Ashley Anthony Walters (born 30 June 1982), also known by his stage name Asher D, is an English actor and rapper. He first rose to fame as a member of the UK garage group So Solid Crew who hit the top spot on the UK charts in 2001 with their second single, "21 Seconds".

On television, Walters is known for his roles in the BBC series Grange Hill (1997), Storm Damage (2000), Hustle (2007), Outcasts (2011), Truckers (2013) and Cuffs (2015), the Channel 4 crime drama Top Boy (2011–2023), the E4 series The Aliens (2016), the Sky One series Bulletproof (2018–2021), the Disney+ series A Thousand Blows (2025), and the Netflix series Missing You and Adolescence (both 2025). He also directed episodes of A Thousand Blows. Walters earned Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his performance in Adolescence. His films include Bullet Boy (2004), Get Rich or Die Tryin (2005) and Life and Lyrics (2006).

Early life and education

Ashley Anthony Walters was born on 30 June in Peckham, south-east London, to Jamaican and Guyanese parents. He was raised by his mother, Pamela Case, a local government officer. Walters has said his father's absence while he was growing up contributed to his criminal behaviour.

He attended St. George's CE Primary School, Camberwell, from the age of four, then at Pimlico School, now known as Pimlico Academy, He also studied performing arts at the Sylvia Young Theatre School.

Music career

Walters started his music career as a rapper known as Asher D, joining the Battersea-based UK garage group So Solid Crew in 2001. The group achieved a number one hit on the UK singles chart in 2001, with their second single, "21 Seconds". featuring the single "Andrea", and the track "Every Little Thing I Say".

Acting career

Walters appeared on television as Omar in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992) at age 10, He appeared in Saul Dibb's 2004 feature film Bullet Boy, He also appeared in 2005's Get Rich or Die Tryin.

Walters performed on stage in 2002 at the Royal National Theatre in Roy Williams' Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads and in 2008 at the Royal Court Theatre in Levi David Addai's Oxford Street. Another feature film, Tuesday (2008), sees him playing a jewel thief. He appeared in Bola Agbaje's play Off the Endz at the Royal Court Theatre during February and March 2010.

He made appearances in ITV's police drama The Bill and firefighting drama London's Burning. In October 2011, Walters starred in the Arjun Rose slasher Demons Never Die. In 2013, Walters reprised his role as main character Dushane in the second series of Top Boy.

From 2018 to 2022, Walters co-created and co-starred alongside Noel Clarke in the British police procedural television series, Bulletproof, where he played NCA Officer Ronnie Pike for 3 seasons. In 2024, Walters starred in an advertising campaign for PG Tips, directed by Steve McQueen.

In 2025, Production started on Animol, his feature length directorial debut. Later in 2025, he played Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe in the Netflix series Adolescence, For his performance, he was nominated for the 2025 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

Personal life

Walters has four children with his ex-partner. He lives with his wife, Danielle Walters, and their two children in Herne Bay, Kent. His wife is an actress featured in Chewing Gum, Top Boy, and EastEnders. Walters is a cousin of singer Olivia Dean.

On 31 March 2014, he was fined £600 after he admitted assaulting a security guard in Aberdeen in September 2013. In July 2014, he was fined £1,250 for possession of cannabis at Holyhead, Anglesey. In May 2016, Walters was fined £1,000 after admitting to using threatening words and behaviour towards staff at the Hilton Hotel, Islington.

Walters is an avid supporter of Arsenal F.C.

Political views

In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, Walters signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 general election. The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few."

Filmography

{| class="wikitable"

|+Key

| style="background:#FFFFCC;"|

|Denotes works that have not yet been released

|}

Film

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

|-

| 1999

| Take 2

| Bro

| rowspan="2" | 1st Short film

|-

| rowspan="3"| 2000

| The Elevator

| Young man

|-

| Some Voices

| Kitchen hand

|

|-

| Born Romantic

| Lee

|

|-

| 2004

| Bullet Boy

| Ricky

|

|-

| rowspan="3"| 2005

| House of 9

| Al B

| Credited as Asher D

|-

| Goal!

| Carl Francis

|

|-

| Get Rich or Die Tryin

| Antoine

|

|-

| rowspan="3"| 2006

| Stormbreaker

| Wolf

|

|-

| Cubs

| Karl

| Short film

|-

| Life and Lyrics

| Danny Lewis

|

|-

| rowspan="2"| 2007

| WΔZ

| Daniel Leone

|

|-

| Sugarhouse

| D

|

|-

| rowspan="2"| 2008

| Speed Racer

| Prince Kabala

|

|-

| Tuesday

| Billy

|

|-

| rowspan="4"| 2011

| Reparations for the Soul

| The Entity

|short film

|-

| Anuvahood

| Cracks

|

|-

| Sket

| Trey

|

|-

| Demons Never Die

| Bates

|

|-

| 2012

| St. George's Day

| Kootz

|

|-

| rowspan="3" | 2013

| Fedz

| Cherokee Blame

|

|-

| Grace and Danger

| Felling

|

|-

| All Stars

|Mark

|

|-

| 2014

|Montana

| Ryan

|

|-

| rowspan=2|2016

| Billionaire Ransom

| Danny Dorsey

|

|-

| Demain tout commence

|Lowell

|

|-

| 2027

| Remain

|

|

|}

Television

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

|-

| 1992

|The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones

|Omar

|Episode: "My First Adventure" 1st credit

|-

| 1997

| Grange Hill

| Andy Phillips

| 12 episodes

|-

| 1999

| The Murder of Stephen Lawrence

| Stuart Lawrence

|

|-

| rowspan="5" |2000

| The Coral Island

| Jack

|

|-

| Storm Damage

| Stefan

|

|-

| Urban Gothic

| Leo

| Episode: "Dead Meat"

|-

| The Bill

| Michael Dexter

| Episode: "Search Me"

|-

| Never Never

| Lee

| 2 episodes

|-

|rowspan="4"| 2001

| Shockers: Parent's Night

| Brian

|

|-

| The Whistle-Blower

| Keith Lindo

| 2 episodes

|-

| The Bill

| Jess Thomas

| Episode: "Lick of Paint"

|-

| Dark Realm

| Student

| Episode: "Castle Keep"

|-

| 2002

| The Hidden City

| Sid

| 21 episodes

|-

| 2003

| Holby City

| Roy Woodley

| Episode: "One of Our Own"

|-

| 2004

| Top Buzzer

| Bugsy

| Episode: "Germination"

|-

| 2005

| Last Rights

| Max

| 3 episodes

|-

| 2007

| Hustle

| Billy Bond

| 6 episodes

|-

| 2008

| West 10 LDN

| Lacey

|

|-

| 2009

| Small Island

| Michael

|

|-

| 2010

| Five Days

| Jamal Matthews

| 5 episodes

|-

| rowspan="2"| 2011

| Bedlam

| Mark

| Episode: "Committed"

|-

| Outcasts

| Jack Holt

| 8 episodes

|-

| 2011–2023

| Top Boy

| Dushane

| Main role, also executive producer (Season 4–5)

|-

| rowspan="3"| 2012

| Inside Men

| Chris

| 4 episodes

|-

| True Love

| Paul

| Episode: "Story Four"

|-

| Sinbad

| Abdul-Fahim

| Episode: "House of Games"

|-

|2013

| Doctor Who

| Gregor Van Baalen

| Episode: "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS"

|-

|2013

| Truckers

| Steven Warley

| 5 episodes

|-

| rowspan="3" | 2014

| The Musketeers

| Charon

| Episode: "The Homecoming"

|-

| The Secrets

| Ray

| Episode: "The Return"

|-

| Silent Witness

| DI Dale Carter

| Episodes: "Fraternity" Parts 1 & 2

|-

|2015

| Cuffs

| PC Ryan Draper

| 8 episodes

|-

|2016

|The Aliens

| Christophe

| 6 episodes

|-

| rowspan="2"|2017

|Safe House

| John Channing

| 4 episodes

|-

| In The Dark

| DI Tim Cornish

| Episodes: "Time of Death", parts 1 & 2

|-

|2018–2021

| Bulletproof

| NCA Officer Ronnie Pike

|Main Role – 17 episodes <br /> Also co-creator

|-

| rowspan="3" | 2025

|A Thousand Blows

|Switch (Hezekiah Moscow's Father)

|Episode 2&6: Flashbacks

Also Directed several episodes 4,5,6

|-

|Missing You

|Josh Buchanan

|6 episodes

|-

|Adolescence

| DI Luke Bascombe

| 2 episodes

|-

|TBA

|First Woman

|Ben Reith

|Upcoming six-part drama

|}

Web

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

|-

| 2018

| Shiro's Story

| Ty

| Part 3 (Short YouTube Series); Cameo

|}

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable"

!rowspan="2"|Date

!rowspan="2"|Title

!rowspan="1"|Chart positions

!rowspan="2"|Credit

|-

!align="center"|UK

|-

|2002

|Why Me?

  • Unreleased debut studio album

|

|Asher D

|-

|14 June 2004

|Street Sibling

  • Second studio album

|

|Asher D

|-

|9 October 2006

|In Memory of the Street Fighter

  • Third studio album

|

|Asher D

|-

|26 February 2009

|Ashley Walters

  • Fourth studio album

|

|Ashley Walters

|-

|}

Mixtapes

{| class="wikitable"

!rowspan="2"|Date

!rowspan="2"|Title

!rowspan="1"|Chart positions

!rowspan="2"|Credit

|-

!align="center"|UK

|-

|June 2006

|Cure 4 Cancer

  • First mixtape

|

|Asher D

|-

|4 February 2007

|The Appetiser

  • Second mixtape

|

|Asher D

|-

|15 December 2011

|Forgotten Treasures Vol. 1

  • Third mixtape

|

|Ashley Walters

|-

|31 December 2011

|Forgotten Treasures Vol. 2

  • Forth mixtape

|

|Ashley Walters

|-

|31 December 2011

|Forgotten Treasures Vol. 3

  • Fifth mixtape

|

|Ashley Walters

|-

|2 January 2012

|Forgotten Treasures Vol. 4

  • Sixth mixtape

|

|Ashley Walters

|-

|16 February 2012

|Forgotten Treasures: The Complete Legacy

  • Compilation mixtape

|

|Ashley Walters

|-

|}

Singles

{| class="wikitable"

!rowspan="2"| Date

!rowspan="2"| Title

!colspan="1"| Chart positions

!rowspan="2"| Album

!rowspan="2"| Credit

|-

!align="center" | UK

|-

| 27 May 2002

| "Back in the Day"/"Why Me?"

|align="center"|#43

|align="left" |Why Me?

|Asher D

|-

|14 February 2006

| "This is Real"

|align="center"|–

|align="left" rowspan="3"|In Memory of the Street Fighter

|Asher D

|-

| 1 August 2006

| "Andrea"

|align="center"|–

|Asher D

|-

| 9 July 2007

| "Still Here"

|align="center"|–

|Asher D

|-

| 5 November 2007

| "Inside Out"

|align="center"|–

|align="left" rowspan="2"|Non-album single

|Asher D featuring Ghetto

|-

| 28 July 2008

| "Lies"

|align="center"|–

|Baby J featuring Ashley Walters

|-

| 28 October 2008

| "M.O. (Pt. 2)"

|align="center"|–

|align="left" rowspan="3"|Ashley Walters

|Ashley Walters

|-

| 12 January 2009

| "With You"

|align="center"|–

|Ashley Walters featuring Mutya Buena

|-

| 18 May 2009

| "Own Two Feet"

|align="center"|–

|Ashley Walters featuring Chipmunk

|-

| 29 July 2012

| "How You Like Me Now"

|align="center"|–

|align="left" rowspan="2"|TBC

|Ashley Walters featuring Lisa Moorish

|-

| 11 November 2012

| "Your Love"

|align="center"|–

|Ashley Walters featuring Alesha Dixon

|-

|}

References

  • Asher D at Myspace