Merveille Lukeba is a Congo born, British actor, best known for his role as Thomas Tomone

Thomas Tomone

Thomas Tomone is a fictional character in the E4 television series Skins. Thomas stands as being one of the only characters on the show who is not British-born, having originated from Sangha, Republic of the Congo; with his first language being French. He is a migrant who has recently arrived in...

 in double BAFTA

British Academy of Film and Television Arts

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...

-winning E4

E4 (TV)

E4 is a channel on British digital television, launched as a pay-TV companion to Channel 4 on 18 January 2001. The "E" stands for entertainment, and the channel is mainly aimed at the lucrative 15–35 age group...

 teen drama

Teen drama

A teen drama is a dramatic television series with a major focus on teenage characters. The genre was relatively non-existent for the first 45 years of television; it came into prominence in the early 1990s...

 Skins

Skins (TV series)

Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...

.

Born in Kinshasa

Kinshasa

Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....

, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

, he was raised in Woolwich

Woolwich

Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...

, southeast London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

He can speak fluent French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 and Lingala.

Career

His on-screen debut came in 2006 as Sierra Leonian child soldier Moses in the FESPACO Grand Prize winning film Ezra

Ezra (film)

Ezra is a 2007 drama film directed by Newton I. Aduaka. It was shown at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and the 2007 Ouagadougou Panafrican Film and Television Festival where it won the Grand Prize.The story concerns a child soldier in Sierra Leone....

. His first television appearance came in 2007 as Tre Douglasas in ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 series The Bill

The Bill

The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...

.

He is played the role of Thomas

Thomas Tomone

Thomas Tomone is a fictional character in the E4 television series Skins. Thomas stands as being one of the only characters on the show who is not British-born, having originated from Sangha, Republic of the Congo; with his first language being French. He is a migrant who has recently arrived in...

, a Congolese immigrant to the United Kingdom, in series 3 and 4 of the UK teen drama Skins

Skins (TV series)

Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...

. He may also reprise his role later for the Skins movie, but has not yet been confirmed.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2006	Ezra Ezra (film) Ezra is a 2007 drama film directed by Newton I. Aduaka. It was shown at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and the 2007 Ouagadougou Panafrican Film and Television Festival where it won the Grand Prize.The story concerns a child soldier in Sierra Leone....	Moses	Film
2007	The Bill The Bill The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...	Tre Douglas	Season 23, Episode 57
2009-2010	Skins Skins (TV series) Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...	Thomas Tomone Thomas Tomone Thomas Tomone is a fictional character in the E4 television series Skins. Thomas stands as being one of the only characters on the show who is not British-born, having originated from Sangha, Republic of the Congo; with his first language being French. He is a migrant who has recently arrived in...	Main cast member, Series 3 & 4
2009	10 Minute Tales - Perfect Day	The Boy	Short-Film
2010	Bloody Foreigners	John Hackett	Season 1, Episode 1

Trivia

He has appeared in numerous commercials, notably for Ford Mondeo

Ford Mondeo

The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...

, Trident and UEFA

UEFA

The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

.

He appeared, in character, on the front cover of The New York Sun in February 2008.

Appeared in one of Sky1's '10 Minute Tales' short films in late 2009. 'Perfect Day', Alongside Fish Tank star Katie Jarvis

Katie Jarvis

Katie Jarvis is an English actress, known for her role as Mia in the film Fish Tank. She was spotted by a casting agent, following an argument with her boyfriend at Tilbury Town railway station.-Acting career:...

, directed by Jeremy Brock

Jeremy Brock

Jeremy Brock is an English actor, producer, writer, fisher and director whose works include the screenplays Mrs. Brown, Driving Lessons, Last King of Scotland, and Charlotte Gray....

.

He is good friends with West Ham United footballer, Junior Stanislas

Junior Stanislas

Felix Junior Stanislas , more commonly known as Junior Stanislas is an English footballer who plays for Burnley as a winger in the Championship. He was previously with West Ham United.-West Ham United:...

, as they attended the same secondary school as well as being in the same year.

He supports Manchester United.

External links