Abraham Attah

Plucked from obscurity for a leading role in Netflix's first original feature film, "Beasts of No Nation" (2015), Ghanaian actor Abraham Attah stole the show from his more established co-stars with one of the most impressive screen debuts of the decade. Born and raised in the Ghanaian capital of Accra, Attah was spotted by casting director Harrison Nesbit as he played a game of soccer while skipping school. Initially reluctant to audition for the part of child soldier Agu in Cary Fukunaga's big screen adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala's 2005 novel, Attah was eventually persuaded by his friends to try his luck, and despite his complete lack of acting experience, impressed the casting team enough to land the role ahead of 1000 other youngsters. Playing opposite Idris Elba, Attah's performance as an orphaned teenager forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters during an unnamed African country's civil war received considerable critical acclaim and also saw him pick up the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the 72nd Venice Film Festival. Later that same year, Attah starred as Mebro, one of two siblings who attempt to find closure after their West African community is destroyed by the Ebola virus, in the short film "Out of the Village" (2015).