# Tongayi Chirisa

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**Tongayi Arnold Chirisa** is a [Zimbabwean](/source/Zimbabwe) actor and singer known for playing [Man Friday](/source/Man_Friday) on [NBC](/source/NBC)'s *[Crusoe](/source/Crusoe_(TV_series))* television series, Father Nicholas on *[The Jim Gaffigan Show](/source/The_Jim_Gaffigan_Show)*, Hekule on [Leon Schuster](/source/Leon_Schuster)'s *[Mr. Bones 2: Back from the Past](/source/Mr._Bones_2:_Back_from_the_Past)*, and [Cheetor](/source/Cheetor) in *[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts](/source/Transformers:_Rise_of_the_Beasts)*.

## Education

Chirisa attended [Lomagundi College](/source/Lomagundi_College).[1] He also studied for a Bachelor of Arts in Live Performance at [AFDA, The School for the Creative Economy](/source/AFDA,_The_School_for_the_Creative_Economy).[2]

## Acting career

He played the part of "Detective Trevor Davies" in the popular Zimbabwean television series *Studio 263*. He also appeared in numerous feature films, the most well known being *[Tanyaradzwa](/source/Tanyaradzwa)* in 2004, for which he won the Best Actor for Film and Television Award.[3][better source needed] He has also featured in music videos and is a singer. He also starred in a serial radio drama Mopani Junction that was taken off air at the height of political turmoil in Zimbabwe.[citation needed] He has been nominated and won many NAMA Awards over the last five years. He recently played the lead in the comedy feature film *[Mr Bones 2: Back from the Past](/source/Mr_Bones_2:_Back_from_the_Past)*. He made a dramatic appearance in the mini-series *Rough* directed by British director, [Andy Wilson](/source/Andy_Wilson_(director)), appeared in an international feature film *Skin*, directed by Anthony Fabian and co-starring Sam Neill, and played a lead in a local drama series *Redemption* for [SABC 1](/source/SABC_1). He played [Man Friday](/source/Man_Friday) on the [NBC](/source/NBC) international television series *[Crusoe](/source/Crusoe_(TV_series))*, based on the classic story *[Robinson Crusoe](/source/Robinson_Crusoe)*.[4] He also appeared in *[Sleepy Hollow](/source/Sleepy_Hollow_(TV_series))* based on [The Legend of Sleepy Hollow](/source/The_Legend_of_Sleepy_Hollow) by [Washington Irving](/source/Washington_Irving). He played Father Nicholas on *[The Jim Gaffigan Show](/source/The_Jim_Gaffigan_Show)* (2017).[5] He played the Maximal Cheetor in the film *[Transformers: Rise of the Beasts](/source/Transformers:_Rise_of_the_Beasts).* (2023) [6]

## Filmography

### Film

Year Title Role Notes 2005 Tanyaradzwa 2008 Ace of Hearts Tebsane Masa Short 2008 Zimbabwe Charles 2008 Skin Township Priest 2008 Mr. Bones 2: Back from the Past Hekule 2009 Gargoyle Themba Short 2011 Geezas Sammy the Mouth 2013 Stand By Dee Short 2014 Whipping Boy Olly 'Napalm' Harris Short 2016 Happiness Is a Four-letter Word Thomas 2017 The Zim William Zimunya Short 2020 Palm Springs Jerry Schlieffen 2020 Antebellum Eli Stokes/Professor 2022 Next Exit Father Jack 2023 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Cheetor (voice)

### Television

Year Title Role Notes 2002-2004 Studio 263 Detective Trevor Davis Soap Opera 2008–2009 Crusoe Friday Main role 2009 Diamonds Oba Sewele TV film 2010 Mrs Mandela Arguing husband TV film 2010 Barack Obama's Cousin Barack Obama's Cousin TV miniseries 2011 NCIS: Los Angeles Interrogator Episode: "Betrayal" 2012 American Horror Story: Asylum Miles Episode: "Dark Cousin" 2012 H+: The Digital Series African Soldier 2 episodes 2013 Sleepy Hollow Arthur Bernard Episode: "The Sin Eater" 2013 Gaffigan Father Nicholas Ngungumbane TV film 2015 Whitney Gary Houston TV film 2015–16 The Jim Gaffigan Show Father Nicholas Main role 2016 Mars Project Neil Cormack TV film 2017–2019 iZombie Justin Bell Recurring role (season 3), guest (seasons 4–5) 2018 Hawaii Five-0 Don Episode: "Kopi Wale No I Ka I'a A 'Eu No Ka Ilo" 2018 The Guest Book Kwame Episode: "2.5" 2020 The Good Doctor Kerryś Husband Guest (season 3 episode 11) 2021 Another Life Richard Ncube Recurring role (season 2) 2022 Women of the Movement Medgar Evers 4 episodes 2023–present Mayfair Witches Ciprien Grieve Main role

### Video games

Year Title Role Notes 2025 Assassin's Creed Shadows Yasuke (voice) [7]

## References

1. ["Chirisa traces journey to Hollywood"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180523194318/http://www.zimnewsblog.com/news/chirisa-traces-journey-to-hollywood/). Zim News Blog. 2015-08-02. Archived from [the original](http://www.zimnewsblog.com/news/chirisa-traces-journey-to-hollywood/) on 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2017-10-28. I proceeded to ‘A’ Level (Lomagundi College)

1. Quinn, Nicola (July 6, 2015). ["Chirisa gains Hollywood fame"](https://www.newsday.co.zw/2015/07/chirisa-gains-hollywood-fame/). *[NewsDay](/source/NewsDay_(Zimbabwean_newspaper))*. Retrieved February 18, 2018.

1. ["Tanyaradzwa"](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0920869/). – via www.imdb.com.

1. ["Crusoe"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080805080428/http://www.nbc.com/Crusoe/). *www.nbc.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.nbc.com/Crusoe/) on 2008-08-05.

1. ["Father Nicholas Ngugumbane/Tongayi Charisa"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150430054244/http://www.tvland.com/shows/the-jim-gaffigan-show/bios/tongayi-chirisa). *TVLand*. Archived from [the original](http://www.tvland.com/shows/the-jim-gaffigan-show/bios/tongayi-chirisa) on 2015-04-30. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

1. ["Transformers on Instagram: "Maximals, Maximize 👊 Welcoming the voice of Cheetor, @tongayichirisa, to the pack. #Transformers #RiseOfTheBeasts""](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cqs63PDJMOT/). *Instagram*. Retrieved 2023-04-06.

1. [ZiFM Stereo](/source/ZiFM_Stereo) (May 16, 2024). "American based Zimbabwean actor Tongayi Chirisa will feature in the upcoming Assassin's Creed:Shadows game where he voices the character Yasuke". No. 1791036763848192225. Retrieved June 15, 2024.

## External links

- [Tongai Arnold Chirisa](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2475161/) at IMDb

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tongayi Chirisa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongayi_Chirisa) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongayi_Chirisa?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.