Bukky Bakray

Biography

Bukky Bakray (born 2002) is a British actress and writer. She is known for her debut role in the film Rocks (2019). At 18, she became the youngest BAFTA Rising Star Award recipient as well as one of the youngest Best Actress in a Leading Role nominees. She appeared on the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Bakray was born around 2002 in Hackney, east London to Christian Nigerian parents. She grew up on an estate in Lower Clapton, near where Rocks was filmed. She has three brothers and a sister who lives in South Africa. She attended Clapton Girls' Academy and Cardinal Pole Catholic School. Bakray joined the RADA Youth Company and enrolled in the Originate Actor Training programme at Theatre Peckham. Bakray was discovered at school when she was 15 by director Sarah Gavron, who cast Bakray in the titular role of her film Rocks. In 2021, Bakray made her television debut as Bless in the BBC One series You Don't Know Me. She also wrote an essay for the collection Black Joy. This was followed in 2023 by roles as Kim in the Apple TV+ series Liaison and Dione in the Netflix horror film The Strays with Ashley Madekwe. Also in 2023, Bakray starred in Sleepova at the Bush Theatre. Bakray has a role in the film Self-Charm directed by Ella Greenwood.