10 Best Kingsley Ben-Adir Movies & TV Shows, Ranked

It’s truly a testament to Kingsley Ben-Adir’s talents that in a show as abysmal as Marvel’s “Secret Invasion,” he still managed to squeeze a gem of a performance out of it. There’s a lot that went wrong with “Secret Invasion,” but Ben-Adir as the disillusioned Skrull, Gravik, brought a level of gravitas to the freedom fighter who believes the best way forward for Skrull liberation is to make Earth only hospitable for the alien race. It’s only a shame Gravik dies at the end of the show, thereby preventing him from really making a mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a better project, but it shows how Ben-Adir is so often the best part of whatever he’s in. 

After making a mark in the theatre world, Kingsley Ben-Adir started appearing in an assortment of British television, as he himself was born in London, England. Now, he’s starred in major TV shows and movies shown around the globe. His filmography may not be as lengthy as other actors, but to be honest, it’s already pretty tough narrowing his roles down into a top 10. This list will inevitably change as he continues giving superb performances, but for now, here are the best Kingsley Ben-Adir movies and TV shows that should be on your radar based off his performance as well as the overall quality of the project. 

With someone so clearly talented as Kingsley Ben-Adir, it feels like the roles should’ve always been lined up for him. But as is so often the case, Ben-Adir really struggled to find work at first, especially right out of drama school. His very first recurring role was as Dr. Marcus Sumner in the British show, “Vera,” which remains one of his standout roles. 

The long-running series follows Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn), a Detective Chief Inspector who probably should retire at this point in life, but her obsessive mind forces her to continue solving one riveting case after the next. Dr. Sumner was a pathologist who often aided Vera in her cases. Ben-Adir appeared on four seasons (or series, if you prefer the British parlance) of the show before leaving for good after 2018, and he proved he could hold his own against far more experienced actors and remain captivating.

“Vera” was a pivotal role for Ben-Adir to get so early in his career. When speaking with The Standard, Ben-Adir admitted to crying after hearing he got the part. “I couldn’t get arrested in this country [before that],” the actor said. “I couldn’t get a job on the telly.” All these years later, getting work doesn’t seem to be a problem for him. 

After skipping across the pond following “Vera,” Kingsley Ben-Adir found himself in a Disney+ Christmas movie with “Noelle.” The movie centers on the titular Noelle (Anna Kendrick) who tracks down her brother, Nick (Bill Hader), after he runs away following the stress from trying to be the next Santa Claus. To do this, Noelle befriends Jake Hapman (Ben-Adir), a private detective still coming to terms with his divorce. 

It’s not easy playing a straight man to such a wacky counterpart. While Kendrick and the more Christmasy characters have a lot of fun moments, Ben-Adir is there mostly to react and have his epiphany that Christmas magic is actually real. Ben-Adir helps ground the movie and offer some real sentimentality amid the holiday chaos. 

Reviews for “Noelle” were pretty mixed, as it’s a charming yet formulaic Christmas movie, and we’ve probably seen better ones elsewhere. But much like “Secret Invasion,” Ben-Adir helps elevate the affair. If nothing else, his scenes and character arc of going from a cynical divorced detective to someone with a bit more optimism make the film kind of worth seeing. 

“Soulmates” is a fascinating anthology miniseries that deserved way more attention when it came out in 2020. It’s basically “Black Mirror,” except with romance instead of science-fiction where in the not-so-far-off future. There’s a company called Soul Connex that promises to match people up with their soulmates, and each episode explores a different dynamic of people wrestling with this concept. Kingsley Ben-Adir appears opposite “Succession” star Sarah Snook in the very first episode. 

The two play a married couple pre-Soul Connex, but Nikki (Snook) is just too curious and takes the test to see if her soulmate is out there. This naturally causes a great amount of tension between her and her husband, Franklin (Ben-Adir). Also just like “Black Mirror,” the episodes tend to have some devastating finales, and this one is no exception. 

Science fiction definitely has a role to play in “Soulmates,” but the emphasis remains on human dynamics. Having two great actors like Ben-Adir and Snook play off one another allows the show to kick off with a bang because through all the tech gimmicks, any episode lives or dies by the emotion it makes viewers feel. It’s no wonder why “San Junipero,” often considered the best “Black Mirror” episode, puts a relationship front and center, and even though “Soulmates” was only meant to be a miniseries, we would’ve loved to see more of it. 

There are a lot of expectations when it comes to portraying a former or current President of the United States. For a period of time, they become the most powerful person in the world, and everyone knows how they sound like and have probably heard plenty of impressions. The trick, especially when it comes to a serious drama as opposed to a “Saturday Night Live” sketch, is to make them come across as a real person as opposed to a parody. Kingsley Ben-Adir absolutely nailed every aspect of Barack Obama on “The Comey Rule.”

The Showtime miniseries centers on James Comey (Jeff Daniels) in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election and his decision pursue the investigation into Hilary Clinton’s emails. Obama doesn’t have a huge role to play, as much of the show focuses more on Donald Trump’s (Brendan Gleeson) campaign and early months into his first term, but his scenes deliver a powerful impact in part thanks to Ben-Adir’s performance. 

Despite being British, Ben-Adir delivers a spot-on Obama voice that doesn’t parody the president’s cadences like so many others are prone to do. Despite the fact Ben-Adir is significantly younger than Obama should’ve been in 2016, you won’t even mind, because it’s just that good.

There were plans for a lot of actors, including Bowen Yang, Dan Levy, and Ben Platt, to become Kens in “Barbie.” We’ll always wonder what might’ve been, but honestly, it’s hard to complain about the crop of Kens we got, all led by the ever-charismatic Ryan Gosling. Among those Kens is Kingsley Ben-Adir as Basketball Ken, who’s also very passionate about explaining why “The Godfather” is a Very Important(™) movie. 

Ben-Adir is probably mostly known for his dramatic work. He’s not normally known for being a silly guy, but in “Barbie,” he got a chance to show a completely new side of himself, which was more than welcome. It was even more of a delight considering “Barbie” came out around the same time as “Secret Invasion,” so around the same time people could see Ben-Adir try to wipe out humanity, they could also see him dressed as a cowboy wearing a crop top. 

It may not have been the biggest part of his filmography, which is why “Barbie” can’t rank too high, but Ben-Adir was ecstatic to be part of such a monumental film. When speaking with the “Zach Sang Show” about the “Barbie” script, Ben-Adir proclaimed, “I’ve never read anything that good. I was like, ‘This is kind of genius. Are they really gonna give [director and writer Greta Gerwig] money to make this?” Thank goodness Gerwig did get the money for this. 

The unceremonious cancelation of “The OA” after two seasons remains one of the most controversial decisions in streaming history. Fans gravitated toward the puzzle box storytelling, which primarily focused on Prairie Johnson (Brit Marling) who returns after having disappeared for seven years, and she can now see after previously being blind. Of course, that really doesn’t sell the series, as there are so many moving parts to the point this could’ve been something really special in Netflix’s catalog had it been allowed to continue. 

Kingsley Ben-Adir doesn’t show up as Karim Washington until the second season, but he added an interesting new wrinkle within the show as private investigator Karim Washington. Karim tries to solve various puzzles of his own, which puts him on a collision path with Prairie, who agrees to help him with a case. 

Karim added yet another layer of depth to the series, and Ben-Adir brought him to life wonderfully. The actor even got some shoutouts for his performance, in particularly, like in IGN‘s review of “The OA” season 2, “Marling is capably backed up by Ben-Adir. Karim initially comes across as your typical no-nonsense detective, but he becomes something more.” It’s only a shame we didn’t see more of Karim in another season of “The OA,” but perhaps the cancelation allowed Ben-Adir to pursue other projects to help him advance his career further. 

Speaking of unfair cancelations, “High Fidelity” is another streaming show that deserved far better. It was canceled after just one season despite critical acclaim, and while the final episode works as a solid sendoff, there was so much more potential with these characters.

Zoë Kravitz played Robyn Brooks, a record store owner who’s still processing her latest breakup with Russell “Mac” McCormack (Kingsley Ben-Adir). Ben-Adir is fantastic as Robyn’s ex-boyfriend, still imbuing him with a warmth to the point where he’s not just an ex-boyfriend the audience is meant to hate. We understand where he’s coming from even though he broke the protagonist’s heart, and that kind of character work should’ve carried the show to another season easily. 

“High Fidelity” is a rare reboot that works. It finds a way to make a story we already know about from the 2000 film with John Cusack (which Jack Black thought might kill his music career) and makes it feel fresh and exciting, exploring new angles of relationships. Not for nothing, but Ben-Adir played so well off of Kravitz, I just wanted to see more of them together. 

It’s one thing for an actor to consistently be the best thing in whatever he’s in, even if the project as a whole leaves something to be desired. It’s another thing for that actor to really show what they’re capable of by getting roles that really let them sink their teeth into something with true depth. There are many reasons why “Peaky Blinders” has remained such a popular show, and even though Kingsley Ben-Adir only appears in five episodes before his character gets killed off, he made the most of his short arc on the drama series. 

Ben-Adir plays Colonel Ben Younger, who’s first introduced on season 4’s “The Duel,” one of the best “Peaky Blinders” episodes bar none. He’s the head of the army intelligence officers monitoring Ada Shelby (Sophie Rundle) and even gets into a relationship with her. Ben has conflicting loyalties in the show, and Ben-Adir brings the requisite depth to portray a character struggling with where his allegiances lay. 

It’s not always the biggest performance, as much of Ben’s conflict comes through via subtle body movements. But such dichotomies is what makes Ben-Adir such a compelling performer. 

When does someone go from merely being a great actor to a genuine movie star? It’s tough to pin down, but I think Kingsley Ben-Adir proved himself more than worthy of the latter title with 2024’s “Bob Marley: One Love.” He portrays the eponymous singer with a resounding amount of depth in a film that outperformed all expectations. “One Love” crushed “Madame Web” at the box office, which came out around the same time, ultimately grossing $180 million worldwide and creating a new record for the highest opening numbers on Valentine’s Day ever.

This could be attributed to biopics simply having a moment in the sun, so a movie about the life of the ever-popular Bob Marley was bound to do well regardless. Still, it’s hard to argue that Ben-Adir takes what could’ve been a by-the-books performance and brings something truly special to it. The actor earned particular praise among outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter noting, “Ben-Adir’s finely tuned performance captures the mystical relationship between Marley and his music as well as his kinetic stage presence.”

It’s all the more impressive considering Ben-Adir actually sings in the movie, which isn’t always a guarantee with these kinds of biopics. He worked with a vocal coach and worked hard to get Marley’s mannerisms just right. It’s a tour de force role, proving Ben-Adir is more than capable of leading a movie. 

How do you step into a role based on a real person that already has one incredible performance attached to it? Denzel Washington was nominated for Best Actor for the titular role in Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X.” Even pushing that aside, there’s so much to who Malcolm X was as a person that it’s daunting for any actor to step into those shoes. Yet Kingsley Ben-Adir doesn’t miss a beat portraying the civil rights icon in 2020’s “One Night in Miami…,” bringing the necessary gravitas while doing enough to differentiate his interpretation from Washington’s. 

Ben-Adir has quite the history of portraying real-life people, from Bob Marley to Barack Obama. But it’s his role of Malcolm X that stands out the most in this fictionalized story of him meeting with Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) following one of Clay’s boxing wins to discuss the Civil Rights Movement and their respective roles in advancing it. Ben-Adir gets plenty to chew on here, as /Film’s review of “One Night in Miami…” noted how he plays “the Nation of Islam minister as soft-spoken and bookish when he needs to be, but also prone to precise outbursts. This is not the fiery Malcolm X delivering a sermon — it’s the private Malcolm.”

That vulnerability to Malcolm X was a driving force for Ben-Adir making the character his own, as he told Harper’s Bazaar, “He was suffering in silence, and I thought that was our way in. I thought it was a route to try and create something more tender and potentially heartbreaking [in the film].” It remains Ben-Adir’s best performance to date and a sign that the actor can do truly great things and will probably win an Oscar one day.