Skip to content
MovieCove
Keenan Arrison

Keenan Arrison

Actor

Keenan Arrison is an acclaimed award-winning South African actor, producer, writer, and performer whose work bridges art-house independent cinema, high-concept television, and international studio productions. A graduate of AFDA, where he earned his degree cum laude, Arrison has built a career defined by emotional range, physical intensity, and an instinct for grounded, deeply human storytelling. Over the past two decades, he has become one of South Africa’s most dynamic screen talents, known for seamlessly moving between gritty independent films, premium television dramas, and global productions. He stars in The Heart Is a Muscle, directed by Imran Hamdulay, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and South Africa's selection to the 98th Academy Awards, marked a major breakthrough moment for contemporary South African cinema on the world stage. Arrison first drew critical attention in Shirley Adams, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Oliver Hermanus, before going on to appear in internationally recognized titles including Tomb Raider opposite Alicia Vikander, as well as the hit series Trackers, Dominion, The Crown, Kings of Jo’Burg, and Fatal Seduction. His screen collaborations include work alongside internationally celebrated actors such as Dominic West, Dolph Lundgren, and Alicia Vikander His performances have earned both award recognition and festival acclaim, including a nomination at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival for his short film Ongeriewe, which he co-wrote and starred in, as well as wins at the South African Film and Television Awards and Durban international Film Festival. Beyond acting, Arrison is also a storyteller and creative producer with a strong passion for character-driven cinema and culturally resonant narratives. Whether leading emotionally charged dramas or stepping into large-scale action and genre worlds, he brings a magnetic presence, vulnerability, and undeniable edge to every role. Rooted in South Africa and working increasingly across international markets, Keenan Arrison continues to establish himself as one of the most exciting contemporary voices emerging from African cinema.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Actor
Titles
11 on MovieCove · 30 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 23% in 30 days

What are Keenan Arrison's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
37%
Bonds
22%
Self
14%
Morality
14%
Society
9%
Power
4%
Survival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 3

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 1 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Dread
3
Thrilling
2
Melancholic
2
Cold
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Keenan Arrison's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Keenan Arrison's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

30 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page.

  • Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Paul Taylor

  • The Heart Is a Muscle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Ryan

  • The Fix(2024)

    as Solomon

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Mince Jou Hare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · as Diego Albetross

  • Snake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Frank

  • #lovemyselfie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Enrico

  • The Umbrella Men: Escape From Robben Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Mortimer

  • Fatal Seduction(2023)

    Show 9 episodes · as Charlie Chase

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all shows

  • Bergie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Producer

  • The Umbrella Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Mortimer

  • Atlantis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Nazeem

  • Atlantis(2021)

    as Nazeem

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Cabin Fever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Actor

  • Herb & Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as Nathan

  • Kings of Jo'burg(2020)

    Show 7 episodes · as Karim

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all shows

  • Siende Blind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 4 episodes · as Ricky

  • Trackers(2019)

    Show 4 episodes · as Ibrahim November

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • Tomb Raider(2018)

    as Mercenary

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Accident(2017)

    as Thomas

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • The Crown(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Egyptian Interpreter

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Two Degrees of Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Ra'ed Shad

  • Die Byl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as James

  • Saints & Strangers(2015)

    Show as Canacum

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • Dominion(2014)

    Show 3 episodes · as Brother Paul · as Paul

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Swartwater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 26 episodes · as Ashwin

  • A Lucky Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Ernie Adult

  • Skeem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Claude Jnr

  • The Wild(2011)

    Show 415 episodes · as Ashwin Fernandez

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Shirley Adams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Donovan Adams

  • Getroud Met Rugby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 8 episodes · as Cedric

Career shape

Star power in the 79th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 29 titles from 2009 to 2026; peak year 2017.

Biggest box office

Tomb Raider (2018)

$275M worldwide

Highest rated

Tomb Raider (2018)

Midcredits 51st

Film career

20092026

Peak 2017 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting28 of 29: 28 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score38thProducing1 of 29: 1 only producing, 0 with another role

By decade

2000s2 · acting2010s11 · acting2020s16 · 15 acting · 1 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Keenan Arrison's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 34th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 11 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Atlantis (2021)

87th percentile spread · 24% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Tomb Raider (2018)

Midcredits 51st · 50% liked

Reviewers score the acting 46/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 25. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Keenan Arrison work with?

People who share at least 2 of Keenan Arrison's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Tamer Burjaq shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Editors

Producers