Ron Bob-Semple
Ron Bobb-Semple is celebrating 51 years as a thespian. This actor, director, producer, and broadcaster hails from Guyana, South America. His formative education began at Trinity Methodist Kindergarten School and St. Mary’s Roman Catholic School. His alma mater is Central High School in Georgetown, Guyana. It was at Central High School where one of his English teachers encouraged him to read before the class, and he realized that the use of his voice was instrumental. More importantly, Ron’s parents encouraged his talents, as his father himself was an actor and singer. Later in his career, he had the opportunity to perform with his father in a musical, Ballad Caribe by the Barbadian writer and director, Irving Burgie.
Following his attendance to Central High School, was the beginning of Ron’s life in theater. The year, 1969 was a critical year for him. Within this year, both his involvement in Theatre Guild (in Guyana) and his studies in Telecommunication at Guyana Technical Institute began. At the Theatre Guild, he performed in Winslow Fraser’s, Winds of Change, Paulo de Paulo’s, The Rogues Trial, Francis Quamina Farrier’s, Manaka and in scenes of a few Brink shows. Two years later (in 1971), Ron graduated from Guyana Technical Institute, and in 1972, he migrated to the United States.
Upon migration, Ron attended Technical Career Institute, and further his studies in Telecommunication in pursuit of his passion for theater. He is also a graduate of Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Florida. Since migrating he has moved audiences around the world with his one-man cultural and educational presentation, The Spirit of Marcus Garvey, that he performed in Guyana, Bermuda, Jamaica, St. Lucia, The Virgin Islands, Barbados, Costa Rica, Senegal, Ghana, Berlin, Sweden, Brussels, London and throughout the United States. Other stage credits include August Wilson’s, Jitney; Ma Rainey’s, Black Bottom; Seven Guitars; The Piano Lesson; Two Trains Running; Fences; Athol Fugard’s, My Children, My Africa!, A Lesson from Aloes; Derek Walcott's musical, Steel; and Bingo! - a musical directed by the legendary Ossie Davis who said, Ron, you are one of the most gifted actors I have had the pleasure to work with. Ron also toured South Florida with the Jewish Musical Shlemiel, the First, and performed with the Garth Fagan Dance Company (choreographer of The Lion King) in Oyamo’s, Famous Orpheus.
As a director, a few of the many plays Ron has directed include Claud Leandro’s Interactions; Lorraine Hansberry’s, A Raisin in the Sun; George C. Wolf’s, Colored Museum; Jeff Stetson’s, The Meeting; and Tracy Letts’s, Superior Donuts. It is worthy to note that in reviews of Super Donuts by Broadway World (BWW.com), Ron’s directing has been described as high level acting of Robb-Semple's glorious cast that elevates SUPERIOR DONUTS to the must-watch list.
As a radio broadcaster, Ron produced and hosted Caribbean Forum and Golden Sunday Sounds on Internet radio for six years.
As an on-screen actor, Ron can be seen in Clockin' Green; Deep Trouble; Nursing Tuskegee; Truth,
Impasse, and Temptation: Confession of a Marriage Counselor - a Tyler Perry Film, for which he was left on the cutting floor. Currently, Ron can be seen on Netflix in the Spike Lee produced film, See You Yesterday. This film was co-written by Fredrica Bailey and Stefon Bristol. Stefon Bristol, also the director of this film is of Guyanese parentage.
More of his on-screen acting could be seen in international and national commercials. These were done for Citibank, Rubbermaid, Pepsi, UV, and Aquafina.
From 1998 – 2019, Ron has received numerous recognitions for his acting and contribution to media. These include: Government of Jamerican United Nationals Association 1988 Marcus Garvey Award; Marcus Garvey Celebration Committee - Marcus Garvey Medal of Honor 1991; 22nd AUDELCO (Audience Development Committee) Recognition Award for Excellence in Black Theatre 1994; Caribbean Media Association - Excellence in Media Award 1995; Caribbean Theatre Association - Dedication to promoting and preserving the Legacy of Caribbean Theatre 2003-2004; Guyana's 38th Independence Anniversary Service & Humanitarian Award 2004 from Guyana Missions, Consulate and the Guyana Tri-State Alliance; 33rd AUDELCO Award - Lead Actor in "A Freeman's Hope" 2005; Guyana Day Inc. 10th Anniversary Celebration - Timehri Award 2010; Guyana Cultural Association of New York - 10th Anniversary "Aal Bady, Waan bady" Award 2011; Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) - Marcus Garvey Award - Jamaica 2016; Caribbean American Passport Magazine (Florida) - Golden Arrowhead Award in Arts & Culture - Guyana 50/50 Award 2016; Limon Roots Festival Afroculture, Costa Rica 2017 Award; Caribbean Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO) of Florida - Caribbean American Actor Award 2019; and Ron is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and the Actors Equity Association.