Gyearbuor Asante Explained

Gyearbuor Asante
Birth Name:Frederick Christopher Kwabena Gyearbuor Asante Erskine
Birth Date:1941 11, df=y
Birth Place:Accra, Ghana
Death Place:Accra, Ghana
Nationality:Ghanaian
Occupation:Actor
Known For:Hazell, The professionals, Ubu Roi, Local Hero, Desmond's
Citizenship:Ghanaian
Alma Mater:Mountain academy of Theatre arts

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.[1]

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.[2] 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 , 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.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

Partial filmography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Horace Newcomb, Encyclopedia of Television, Routledge, 2014, p. 690.
  2. Web site: Gyearbuor Asante Prize for Acting . Mountview.org.uk . 2014-08-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140725031545/http://www.mountview.org.uk/awards/gyearbuor-asante-prize-for-acting.html . 2014-07-25 .
  3. Web site: Gyearbuor Asante . https://web.archive.org/web/20120804023456/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2ba3119aca . dead . 2012-08-04 . BFI . 2014-08-25.
  4. Web site: Desmond's star leaves a lasting legacy in Ghana. 17 August 2018. 12 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180812181420/http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/desmonds-star-leaves-lasting-legacy-ghana. dead.
  5. News: Jason Deans . Comic Hero . The Guardian . 2003-01-05 . 2014-08-25.
  6. News: Canby. Vincent. 1981-02-13. 'Dogs of War,' Forsyth's Mercenaries. en-US. The New York Times. 2020-05-17. 0362-4331.