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Malachi Kirby

Malachi Kirby

Actor · Born September 20, 1989 (37) · Wandsworth, London, England, UK

BAFTA Award winner

Malachi Kirby (born September 20, 1989) is a British actor and writer. He gained prominence through his roles in the 2016 Roots remake and the Black Mirror episode "Men Against Fire". He won a BAFTA for his performance in Small Axe: Mangrove (2020).

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 20, 1989 (37)
From
Wandsworth, London, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 26 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 156 days to Oct 27Up 11% in 30 days

What are Malachi Kirby's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
22%
Survival
19%
Power
17%
Bonds
17%
Self
15%
Society
8%
Ideas
2%
Survival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 6

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

Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 4

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 2 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.

Hero
2 of 3
Ally
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Dread
4
Melancholic
5
Warm
3
Thrilling
2
Other
7

How their films linger

Thought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • 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 Malachi Kirby's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Malachi Kirby'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

26 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Project Hail Mary(2026)

    as DuBois

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • A Thousand Blows(2024)

    Show 12 episodes · as Hezekiah Moscow

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • National Theatre Live: People, Places and Things (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Mark

  • Wicked Little Letters(2023)

    as Bill

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • My Name Is Leon(2022)

    as Tufty Burrows

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Boiling Point(2021)

    as Tony

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Small Axe(2020)

    Show 1 episode · as Darcus Howe

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Devils(2020)

    Show 18 episodes · as Oliver Harris

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Curfew (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 8 episodes · as Michael Garwick

  • The Machine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Aaron

  • Fallen(2016)

    as Roland Sparks

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Roots(2016)

    Show 4 episodes · as Kunta Kinte

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Dough(2015)

    as Shaun

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Kilo Two Bravo(2014)

    as Snoop

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Gone Too Far! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Yemi

  • The Last Showing(2014)

    as Clive

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Lawless (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Tyler Repton

  • Way to Go (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · as Nkanta

  • Jonah (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Juma

  • BBC Comedy Feeds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as DJ Dee Danger

  • Offender(2012)

    as Harry

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • My Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Danny McLean

  • Black Mirror(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Stripe

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Exhale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Chris

  • Doctor Who(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Gastron

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Anansi Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 4 episodes · as Charlie Nancy / Spider

Career shape

Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 26 titles, 25 of them dated from 2005 to 2026; peak year 2015.

Biggest box office

Wicked Little Letters (2023)

$27M worldwide

Highest rated

Boiling Point (2021)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

A Thousand Blows (2024)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
20052026

Peak 2015 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. 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
Acting26 of 26: 26 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score76th

By decade

2000s2 · acting2010s15 · acting2020s8 · acting

Billing

usually 6th · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

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. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

Awards

Won a BAFTA Award in 2021, Supporting Actor.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Malachi Kirby's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 9; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Fallen (2016)

69th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Project Hail Mary (2026)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 75/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 85, detractors 48. 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.

Is Malachi Kirby's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles23–92 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles10–47 · median 28 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles82–94 · median 88 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles22–59 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles29–90 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Malachi Kirby work with?

People who share at least 2 of Malachi Kirby's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Stephen Graham shares the most, 2.

Actors

Editors

Producers