Newton Mayenge
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Award-winning actor Newton Mayenge is best known for his role as NBA legend Jim Chones in HBO’s five-time Emmy-nominated series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty; a performance alongside two-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody that earned him a Best Supporting Actor win at the Hollywood and African Prestigious Awards (HAPA). His growing list of credits also includes the Apple TV horror film Spaghetti, the Tubi original Happy Anniversary, and the winter 2025 Cannes-France film The Other Side of Fame.
In 2026, he portrays Commander Nakht opposite Academy Award Winner Sir Ben Kingsley and Emmy Nominee O-T Fagbenle in the Wonder Project's The Old Stories: Moses on Prime Video. Later this year, he is set to star as Detective Deuce in the BET+ project Loving Venus, followed by two theatrical releases in October: the psychological thriller Leave, in which he plays Sheriff Toby Stevens, and Christmas with the Kringles, where he portrays Black Santa alongside Rachel Bilson, Donald Faison, and Ron Livingston. Beyond acting, Mayenge teaches a Scene Study class and has directed over 150 actor reels and short films at Jig Reel Studios in Pasadena, CA.
The youngest of four children born to parents from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Mayenge speaks fluent Lingala and basic French. Because of a significant age gap, his older siblings were already in college during his formative years. A lifelong basketball player, he graduated from the University of North Carolina with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and African-American Studies before playing professionally in Germany. After a car crash ended his NBA ambitions, he pivoted to his next love: performing. Since then, he has appeared on book covers and walked fashion runways across Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Palm Springs. To further hone his craft, he began attending The Juilliard School in New York in 2023.
In 2026, he portrays Commander Nakht opposite Academy Award Winner Sir Ben Kingsley and Emmy Nominee O-T Fagbenle in the Wonder Project's The Old Stories: Moses on Prime Video. Later this year, he is set to star as Detective Deuce in the BET+ project Loving Venus, followed by two theatrical releases in October: the psychological thriller Leave, in which he plays Sheriff Toby Stevens, and Christmas with the Kringles, where he portrays Black Santa alongside Rachel Bilson, Donald Faison, and Ron Livingston. Beyond acting, Mayenge teaches a Scene Study class and has directed over 150 actor reels and short films at Jig Reel Studios in Pasadena, CA.
The youngest of four children born to parents from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Mayenge speaks fluent Lingala and basic French. Because of a significant age gap, his older siblings were already in college during his formative years. A lifelong basketball player, he graduated from the University of North Carolina with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and African-American Studies before playing professionally in Germany. After a car crash ended his NBA ambitions, he pivoted to his next love: performing. Since then, he has appeared on book covers and walked fashion runways across Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Palm Springs. To further hone his craft, he began attending The Juilliard School in New York in 2023.
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