
From 2011, Harewood starred as David Estes, the director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, in the Showtime series Homeland. After appearing in 24 episodes, his character was killed off in a bomb explosion at the end of season 2. Also in 2011, he voiced Captain Quinton Cole in the video game Battlefield 3.
In June 2014, he appeared in Tulip Fever. In October 2015, he appeared as a core cast member on the CBS television series Supergirl as Hank Henshaw. Since his character was revealed to be J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter posing as Henshaw, he portrays J'onn J'onzz with Henshaw's likeness as his human form and has a dual recurring role as the real Hank Henshaw / Cyborg Superman.
In 2017, Harewood was in London to attend the British Urban Film Festival. The following year, for his performance in "Free in Deed", Harewood won Best Actor at the 2018 British Urban Film Festival awards. Harewood was included in the 2019 edition of the Powerlist, ranking the 100 most influential Black Britons. Also in 2019, he played the position of goalkeeper for England in Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2019. Psychosis and Me, a documentary hosted and produced by Harewood received a BAFTA Television Award nominated for Single Documentary.
In October 2021, it was revealed that Harewood would make his feature directorial debut with For Whom The Bell Tolls, a boxing film about the rivalry between Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn.
In November 2021, The Guardian published an article focusing on Harewood and actor Ricardo P Lloyd comparing both of their lives and careers and the struggles black British actors face in the UK. This was part of Black British culture matters, curated by Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder for The Guardian Saturday Culture Issue No7.
Harewood was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to drama and Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to drama and charity. Harewood delivered the 2023 Richard Dimbleby Lecture.
In February 2024, Harewood was announced as the new President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Later that year, he appeared in the season finale of the Star Wars series The Acolyte portraying Rayencourt, a member of the Galactic Senate pushing for an external review of the Jedi Order.

Other interests

Slavery reparations

Harewood campaigns for slavery reparations and is an advocate of the British government apologising for Britain's participation in the slave trade. His great-great-great-great grandparents had been slaves on a plantation in Barbados owned by Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood. Slaves were given surnames derived from those of their owners, hence Harewood's ancestors had to take their name from the Lascelles' title. Harewood engaged with David Lascelles, 8th Earl of Harewood, a descendant of the 2nd Earl, who also believes the government should apologise for the slave trade. As part of a BBC Look North programme in 2007, Harewood visited Lascelles' ancestral home Harewood House, which was built with the profits of slavery, and interviewed Lascelles on the subject. He did so again for a Channel 5 documentary in 2021.
In September 2023, a portrait of Harewood commissioned by Lascelles was put on display at Harewood House as an acknowledgement of their families' connected history. It will become part of the stately home's permanent collection. The portrait's unveiling was accompanied by a temporary exhibition at the house focussing on Harewood's life and career. Harewood described the hanging of the portrait as "well overdue for me and my ancestors", and commented that he hoped visitors to the house would

Politics

In May 2012, Harewood presented a party election broadcast for the Labour Party. In the 2019 European Parliament election, he pledged his support for Change UK.

Charity

In 2007, Harewood donated his bone marrow, which was confirmed to have saved a stranger's life.
In October 2013, Harewood voiced an interactive video campaign for the British Lung Foundation aiming to ban smoking in cars with children inside throughout the United Kingdom.
Harewood appeared at Soccer Aid 2018 as England's celebrity goalkeeper, saving two penalties during the penalty shootout and helping England win the charity match. The event raised over £5 million for UNICEF.

Mental health

Harewood is a mental health campaigner, and made a 2019 BBC documentary titled David Harewood: Psychosis and Me based on his own experience of mental health issues.

Personal life

Harewood married his long-term girlfriend Kirsty Handy in February 2013 in Saint James, Barbados. They have two daughters together and live in the Streatham area of London. He is an avid supporter of his hometown football team Birmingham City.
Harewood has been open about his mental health troubles and has admitted that he used to self-medicate with alcohol and marijuana to deal with his bipolar-like symptoms, discarding the medication given to him by doctors. He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act, spent time on Whittington Hospital's psychiatric ward, and was prescribed the antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine. In a 2021 essay for The Guardian, he wrote:

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Radio

Harewood played Thurman Berkley in the first series of the BBC radio series Chambers, broadcast on 4 May 1996. He played Patroclus in the 1998 BBC radio trilogy Troy. He also played Henry Tilney in the Northanger Abbey radio adaptation. On 4 May 2012, he hosted a special BBC Radio 2 Friday Night is Music Night celebrating the life of Ray Charles, broadcast live from Cheltenham Jazz Festival. The show featured the Guy Barker orchestra, with leader Cynthia Fleming and guest artists Madeline Bell, Gregory Porter, and James Tormé.
Harewood played the Marquis de Carabas in the BBC Radio 4 Radio Play of Neverwhere.
In 2022, Harewood voiced Destruction of the Endless in Act III of Audible's full-cast audiobook adaptation of Neil Gaiman's comic The Sandman.

Awards and nominations

  • Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: Nominated
  • Nashville Film Festival-Best Actor: Winner
  • Independent Spirit Awards-Best Male Lead: Nominated
  • Saturn Award-Best Supporting Actor on a Television Series: Nominated
  • Edinburgh TV Festival-Variety Outstanding Achievement Award: Winner
  • Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to drama

    Books

  • Harewood's memoir.