R.I.P. Benjamin Zephaniah: ‘Peaky Blinders’ Actor Dead At 65

By Liz Kocan @lizburrito
Published Dec. 7, 2023, 9:38 a.m. ET

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Benjamin Zephaniah, the writer, actor, and activist known for playing Jeremiah “Jimmy” Jesus on Peaky Blinders, died today (Dec. 7) of a brain tumor. According to a statement on his official Instagram account, we was diagnosed just eight weeks ago. He was 65 years old.

Zephaniah was born and raised in Birmingham, England, but moved to London at the age of 22. He found some early success as a poet, publishing a book of dub poetry, a style of writing derived from Jamaican dub music, in 1980. He would go on to write more than a dozen poetry books, as well as novels, plays, and a successful children’s book called Talking Turkeys.

Much of his work reflected his passion for activism: Zephaniah fought for racial equality, animal rights, and supported the abolition of the monarchy in England, among other causes, and his passions were reflected in his work throughout his career. On his personal website, Zephaniah referred to himself as a “poet, writer, lyricist, musician and naughty boy.”

Zephaniah began acting in the late 1980s and appeared on shows like EastEnders, The Bill, and Zen Motoring. His breakout role was as the memorable Jeremiah Jesus on Peaky Blinders. He appeared in 14 episodes over the course of 6 seasons on the Netflix series.

He was remembered by his Peaky Blinders co-star Cillian Murphy, who said in a statement, “Benjamin was a truly gifted and beautiful human being. A generational poet, writer, musician and activist. A proud Brummie and a Peaky Blinder. I’m so saddened by this news.”

Zephaniah, a football lover, was also remembered by his favorite club, Aston Villa, who posted a lovely tribute to their fan.

You can read the complete statement announcing his passing below: