‘My Experience Shaped Everything’—Jimmy Akingbola Talks Wrapping ‘Bel-Air,’ Foster Care, And Transforming The Industry
Hopping on a call from Los Angeles, Jimmy Akingbola was in the midst of filming the fourth season of Bel-Air. With this being the hit show’s final season, inevitably, it’s an emotional time. “It’s bittersweet that we ended the show, so I’m in my feelings a bit,” he laughed. “I feel very blessed and grateful.” In the modern-day retelling of the beloved sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the British actor plays Geoffrey Thompson, the Banks family’s mysterious, dapper house manager.
With a slew of stage and screen credits to his name, Akingbola is making his mark stateside—trading his hometown of London for Los Angeles, where he continues to bring a unique lens to every project, both as an actor and a producer. He spoke with iOne Digital about growing up in foster care, the power of representation, and what’s on the horizon as Bel-Air approaches its series finale.
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Living the Dream
Akingbola began his journey in theater, delivering standout performances in Prayer Room, The Cut, Othello, and more. His list of TV credits is even longer, with memorable roles in Rev., HolbyBlue, Arrow, and, of course, Bel-Air.
But growing up, Jimmy dreamed of becoming a footballer (soccer player, for Americans). Acting wasn’t part of the plan until a drama teacher in secondary school helped him discover his gift. “Mr. Tyres would take me out of maths and put me in his drama class,” he recalled. “He saw something in me. He was giving me Shakespeare at the age of 11.”
In college, Jimmy continued experimenting with performance, though he still didn’t see acting as a serious career path. Inspired by Eddie Murphy’s Raw and Delirious, “I did a monologue about meeting my brother Segun for the first time in Central London,” he recalled. Bringing that scene to life sparked something in him—acting had replaced his first love, “The football pitch became the stage. The crowd became the audience.”
Jimmy decided to change course. Determined and ever practical, he mapped out a plan. “I was like, I’m gonna go to drama school, get an agent, start in theater, and then I’m gonna move to America and do film and TV in Hollywood. I was 16. It was quite a naive thought, but I’m touching wood because I’m living that dream.”
At 18, he enrolled at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in South London. “It taught me about technique and stagecraft.” He found inspiration in Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, “as well as the De Niros and Pacinos”—screen legends who inhabited complex roles that resonated deeply. Their example affirmed he was on the right path.
Belonging, Identity, and Love
Akingbola’s foundation as both a performer and producer is grounded in his upbringing. “My experience has shaped everything. Being British-Nigerian and growing up with an amazing white foster family gave me a unique lens on belonging, identity, and love that doesn’t always follow the traditional lines. It’s why I gravitate towards complex and layered characters, people who have lived between worlds and carry hidden histories.”
Born in London to Nigerian parents and raised by a white foster family from the age of two—he’s had to navigate the complexities of adapting to both worlds from a young age. “I’ve had that lived experience of code-switching, of holding multiple truths, and I think that runs through everything I do,” he said.
