Bambadjan Bamba


Bambadjan Bamba is an Ivorian actor and filmmaker known for his roles in Black Panther and The Good Place.

Life and career

Bamba was born in the Ivory Coast and came to the United States at the age of 10 in 1992. He spent his adolescent years between the South Bronx and Richmond, Virginia. He studied at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in New York City and is the owner of Ivostar Pictures.
He has worked in prominent roles on numerous hit television shows like Grey's Anatomy, The Good Place, The Sopranos, and Bosch. His film credits include Black Panther, Suicide Squad, and the Oscar-winning film Beginners. In 2017 Bambadjan publicly disclosed that he was a recipient of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that is in danger of being terminated. Ever since Bambadjan has used his inspirational story to change the conversation around immigration. Bambadjan gives talks at college campuses, events, and media outlets around the country.
His writing was published in the Washington Post, NBC, CNN and he is a contributor in the New York Times bestseller American Like Me: Reflections on life between cultures by award-winning actress America Ferrera.
Bambadjan is also the recipient of the Courageous Advocate Award from the ACLU and the Courageous Luminary award from NILC..

Advocacy

In November 2017, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bamba came out as a DACA recipient. He has since used his platform to advocate for undocumented immigrants. He began to work with Define American, a nonprofit media and culture organization which provides a venue for undocumented people to tell their own story.

Filmography