David Jonsson (born 4 September 1993) is a British actor. He began his career on the West End, winning a Black British Theatre Award for his performance in the play and breathe… (2021).
๐ฌ Early Life and Education
Jonsson grew up in Custom House, an area of the East London Docklands. His father was an IT engineer at Heathrow Airport and his mother worked for the Metropolitan Police.
Jonsson is the youngest of four, with an older brother and two older sisters. He describes his background as Creole, with family from Sierra Leone and also some Nigerian, Caribbean, and Swedish ancestry.
After getting in trouble at and dismissed from school, Jonsson transferred to a school in Hammersmith. He told his mother he wanted to be an actor.
After completing his GCSEs, Jonsson spent two years in New York City. Upon returning to London at the age of 18, he joined the National Youth Theatre and won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 2016.
๐ญ Stage and Television Debut
Upon graduating from RADA, Jonsson was cast in his professional stage debut as William Davison in the play Mary Stuart at the Almeida Theatre. The production transferred to Duke of York’s Theatre in early 2017, marking Jonsson’s West End debut.
In 2018, Jonsson made his television debut in two episodes of the ITV detective drama Endeavour. He wrote, directed, and starred in a short film titled Gen Y.
Jonsson starred as Augustus “Gus” Sackey in the first two series of the BBC Two and HBO investment banking drama Industry from 2020 to 2022. To prepare for the role, he visited the character’s alma maters Eton College and University of Oxford.
๐ฅ Film Career and Awards
Jonsson made his feature film debut opposite Vivian Oparah in the romantic comedy Rye Lane, which opened at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. He also played the lead character Luke Fitzwilliam in the BBC’s 2023 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy.
In 2023, Jonsson was cast in Alien: Romulus as the synthetic Andy, which released in 2024, that led to him winning the 2025 BAFTA Rising Star Award. He is expected to return as Andy in the sequel.
Later in 2024 he was cast as Pete McVries in The Long Walk, which released in 2025 to positive reviews. Jonsson was also praised for his role in the film Wasteman (2025), where he was nominated for Best Lead Performance at the 2025 British Independent Film Awards.
In 2026, It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Jonsson will portray T’Challa II / Toussaint / Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther III, scheduled to be released on December 15, 2028.
| Year | Project | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020โ2022 | Industry | Augustus “Gus” Sackey | BBC Two and HBO series |
| 2023 | Rye Lane | Lead | Feature film debut |
| 2024 | Alien: Romulus | Andy | Won 2025 BAFTA Rising Star Award |
| 2028 | Black Panther III | T’Challa II / Black Panther | Marvel Cinematic Universe |