Asante Duah Ma'at (born October 20, 2001), known professionally as Asante Blackk, is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the miniseries When They See Us (2019), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.[1][2][3]
Blackk began acting as an elementary school student at Judith P. Hoyer Montessori School. His first role was Mowgli in a performance of The Jungle Book. One of his first professional roles was in "How I Learned to Be a Kid" at the Howard Theatre in Washington, after which he got an agent. Blackk originally auditioned for the role of Korey Wise, one of the exonerated members of the Central Park Five, in the dramatized miniseries When They See Us but was instead cast as the 14-year-old Kevin Richardson in the series.[4] The role earned him an Primetime Emmy Award nomination, making him one of the youngest nominees in its history.[5] Blackk appeared as a series regular on This Is Us from 2019 until the show ended in May 2022, for which he was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award.[6]
Blackk made his film debut in Cory Finley's Landscape with Invisible Hand, which was released in August 2023; he later appeared in Story Ave, which was released in September 2023.[7][8]
He is the nephew of actress Samira Wiley.[9]
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Landscape with Invisible Hand | Adam Campbell | |
| Story Ave | Kadir Grayson |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | When They See Us | Kevin Richardson (Teen) | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Live in Front of a Studio Audience | Michael Evans | 2 episodes |
| 2019–2022 | This Is Us | Malik Hodges | Main role; 16 episodes |
| 2020 | Social Distance | Corey | Episode: "Pomp and Circumstance" |
| 2022–present | The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Brown (voice) | Episode: Recurring role |
| 2022 | Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter | Himself | Television special[10] |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series | When They See Us | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards for Television | Outstanding Supporting Actor, Limited Series | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | This Is Us | Nominated | |||
| Black Reel Television Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated |
