Badja Djola

American actor (1948–2005)
Thumbnail for Badja Djola

Badja Medu Djola was an American actor from Brooklyn, New York who worked primarily within black film. He is best known for Mississippi Burning, Penitentiary, A Rage in Harlem, and Who's the Man?.African-American character actor, often seen in tough or villainous roles. Was a former dancer.

Djola's breakout role was as Leon Isaac Kennedy’s cellmate, the villainous "Half Dead" Johnson, in the 1979 movie Penitentiary, which led to many more feature films, including a supporting role in Wes Craven’s 1988 movie The Serpent and the Rainbow. He starred alongside Danny Glover in the 1991 film A Rage in Harlem and Doctor Dré in Who's the Man? (1993). In addition to movies, Djola appeared in several television shows, including The X-Files, Nash Bridges, and NYPD Blue. He also starred in theatre performances, with shows including Once in a Wife Time (1981)," Edmond (1984), 227, Southern Rapture (1993), and Dancing on Moonlight (1995),

Date of Birth9th April 1948
Date of Death8th January 2005
Age at Death56 Years
Zodiac SignAries
CountryUnited States of America
Current CityBrooklyn
Birth PlaceBrooklyn
Death PlaceLos Angeles
NationalityUnited States of America
CitizenshipUnited States of America
AliasesRiz Ahmed
Occupationactor, television actor