What is Archie Madekwe's ethnicity? Gran Turismo actor's nationality and heritage explored

What is Archie Madekwe
What is Archie Madekwe's ethnicity? (Image via Instaram/ArchieMadekwe)

Archie Madekwe garnered attention with his portrayal of racing driver Jann Mardenborough in Gran Turismo, which hit screens on August 25, 2023 and emerged as a commercial success. The British actor comes from a multi-ethnic family and is proud of his heritage.

Madekwe made his TV debut in 2014 with a guest role in the medical drama Casualty and soon rose to fame with Apple TV+ original See. He has also appeared on shows like Les Misreables and Unprecedented.

Madekwe entered the film industry with the 2018 musical drama Teen Spirit, which was directed by Max Minghella. He went on to appear in Midsommer and Voyagers.

Archie Madekwe consolidated his standing in the industry with Gran Turismo and the black comedy drama Saltburn, which hit screens earlier this year. He also essayed a supporting role in Gal Gadot’s Heart of Stone.


Gran Turismo actor Archie Madekwe’s ethnicity explored

The actor was born to a Nigeran-Swiss father and a British mother in Lambeth, South London, on February 10, 1995. His parents divorced early in his childhood.

In an interview with Boys By Girls in 2020, Madekwe said that it made him ‘fiercely independent’ and encouraged him to pursue acting.

“Dealing with your parents splitting up and everything that surrounds that at a young age, you have to mature quite early and kind of take on the role of guardian before your years. So, I became more aware of my emotions earlier on. I'm very grateful for that.”

Madekwe added that he felt loved during his formative years even though he didn’t have a ‘conventional childhood’ because of the split.

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The actor has never shied away from flaunting his heritage. He's a strong advocate of the ‘Black Curriculum, which aims to spread awareness about British culture and history.

In an interview with fashion magazine Hunger earlier this year, he said that he wants to highlight the unheard stories of multi-ethnic people through his work.

“It’s one of the reasons I find playing real people so exciting and telling real stories about people we haven’t heard of, because the more we can see ourselves and the history of people around us, the more we feel like we belong. And I think that is really, really important”

He also revealed that he feels proud when a ‘mixed race person’ expresses excitement about his films.


Is Archie Madekwe related to Ashley Madekwe?

Archie Madekwe shares a good rapport with his cousin Ashley, who's best known for her work on Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Salem. In 2021, he told The Face that he entered drama school, as he wanted to follow in her footsteps.

Archie Madekwe also revealed that he was impressed with her performance in Roy Williams’ Little Sweet Thing. The cousins have occasionally appeared together at public functions but are yet to share screen space.


What role does Archie Madekwe play in Gran Turismo?

Madekwe added a new dimension to his career with his performance in Gran Turismo, which marked his first collaboration with filmmaker Neil Blomkamp.

The biographical sports drama featured him as Jann Mardenborough and traced his rise from a retail store employee to a professional racer.

The cast included David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Takehiro Hira and Darren Barnet among others. The film was produced by Doug Belgrad, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan and Dana Brunetti

Gran Turismo holds an approval rating of 65 percent on Rotten Tomatoes based on 225 reviews. The critics consensus reads:

"Gran Turismo's brisk action and feel-good underdog drama are undermined by its loose telling of the fact-based story, but this is still a generally solid racing movie."

The film has an IMDb rating of 7.2 based on 68,709 votes.


Gran Turismo is available to stream on Netflix. Viewers also have the option to purchase it from Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV+ if they don’t have access to the streaming service.

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Edited by Bhargav
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