Adam Ali (actor)
British actor and filmmaker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adam Ali (born 1999) is a British actor and filmmaker. Ali began their career in the Apple TV+ anthology Little America (2020) and the feature film Europa (2021). Their short film Baba (2021) won two Iris Prizes. On television, Ali has since appeared in the BBC series Waterloo Road (2023–2024) and What It Feels Like for a Girl (2025).
Adam Ali | |
|---|---|
Ali at the 2026 British Academy Television Awards | |
| Born | 1999 (age 26–27) |
| Years active | 2019–present |
Early life
Ali was born in Libya and fled the civil war as a young child.[1] After stints in Canada, Italy and Bristol, the family settled in Manchester.[2] Ali took classes at the Television Workshop in Salford.[1]
Career
Ali made their television debut in an installment of the Apple TV+ drama anthology Little America.[3] For their performance, Ali was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. This was followed by Ali's debut feature film role starring as Kamal in the 2021 thriller Europa directed by Haider Rashid.[4] Ali also made their directorial debut with the short film Baba.[5] Baba won the top Iris Prize as well as the prize in the British category.[6]
In 2023, Ali joined the cast of the BBC One school drama Waterloo Road for its eleventh series revival as Kai Sharif.[7] Ali also appeared in an episode of the Amazon Prime series The Power[8] and the Switchboard short film The Call.[9] In 2025, Ali played Dirty Damian in the BBC Three adaptation of What It Feels Like for a Girl by Paris Lees.[10]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Blind | Daniel | Short film |
| 2021 | Expiation | Junayd | Short film |
| 2021 | Europa | Kamal | |
| 2021 | Baba | Britannia | Short film; directed, wrote |
| 2023 | The Call | Amir | Short film |
| 2025 | Truckload | George | Short film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Little America | Zain | Anthology: "The Son" |
| 2023–2024 | Waterloo Road | Kai Sharif | 21 episodes (series 11–) |
| 2023 | The Power | Mahmud | Episode: "The Day of the Girls" |
| 2024 | Ludwig | Tour Guide | 1 episode |
| 2025 | What It Feels Like for a Girl | Dirty Damian | 7 episodes |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series | Little America | Nominated | [11] |
| Iris Prize | Baba | Won | [6] | ||
| Best British Short | Won | ||||
| Red Sea International Film Festival | Best Actor | Europa | Won | [12] | |
| 2022 | Flickerfest | Best Rainbow Short | Baba | Won | [13] |
| Critics Awards for Arab Films | Best Actor | Europa | Nominated | [14] | |