Born in Zimbabwe, Tongayi Chirisa was a major player in the Zimbabwean film scene before making his crossover into the South African and American film and television markets.

Tongayi’s first American series regular role was starring as Friday in NBC’s “Crusoe.” Alongside Philip Winchester and Sam Neill. He went on to land a series regular role in the critically acclaimed “The Jim Gaffigan Show” for TV Land. Additional credits include starring roles in: “American Horror Story,” “N.C.I.S.,” “Hawaii 5-0,” “The Guest List,” a recurring role on the CW’s “iZombie,” and was a series regular on the NETFLIX SCI-FI show, “Another life.” Opposite Katee Sackhoff. Tongayi portrayed the larger-than-life character, Medgar Evers, an NAACP activist who was assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1963, on the ABC mini-series, “Women of the Movement”. Tongayi stars opposite Alexandra Daddario on AMC’s, Anne Rice Immortal Universe, “Mayfair Witches”.

Tongayi has appeared opposite Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, Peter Gallagher, and J.K. Simmons in Hulu and Neon’s romantic comedy “Palm Springs.” The film debuted at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and sold for a record breaking $22 million rights deal. He was also in the highly anticipated Film “Antebellum,” opposite Janelle Monáe, in the Lionsgate thriller. Other projects include, Paramount’s Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, where Tongayi is the voice of the “Cheetor”. He voices the Lead protagonist, the African Samurai – Yasuke - in Ubisoft’s latest offering,  Assasin’s Creed Shadow.