| Is |
Actor |
| From |
Republic of the Congo |
| Type |
Film, TV, Stage & Radio |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 25 December 1986, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Age: | 33 years |
Emmanuel Kabongo (born December 25, 1986) is a Canadian actor, best known for his work on the web series Teenagers (2014–present), for which he earned a Canadian Screen Award nomination in 2016.
Early life
Kabongo was born and grew up in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) and relocated to South Africa during the war with his family. They then moved to Toronto in 1998.
Career
Kabongo in 2015
Since the early 2010s, Kabongo has starred in several productions, including the feature films The Animal Project (2013), directed by Ingrid Veninger, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Antibirth (2016), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released on September 2, 2016 in the U.S., by IFC Midnight.
Kabongo has also guest-starred on a variety of TV shows including Rookie Blue (2013–2014), Murdoch Mysteries (2014) and Quantico (2015–2016). He won the award for Best African Actor at the 2013 African Entertainment Awards, in Toronto.
In 2014, Kabongo co-produced the first season of the award-winning web series Teenagers (2014–present) alongside emerging filmmaker M. H. Murray. Kabongo also starred as T, the series’ lead male protagonist. Kabongo reprised his role as T in the second season of the series, which premiered on July 26, 2015. For his role in the second season, Kabongo received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Performance in a Program or Series Produced for Digital Media in 2016.
Also in 2016, Kabongo produced and starred in various short films, including A Man’s Story, for which he received funding from bravoFACT. The short film went on to screen at the ReelWorld Film Festival in Toronto, where it won an award for Best Short Film in 2016.
In September 2016, CBC announced it had commissioned a one-hour drama series that follows the star players of an under-21 soccer academy in Montreal, titled 21 Thunder, with Kabongo slated to star as one of the lead characters, an Ivory Coast mid-fielder named Junior Lolo. In a press release, CBC stated the series will “offer audiences a fresh and diverse perspective on the world’s most popular sport.” It is slated for a 2017 release and is currently in production.
Personal life
He completed an actor’s residency at Norman Jewison’s Canadian Film Centre in 2015. He can speak 5 different languages (French, Swahili, Lingala, Spanish, English).
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | African Entertainment Awards | Best African Actor | Self | Won |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Web Series Festival | Outstanding Drama Series | Teenagers | Won |
| 2016 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Performance in a Program or Series Produced for Digital Media | Nominated |
Filmography
Film
- (2013): The Animal Project as Ray
- (2014): Pompeii as African Gladiator
- (2016): Antibirth as Luke
- (2016): A Man’s Story (bravoFACT short) as Kam Eganda
- (2017): Brown Girl in the Ring: The Prequel as Tony
TV
- (2013): Murdoch Mysteries as Al
- (2013–2014): Rookie Blue as Shay Bishop
- (2015): Hemlock Grove as Marshall
- (2015) Quantico as Kamran Tahan
- (2016) 21 Thunder as Junior Lolo
Web Series
- (2013): Black Actress as Jessie
- (2014–present): Teenagers as T
- Canada, eBOSS. “Interview w Canadian Screen Awards 2016 nominee Emmanuel Kabongo”. ebosscanada.com. Retrieved 2016-02-19.