Three sons of a Ghanaian family in Los Angeles all became actors. The middle one, Kofi, became the best known.
Kofi Siriboe was born on 2 March 1994 in Los Angeles to Ghanaian parents, Koshie Mills and Kwame Siriboe. His older brother, Kwame Boateng, and younger brother, Kwesi Boakye, also act. Their mother, Koshie Mills, has been closely involved in their careers and has spoken publicly about raising three sons in the entertainment industry.
Child actor
Siriboe started young. He appeared in the family film The Longshots (2008), alongside Ice Cube and Keke Palmer, and worked in television and small film roles through his teenage years.
Queen Sugar
The role that changed his career was Ralph Angel Bordelon in Queen Sugar, the drama created by Ava DuVernay for the Oprah Winfrey Network. The show, which ran from 2016 to 2022, followed three siblings who inherit their father’s sugarcane farm in Louisiana.
It was also a statement about who gets to make television. DuVernay hired women to direct every episode of the series, many of them first-time television directors, and the show became known as a training ground for a new generation of women behind the camera. It was based on the novel by Natalie Baszile.
Ralph Angel was the brother with a criminal record, trying to rebuild his life and raise his young son, Blue. Siriboe played him across all seven seasons. The role was praised for its depiction of a Black father fighting to do right by his child, and it made Siriboe a star, especially with Black American audiences.
Girls Trip
In 2017, Siriboe appeared in Girls Trip, the hit comedy starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany Haddish. His role as Malik, the much younger man who catches the eye of Jada Pinkett Smith’s character, Lisa, gave him a spot in one of the most successful comedies of the year.
Beyond acting
Siriboe has also worked behind the camera on short films, and he has spoken often about spirituality, mental health and gratitude in interviews. He has been featured in fashion and lifestyle magazines, and his social media following grew fast during Queen Sugar‘s run.
The Ghanaian name
His first name is the Akan day name for a boy born on Friday, and his family’s Ghanaian roots have been a regular topic in interviews. Ghanaian audiences have followed his career as one of the Ghanaian-American actors building careers in Hollywood.
Three brothers, three screen careers, one Ghanaian family in Los Angeles. The middle son is the one whose name ended up on the Queen Sugar poster.
