Ariyon Bakare

Ariyon Debo Bakare (born 1971) is a British actor. He has appeared in the BBC mini-series A Respectable Trade (1995), British soap opera Family Affairs from 2000 to 2001, and the BBC One daytime drama Doctors from 2001 to 2005. Prior to this, Bakare guested on British dramas The Bill, Casualty, and Holby City. He has starred alongside Paul Bettany in Ross Kettle's film After the Rain, and with Nia Long and Colin Firth in The Secret Laughter of Women.

Life and career
After leaving Doctors, Bakare returned to direct and write several episodes. He co-wrote and starred in the Channel drama Stealing Lives. In November 2008, he appeared as a villain in the BBC1 drama Spooks. On 18 October 2009 he made an appearance in Casualty (BBC1, series 24, episode 7, "Love is a Sacrifice") as the brother of a patient.

In 2011, Bakare played a mini-cab driver, Carl Lucas, in the last episode of the sixth series of Law & Order UK, first broadcast in 2012. He appeared in Dancing on the Edge, first broadcast in 2013, as Wesley Holt, a band manager. Bakare later appeared in Doctor Who, in the 2015 episode, "The Woman Who Lived", alongside Maisie Williams. He played the antagonist of the episode, a lion-like creature called Leandro. He had a cameo as a Rebel pilot in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Bakare's theatre credits include productions at the RSC and the Lyric Hammersmith. He was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award for the role of Florindo in Tim Supple's staging of A Servant to Two Masters at the Young Vic theatre. He starred opposite Janet Suzman in the British premiere of Dream of the Dog, where he played a South African nattily clad architect, "Look Smart". The show opened to rave reviews.