Adam Steven Deacon (born 4 March 1983) is an English actor. He is known for his lead role in the films Kidulthood, sequel Adulthood and for his directorial debut, Anuvahood.[1]
Career
Deacon was brought up by his English mother in Stoke Newington, Hackney. His father is Moroccan.[2][3] His father walked out on the family when Deacon was two years old, and to this date the pair have never had any contact.[2]
Although his acting career began with guest appearances in Bill's New Frock, Shooters, Ali G Indahouse and The Bill, he also starred in the ITV drama Wall of Silence in 2004.[4] Deacon's breakthrough came when he landed a starring role in the urban drama film Kidulthood. He then worked with the film's writer and director Noel Clarke on a number of other projects until 2011, including the sequel Adulthood, 4.3.2.1. and the one-off television pilot West 10 LDN.[1]
Deacon co-wrote, co-directed and played the lead role in urban comedy Anuvahood. Following this, Time Out magazine labeled Deacon "The New Face of Youth Cinema".[5] In February 2012, he won the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
In July 2015, he was found guilty of harassment without violence at West London Magistrates' Court, having had a highly publicised feud with Noel Clarke with accusations of Clarke bullying him and sabotaging Deacon's career, which Clarke stated was not true. On 20 July, Deacon was found guilty.[8] The court, which heard that Deacon had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been self-medicating using Cannabis, banned Deacon from contacting Clarke again.[9]
On 7 April 2016, he was arrested after police were called to reports of a man reportedly armed with a machete style knife and threatening members of the public in London.[10] He was unable to attend a hearing in March due to being "in hospital for treatment for underlying mental health issues". On 7 April, a jury delivered two not-guilty verdicts for affray and possessing an offensive weapon accepting Deacon was mentally ill and not criminally responsible for his actions.[11]