Hammed Animashaun (born 6 May 1991) is a British actor and writer. He is best known for his roles as Kay in the BBC One comedy Black Ops (2023–present), Loial in Prime Video's fantasy series The Wheel of Time (2021–2025), and as one of the main cast members in the Sky One sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live UK (2026–present). For Black Ops, he won Best Male Comedy Performance at the 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards.
Early life Animashaun was born to Nigerian parents of Yoruba origin in Whitechapel, London. His father was a bus driver and his mother a voluntary worker. Hammed Animashaun is 1m 91 cm (6 ft 3 in). He had a growth spurt in college and one summer grew five inches. His younger brother is 2m 6 cm (6 ft 9 in). He was encouraged by his school drama teacher to join the Half Moon Children's Theatre in London's Limehouse. He studied philosophy with drama at university but dropped out when offered theatre roles.
Career Stage He received second prize in the 2021 Ian Charleson Awards which recognise actors under the age of 30 in classical roles, for his role as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Bridge Theatre. He also won Best Supporting Actor at the WhatsOnStage Awards for the same production. Other stage roles have included "Master Harold"...and the Boys, Athol Fugard's drama set in apartheid South Africa, one of the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella at the Lyric Hammersmith, The Producers at the Manchester Royal Exchange, the original production of the Barber Shop Chronicles, Rufus Norris's staging of The Threepenny Opera at the National and Michael Longhurst's revival of Amadeus.
During 2024, Animashaun played a Gangster in a revival of Kiss Me, Kate, directed by Bartlett Sher at the Barbican Theatre, performing "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" alongside fellow Gangster Nigel Lindsay. Their performances were hailed as "hilarious Runyonesque theatre-enthusiast gangsters".Kiss Me Kate review in the Daily Telegraph, Marianka Swain, 18 July 2024, Accessed 30 July 2024
Animashaun was nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance in the 2025 revival of Dealer's Choice at the Donmar Warehouse.
Television Animashaun appeared as Loial in the Amazon Prime Video series The Wheel of Time beginning in 2021. He stars in the 2023 BBC One comedy television series Black Ops, alongside Gbemisola Ikumelo and Akemnji Ndifornyen, playing an undercover policeman woefully out of his depth. His character, Kay, has been described as a "glass-half-full, God-fearing gentle giant and the opposite of street-smart." He described the role on the show as a "dream come true" and that he kept expecting to be replaced for a bigger named actor in the role. He has been praised for his chemistry with Ikumelo.
He won Best Male Comedy Performance at the 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards. In March 2024, Animashaun was nominated in the Male performance in a comedy programme category at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards.
In February 2026, Animashaun was announced as part of the Saturday Night Live UK cast. That year, he appeared in Channel 4 comedy series Break Clause.
Writing In 2023, he was awarded one of two scripted creators in residence for BBC Studios TalentWorks to work with producers on scripted comedy and drama.
Filmography YearTitleRoleNotes 2011 Affected Affected Youth 3 Short film God View Jalal Short film Drift Short film 2012 Twenty8k Wayne Feature film Borrowed Time Leon Feature film 2013 The Ellington Kid Beefy Short film 2016 Flowers Ryan 3 episodes National Theatre Live: The Threepenny Opera Jimmy 'Retail' Filmed stage production 2017 National Theatre Live: Amadeus Venticello Filmed stage production Comedy Blaps Prince Episode: "Furious Andrew" Black Mirror Pizza Guy Episode: USS Callister The Festival Shane Feature film 2017–2018 Pls Like Johnny Jackson 5 episodes 2018 National Theatre at Home: Barber Shop Chronicles Wallace / Timothy / Mohammed / Tinashe Filmed stage production 2019 How to Build a Girl Ed Edwards Feature film National Theatre Live: A Midsummer Night's Dream Bottom Filmed stage production National Theatre Live: "Master Harold"...and the Boys Willie Filmed stage production Cunk & Other Humans on 2019 Chiwetel Bacca 6 episodes 2020 Surge Durab Feature film Breeders Binman #2 Episode: "No Sleep: Fireworks B Short film 2021–2025 The Wheel of Time Loial 17 episodes 2022 The Loneliest Boy in the World Elliot Feature film 2023–present Black Ops Kay Lead role 2024 Ludwig Ross Barclay 1 episode Time Bandits Mansa Musa 3 episodes Susan Daniel of Mile End Short film Kiss Me, Kate Gangster Filmed stage production Celebrity Mastermind Himself–contestant Winner, episode 5 2026 Saturday Night Live UK Various Main cast Death Valley Warren Medwin Series 2: Episode 1Break ClausePaul3 episodes The Baddies Troll (voice) Upcoming animated short story
Accolades Year Award Category Work Result 2026 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role Dealer's Choice
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