Ghana, the land of gold and cocoa is known for its rich natural resources and most often, its football and boxing talents. However, the West African superpower is also blessed in other areas including the film industry. Over the years, several veteran actors have emerged who have made significant contributions to the growth and development of the industry. In this article, we list five of the top veteran Ghanaian actors who have entertained and educated Ghanaians and many others across the border with their prowess in front of the cameras.
David Dontoh
Born in 1964, just four years after Ghana became a republic and seven after independence, David Dontoh is a veteran Ghanaian actor who has been active in the industry for over four decades. The Gyegyeano native has starred in both local and international films, theatre and drama. He is known for his excellent acting skills and a multiple recipient of the Entertainment Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana (ECRAG) Best Actor award with his first one coming in 1984. Some of the notable films he has starred in include Kukurantumi: Road to Accra, Heritage Africa, Confessions, The Dead, Beast of No Nation and Coming to Africa among others. David Dontoh was recently featured in Snowfall season six “Door of No Return”, a popular American crime drama series. He is a founding member of the Ghana Actors Guild and an alumnus of the University of Ghana where he studied Drama and Theatre at the School of Performing Arts.
Grace Omaboe (Maame Dokono)
Grace Omaboe, popularly known as Maame Dokono, is a veteran Ghanaian actress who has been active in the industry for over three decades. Born in 1946 in Birim North in the Eastern Region, Grace Omaboe has established herself as a Ghanaian film and TV veteran following decades of scintillating display on TV. She has excelled in nearly every aspect of the industry including acting, script-writing, radio and TV presenting and is also an author and entrepreneur. She started off as a script writer for the drama series Osofo Dadzie in the 1970s and 1980s before she was encouraged by Nana Bosompra to act in the popular Kekteke series which was played on Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. She was hugely influential in the series and oversaw is name change to Obra from Keteke. She hosted the popular kids TV program By The Fire Side and later starred in the 2013 short film Kwaku Ananse and later Children of the Mountain in 2016. Other notable films she featured include I Surrender, Matters of the Hearts, Crossfire and Jewels. Outside of entertainment, she has had a brief stint in politics having contested as the parliamentary candidate for New Abirem on the ticket of the NDC in 2000 and 2004 before defecting to the NPP in 2008 and finally retiring from politics in 2016.
Emmanuel Armah
Emmanuel Armah is a veteran Ghanaian actor who has been active in the industry for over three decades. The Accra-native has acted in several Ghanaian films including Fresh Trouble, Beyond Love, Every Woman Wants Me, Things Men Do and Shadows From the Past. Celebrated for his agility in the TV screens, Emmanuel Armah is popular in Ghana for his role in the development of the movie industry in the West African nation. He was recently in 2020 reported to be suffering from stroke and was experiencing deteriorating health conditions. He may not be a regular feature in movies now but he has left a lasting legacy that will be remembered for ages.
Akofa Edjeani Asiedu
Akofa Edjeani Asiedu is a multiple award-winning veteran Ghanaian actress who has been active in the industry for over three decades. Akofa Edjeani holds a degree in Performing Arts from the University of Ghana School of Performing Arts and also a certificate in Public Relations and marketing from the Ghana Institute of Journalism. An established actor, producer and entrepreneur, she won the Best Short Film category with her short film Not My Daughter at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2008. She has acted in several Ghanaian and Nigerian films and was feaured in the award-winning Lela Djansi movie I Sing of a Well which she co-produced. Se has also starred in other films including When the Heart Decides, Harvest at 17, The Cursed Ones, Azali, Sidechic Gang and Aloe Vera.
George Brigars Williams
George Brigars Williams, born on August 1 1929, was a veteran Ghanaian actor who passed away in 2021 after so many years of entertaining the world through his strong and desirable acting skills. A former student of the famous Achimota School in Accra, George Williams studied acting at the Stage Craft Centre in London, United Kingdom. He was not just known for his acting skills but also was notable for his involvement in music where he worked with notable jazz musicians including Hurry Cline, Mike Makenzie, Shake Kean and Joe Harriot. George Williams starred in the award-winning soap opera Ultimate Paradise and several other movies including Last Hope, Genesis Chapter X, Black Sunday, Dirty Deal, Friday At 4:30, Justice, The Young And The Old, Bloody Mary, My Sister’s Honor. He was an acting instructor at the Accra Film School, a private film and television training institute in Accra. He played a pioneering role in Ghanaian cinema.
Though Ghana’s film industry may not be like the Hollywood or even large like the Nollywood in Nigeria, it is one of the pioneers in African movie industry and has these five among other well established names to thank for the prominence film and television stars in the country get nowadays.
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