David Ajala

David Ajala is a British actor, born 21 May 1986 in Hackney, London, of Nigerian Yoruba heritage. He trained at Anna Scher Theatre as a teenager and graduated with a BA in Acting from the Court Theatre Training Company, awarded by Buckinghamshire New University. His career arc moves from the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre into film (Kidulthood, The Dark Knight, Starred Up, Brotherhood) and into major American television roles across three streaming-era flagship series: Supergirl (CW, 2018, 2019) as Manchester Black, Nightflyers (Syfy, 2018), Star Trek: Discovery (CBS/Paramount+, 2020, 2024) as Cleveland “Book” Booker, a main cast role across three seasons, and Law & Order (NBC, 2025, ) as Detective Theo Walker. He appeared on Off The Agenda in 2021, interviewed by Sir Charles Bowman in the inaugural season of the podcast, and later appeared on OTA Live x Google Cloud Season 1. The 2021 interview was filmed during the COVID pandemic and focuses on his creative practice, his views on representation and authenticity in the entertainment industry, and his own philosophy of resilience through rejection. This profile is the first analyst-rated Leadership Index profile produced under the methodology introduced in Version 4.0 of the AI Future-Proofing Strategy (April 2026). It is prepared as a draft for subject validation, not as a final assessment.