 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Gyearbuor Asante" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Gyearbuor Asante | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frederick Christopher Kwabena Gyearbuor Asante Erskine (1941-11-04)4 November 1941 Accra, Ghana |
| Died | 2 August 2000(2000-08-02) (aged 58) Accra, Ghana |
| Nationality | Ghanaian |
| Citizenship | Ghanaian |
| Alma mater | Mountain Academy of Theatre arts |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Known for | Hazell, The Professionals, Ubu Roi, Local Hero, Desmond's |
Frederick Christopher Kwabena Gyearbuor Asante Erskine (4 November 1941 – 2 August 2000) was a Ghanaian actor best remembered for his role in the Channel 4 situation comedy Desmond's, in which he played the role of Gambian mature student Matthew.
Life and career
Born in Accra, Asante moved to the United Kingdom in 1967 and trained to be an actor at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. A "Gyearbuor Asante Prize for Acting" was subsequently instituted at the academy following his death. He appeared in a number of British TV shows during the 1970s and '80s, where he was billed as Christopher Asante. His credits included episodes of Space: 1999, Mind Your Language, Hazell and The Professionals as well as a TV performance of Ubu Roi in 1976. He also played the minister in the 1983 film Local Hero.
He came from a long line of chiefs of his hometown Kwahu Tafo but ruled himself out of carrying on the tradition in favour of pursuing a career in acting; the chieftaincy Asante was offered was taken up by his friend, television producer Humphrey Barclay.
He returned to his birthplace Ghana in 1995 where he was made a Cultural Ambassador. He died in the capital city of Accra with his funeral held in his ancestral village of Tafo Kwahu in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
Partial filmography
- The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977) – African Delegate
- Mind Your Language(1977-1986) - Roger Kenyon
- Space:1999 (1978) (accredited as Christopher Asante); episode "The Seance Spectre" – Guard
- The Dogs of War (1980) – Geoffrey
- Local Hero (1983) – Rev Macpherson
- Desmond's (1989-1994) – Matthew
References
- Horace Newcomb, Encyclopedia of Television, Routledge, 2014, p. 690.
- "Gyearbuor Asante Prize for Acting". Mountview.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2014-08-25.
- "Gyearbuor Asante". BFI. Archived from the original on 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2014-08-25.
- "Desmond's star leaves a lasting legacy in Ghana". Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- Jason Deans (2003-01-05). "Comic Hero". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-08-25.
- Canby, Vincent (1981-02-13). "'Dogs of War,' Forsyth's Mercenaries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
External links
 | This article about a Ghanaian actor is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |