British | Nigerian
I am of mixed heritage (British/African)/Church of England (although I don’t practise) & heterosexual. My Mother was born in Portsmouth, UK and my Father in Irrua, Edo State, Nigeria. They met in Plymouth, UK at a dance in the early 1960’s. My Father was a captain in the Nigerian Navy and was studying at the Manadon Naval Engineering College in Plymouth in 1961. I was born in 1962 and stayed with my Mother and Grandparents, and my Father returned to Nigeria to assist his country in the Biafran War. So their different cultures weren’t ever combined at all. I was brought up very White British and met my first Black person when I was 14 years old, when I competed against him in the 100m at a track and field meeting in Bristol, UK.
In the early 1960’s in Plymouth, UK interracial relationships were very much frowned upon. My Grandparents didn’t agree with it at the time, so my Mother had some challenges to overcome. In this day and age it is extremely common to see interracial relationships amongst many cultures, but there’s still a lot of people who don’t agree with it, some openly and others behind closed doors, even people you think you know well.
Most of my early girlfriends were Caucasian, and so was my first wife. It was what I was used to growing up as the only boy of colour in my school year in Plymouth. Over the past 30 years I’ve taken affirmative action to look into my African family roots and was able to have a good relationship with my Father until his death in 2011. I am now married to a most wonderfully beautiful British woman of Jamaican/Indian heritage. We’ve been together just over 15 years and have twin boys.
I have had many positive experiences as a mixed-race person. It has allowed me to visibly stand out form the norm, and along with my out-going character, sporting ability, well brought up mannerisms from my Mother, and my pro-active drive to whatever I put my mind to achieve.
I have experienced some racism in my life, primarily when I served as a police officer in the Metropolitan Police Service in London, UK. It was generally very subtle inside the service, with the odd remark, and once I recall an inaction to act upon an issue by a supervising officer, when I reported a particular incident to him, regarding a racist tirade that was made upon me by another officer, off duty at a police section house. But I was also at the forefront of racist abuse (called a Judas/traitor) whilst on public order duty in the early 1980’s in South London, by the African/Caribbean cultures, and had to be taken away from the front line, to protect me. I also experienced little of the above subtle moments whilst a police officer in the Edmonton Police Service in Alberta, Canada. BUT I have to say that my experiences in both services were very positive overall, and apart from a few bad apples, I had many good friends and acquaintances who I had very good relationships with and am still in touch with a few of them. Professionally I would probably have gone up through the ranks, had I decided to make policing a life career. But my heart lay in the performing arts, and I eventually left policing in 1996 to become an actor, which I am still fortunately doing, most recently originating the role of James Morse in the new West End production of Pretty Woman The Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre. I have extensive credits in television, film and voice over.
I have lived in the United Kingdom for many years, and also Canada, and have travelled to Nigeria numerous times over the past 26 years, as well as several other African countries. I have very eclectic music tastes, including Afrobeat’s, which is prevalent throughout West Africa. I like a few Nigerian dishes, but I’m not a great fan of the food in general. Dance wise I was a teenager in the 1970’s, so disco was a big part of my upbringing, and I still love, disco, Motown etc. Languages aren’t my strong point: I can speak a few short sentences of my father’s language which is Esan from Edo State. I like to dress up (suits/jackets etc and dress down (chinos, jeans etc), and have some Nigerian clothing which I’ve worn on different occasions. In the UK and Canada, I take in art, culture, entertainment, restaurants, sport, outdoor activities, and travel. I am very well-travelled throughout both countries.
As an actor in the United Kingdom, there is still much work to do regarding representation in the performing arts, and on television and film. With a percentage of about 28% - 30% Afro-Caribbean peoples living in the Greater London area, which sadly drops to about 6% - 8% representation in the performing arts: which includes production crew, writers, directors and producers. This is an on-going struggle. I have been fortunate to have had and am having a very good career, but I’ve put my time in and cannot afford to sit back on my laurels.
If I was to be born again, I would like to help people or animals, like being a doctor or veterinarian, and would love to be able to play several musical instruments extremely well.
I make the most of life, and keep on learning, and experiencing new things. Passing it on is something I feel is right, and try to help and be kind to people.