Tosin Cole (; born July 23, 1992) is an American-born British actor. He is known for various roles in British television series and films. He began his on-screen career starring in The Cut and EastEnders: E20, later securing a regular role as Neil Cooper in the soap opera Hollyoaks and Ryan Sinclair in Doctor Who. In 2024, Cole appeared in Netflix's Supacell in a lead role.
Early life Cole was born in Florida to parents of Yoruba ethnic, Nigerian heritage and raised in New York City. The family moved from New York to London when Cole was 8, where he attended Abbey Wood Secondary School in Greenwich. He left school before his A-levels to pursue a career in acting.
Although Cole holds dual British and American citizenship, he considers himself British.
Career In 2009, Cole was part of a theatre production titled Wasted!, a modern reproduction of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, produced by Intermission Theatre, a company which helps teenagers stay away from crime. In 2010, Cole joined the cast of BBC teen drama The Cut, in which he played the role of Noah Achebe, who was introduced in the third series. In 2011, he filmed parts in two short films titled Me and My Dad and Jasmine.
Cole later secured the role of Sol Levi in EastEnders: E20, a spin-off of the British soap opera EastEnders. The role required Cole to learn to dance and perform his routine in front of professional dance group Flawless in the series finale. He was quoted as saying the experience was "very, very, very stressful." Cole said it was a privilege to work on E20 and said the cast were fantastic. Cole then agreed to reprise the role for the third series. He was then cast as a regular character in soap opera Hollyoaks as Neil Cooper. Neil was one of six new characters the programme introduced, playing the role from 2011 until the character's death in a bus explosion in 2012. He also filmed a television advert as part of the serial's promotional push for the new characters.
The actor went on to appear in a 2013 episode of the BBC medical drama Holby City as Keith Potts. He also played his first cinematic film role in Gone Too Far!, portraying Razer. This was followed by another film role in Second Coming. In 2014, came the role of Anthony in the drama The Secrets. In 2015, Cole played the characters of Djimon Adomakoh in ITV drama Lewis and Kobina in an episode of historical series Versailles. That year Cole also had a brief appearance in the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as the X-Wing pilot Lt. Bastian.
On 4 October 2017, Cole starred in the short film Father of Man. He then played Amjad in the film Unlocked. On 22 October 2017, it was announced that Cole had been cast in the eleventh series of Doctor Who, playing Ryan Sinclair, a companion to The Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, starting in 2018. Cole departed the role in 2021 making his last appearance in the New Year's Day special "Revolution of the Daleks".
In August 2022, Tosin Cole was announced as a lead character alongside an ensemble cast in Netflix's Supacell, directed by Rapman. The six episode series was released on 27 June 2024.
Filmography +KeyDenotes works that have not yet been released
Film Year Title Role Notes 2011 Jasmine Tyler 1st Short film 2013 Gone Too Far! Razer2014 Second Coming Troy Honeytrap Andre 2015 The Enchanted Rose Jude Short film Shelter Ash Short film Star Wars: The Force Awakens Lt. Bastian 2016 Roadkill Den (Younger) Short film2017 Burning Sands Frank Father of Man Alex Jacobs Short film Unlocked Amjad 2019 The Souvenir Phil 2020 Certified Black Genius Kaye Short film2021 The Souvenir Part II Phil Pirates Clips Ear for Eye US Young Adult2022 Homeless Talent Chris Short film Till Medgar Evers 2023 House Party Damon 2024 Bob Marley: One Love Tyrone Downie 2026 The Sheep Detectives Caleb 2027 Tzain Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 2010 The Cut Noah Achebe Series regular 1st Credit 2010–2011 EastEnders: E20 Sol Levi Series regular2011–2012Hollyoaks Neil Cooper Series regular 2012 Hollyoaks Later Series regular 2013 Holby City Keith Potts Episode: "The Cost of Loving" 2014 The Secrets Anthony Episode: "The Return" 2015Lewis Djimon Adomakoh2 episodes Versailles Kobina Episode: "Mirror for Princes"2018Doctor Who Access All AreasHimselfGuest; 10 episodes2018–2021Doctor WhoRyan SinclairMain role; 22 episodes (Series 11–12)202261st StreetMoses JohnsonMain role; 8 episodes2024–present SupacellMichaelMain role; 6 episodes
Theatre Year Title Role Venue2009SixteenTyroneThe Gate / SPID TheatreBlainabeMichaelIntermission Youth TheatreWastedCasca2010Verona RoadRomeo2011Pandora's BoxTopeOval House TheatreMad About the BoyThe BoyWest Yorkshire Playhouse2013HMP MacbethMalcolmIntermission Youth Theatre2015StopKristonTrafalgar Theatre2016They Drink It in the CongoWilliam / Samo / Oliver / KevinAlmeida Theatre2018Ear for EyeYoung AdultRoyal Court Theatre2024ShiftersDreOff-West End, Bush TheatreWest End, Duke of York's Theatre
Video games Year Title Role 2027 Theo Martial
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