Isaach de Bankole

Isaach or Isaac de Bankolé (born 12 August 1957) is an Ivorian actor. Early life and education He was born in Abidjan to Yoruba parents from Benin. His grandparents are from Nigeria. He studied Acting at Cours Simon and earned an M.A. from the University of Paris. Career He has appeared in over fifty films, including Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Coffee and Cigarettes and The Limits of Control. He has been based in the United States since 1997. He appeared in the movie Machetero, in the role of journalist interviewing an imprisoned Puerto Rican revolutionary, along with the members of the New York City-based punk band Ricanstruction. He has also appeared in Lars von Trier's Manderlay. He recently portrayed Steven Obanno, a terrorist, in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale and also "The Lone Man", an assassin in Jim Jarmusch's film, The Limits of Control (2009). In 2013, he starred as Ayodele Balogun in Andrew Dosunmu's Mother of George, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was the closing night selection for Maryland Film Festival 2013. Personal life Isaach is fluent in Yorùbá, Bambara, English, French, German and speaks some Italian. He is married to Cassandra Wilson.