The role of Bilal in the movie "The Message" was interpreted by Lamine Sekka born in Dakar

The role of Bilal in the movie "The Message" was interpreted by Lamine Sekka born in Dakar The role of the famous Bilal of the cult film The Message which traces the Life and Work of the Prophet of Islam Mouhamad Peace and Hi on Him, was interpreted by Johnny Sekka. A British actor born Lamine Sekka on July 21, 1934 in Dakar (Senegal). He died on September 14, 2006 in Agua Dulce, California (United States). Johnny Sekka is a British actor, born Lamine Sekka on July 21, 1934 in Dakar (Senegal), died September 14, 2006 in Agua Dulce (California).

Born to a Senegalese mother and a Gambian father, Johnny Sekka (stage name) moved to the UK in 1952 and in 1954 joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In this city, he plays notably in the theater in Errol John's Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (1958, with Earle Hyman) and William Saroyan's Talking to You (1962, with Nigel Hawthorne).

In the cinema, his first film is Flame in the Streets by Roy Ward Baker (1961, with John Mills and Sylvia Syms). Other British films include The Straw Woman (1964, with Sean Connery and Gina Lollobrigida) and Khartoum (1966, starring Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier), both directed by Basil Dearden. After having participated in a co-production between Germany and Nigeria (Things Fall Apart) and a Senegalese film (Reou-Takh), released respectively in 1971 and 1972, he joined the United States where he established himself permanently.

Thus, Johnny Sekka has contributed to several American films, including three directed by Sidney Poitier, the latest being La Folie au pouches (1982, with Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner). We can also mention Moustapha Akkad's The Message (English version, 1976, with Anthony Quinn and Irene Papas) and Richard Fleischer's Ashanti (1979, starring Michael Caine and Peter Ustinov). The last of his nineteen films is Richard Brooks' The Fever of the Game (1985, starring Ryan O'Neal and Catherine Hicks).

For television, he appears first in a few British series, such as Destination Danger ( an episode, 1965) and Bowler Hat and Leather Boots (one episode, 1968)

In the United States, he collaborates on three television movies, the first being The African Queen by Richard C. Sarafian (1977); in this remake of John Huston's 1951 film, Warren Oates and Mariette Hartley take on the roles initially played by Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. The third – his ultimate on-screen performance – is First Contact Vorlon, pilot of the Babylon 5 series (1993, starring Michael O'Hare and Tamlyn Tomita). Among his other American series are Jake Cutter, with two episodes aired in 1982.

Source: dakarbuzz