Samba Dirk-Jan Schutte is a Mauritanian-Dutch actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for his role as Roach in the series Our Flag Means Death and for portraying Hakim in Sunnyside, the first Ethiopian character in an American sitcom. He also stars in the 2025 American sci-fi series Pluribus.
Early life and education Samba Dirk-Jan Schutte The Apple TV cast page lists him as "Samba Dirk-Jan Schutte". was born in Nouakchott, Mauritania, to a Mauritanian Muslim mother and a Dutch Christian father. At the age of two, he relocated to Ethiopia when his father began working for a non-governmental organization.
He was educated at the Sandford International School in Addis Ababa. His interest in acting was sparked at age 12 after playing the video game Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair. In 2001, he moved to the Netherlands to study theatre at the Utrecht School of the Arts.
Career
Early career in the Netherlands Schutte began performing stand-up comedy in Dutch clubs in 2004, later joining the comedy collective Comedy Explosion. In 2006, he won both the Jury and Audience Awards at the Leids Cabaret Festival, leading to several years of national touring. He also worked as a writer and presenter for the Dutch adaptation of The Daily Show, titled .
United States In 2011, Schutte moved to Los Angeles on an O-1 visa for "Aliens of Extraordinary Ability." Shortly after arriving, he won a competition at The Comedy Store and became a regular performer there. He broke into American film with a role in the 2016 comedy The Tiger Hunter.
His breakthrough television role came in 2019 when he was cast as Hakim, an Ethiopian heart surgeon driving a taxi in New York City, in the NBC sitcom Sunnyside. Schutte connected deeply with the role, drawing on his own immigrant experience. Schutte gained wider recognition for his role as the ship's cook Roach in the acclaimed HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death (2022–2023).
He has established a prolific voice-acting career, with roles in animated series such as The Legend of Vox Machina, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, and Monster High. He also performed voice work for the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (2024).
In 2025, he appeared as Koumba Diabaté in the Apple TV science fiction series Pluribus.
Personal life Schutte is multilingual, fluent in English, French, Dutch, and Amharic. He has vitiligo, a skin pigmentation condition, which he has spoken about managing after initial fears it would impact his career. He met his wife, a film producer, in Los Angeles.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2007 Hakili Jambar Samba 2009 De multi culti story Mohammed 2011 The Wedding Night Hussain 2012 I Think My Facebook Friend Is Dead Rishi Rao Middle of Nowhere JuJu Club Dancer Uncredited Daylight Savings Party Guest Genesis: Cain & Abel Cain Noobz Sports Bar Fan Comrades Neil Armstrong Singh 2013 The Truth About Emanuel Man on Train Uncredited Haleema Janjaweed Green Scarf Jaded the Series Martin 2015 Separated Samba 2016 Buddy Solitaire Arash The Tiger Hunter Kareem 2017 Je Maintiendrai Samba 2020 She's in Portland Steve 2023 Advanced Chemistry Allen
Television Year Title Role Notes 2012 The Grind Samba Fatal Encounters Rais Bhuiyan Chronicles of the Dead 2013 Buni TV Comedy Series Dr. Mukakaka / Samba / Jazel Shah 2015 Uitzonderlijk Vervoer Samba Borderline Brian 2018 Stellar Hosts Doug 2019 Sunnyside Hakim 8 episodes 2021 9-1-1 Saleh Episode: "What's Your Fantasy?" 2022 Santiago of the Seas Balthazar (voice) 2 episodes 2022–2023 Our Flag Means Death Roach 16 episodes 2024 The Legend of Vox Machina Various voices 2 episodes Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Ousmane Mballo (voice) 4 episodes Monster High Hemming (voice) 3 episodes 2025 Pluribus Koumba Diabaté Main role
Video games Year Title Voice role Notes 2024 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Yannik
Accolades Year Award Category Nominated Work Result 2022 Peabody Awards Entertainment Our Flag Means Death 2026 Saturn Awards Best Guest Star in a Television Series Pluribus
References
External links
Official website