Samba Schutte | |
|---|---|
 Samba Schutte in 2018 | |
| Born | February 1, 1983 |
| Nationality | Dutch-Mauritanian |
| Alma mater | Utrecht School of the Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, writer |
Samba Dirk-Jan Schutte (born 1 February 1983) is a Dutch-Mauritanian actor, comedian, and writer.
Schutte was born in Mauritania in 1983, the son of a Muslim mother and Christian Dutch national. At the age of two, he moved to Ethiopia, as his father worked for a non-governmental organization. Schutte attended Sandford International School in Addis Ababa. When he was 12, his father purchased the video game Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair , and it was at this moment that Schutte decided to become an actor. [1] In 2001, he moved to the Netherlands to study theater at the Utrecht School of the Arts. [2] He visited Ethiopia for the last time in 2002. [1] Schutte began performing at comedy clubs and joined the Comedy Explosion, a comedy collective, in 2004. [2] In 2006, Schutte won the Jury and Audience Award at the Leids Cabaret Festival. He toured the country doing comedy shows for several years. [3] Schutte was a writer and presenter for the Dutch version of The Daily Show known as De nieuwste show. [4]
Schutte moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to pursue comedy and acting, receiving the visa for Aliens of Extraordinary Abilities. [2] Several months after arriving in the United States, he won a competition at The Comedy Store and became a regular performer. Schutte met his wife in Los Angeles, as she was the producer for a film he was auditioning for. [1] Schutte has performed in several films, TV series, and video games, and has voice-over work for audiobooks. Schutte had a role in the 2016 film The Tiger Hunter . [3] In 2019, Schutte was cast as Hakim in the TV series Sunnyside . His character is an Ethiopian heart surgeon who works as a taxi driver in New York until he gets a better opportunity. It was the first time an Ethiopian character was portrayed on an American sitcom. [1] Schutte related to the role, as he was also an immigrant gaining a foothold in a new country. [5]
Schutte speaks four languages: English, French, Dutch and Amharic. [1] He suffers from the pigmentation disease vitiligo, but has managed to keep it under control after fearing it would be the end of his comedy career. [2]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | De multi culti story | Mohammed | |
| 2011 | The Wedding Night | Hussain | |
| 2012 | I Think My Facebook Friend Is Dead | Rishi Rao | |
| Middle of Nowhere | JuJu Club Dancer (uncredited) | ||
| Daylight Savings | Party Guest | ||
| Genesis: Cain & Abel | Cain | ||
| Noobz | Sports Bar Fan | ||
| Chronicles of the Dead | |||
| Comrades | Neil Armstrong Singh | ||
| 2013 | The Truth About Emanuel | Man on Train (uncredited) | |
| Haleema | Janjaweed Green Scarf | ||
| Jaded the Series | Martin | ||
| 2015 | Separated | Samba | |
| 2016 | Buddy Solitaire | Arash | |
| The Tiger Hunter | Kareem | ||
| 2017 | Je Maintiendrai | Samba | |
| 2020 | She's in Portland | Steve | |
| 2023 | Advanced Chemistry | Allen | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Grind | Samba | |
| Fatal Encounters | Rais Bhuiyan | ||
| 2013 | Buni TV Comedy Series | Dr. Mukakaka / Samba / Jazel Shah | |
| 2015 | Uitzonderlijk Vervoer | Samba | |
| Borderline | Brian | ||
| 2018 | Stellar Hosts | Doug | |
| 2019 | Sunnyside | Hakim | |
| 2021 | 9-1-1 | Saleh | |
| 2022–2023 | Our Flag Means Death | Roach | |
| 2024 | Jurassic World: Chaos Theory | Ousmane Mballo | |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Our Flag Means Death | Nominated | [6] |