Gyearbuor Asante

Frederick Christopher Kwabena Gyearbuor Asante (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]

Gyearbuor Asante
Born
Frederick Christopher Kwabena Gyearbuor Asante Erskine

(1941-11-04)4 November 1941
Accra, Ghana
Died2 August 2000(2000-08-02) (aged 58)
Accra, Ghana
NationalityGhanaian
OccupationActor
Known forMatthew in Desmond's

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 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.[3]

He came from the royal lineage of his hometown Kwahu Tafo and was destined to ascend the throne.[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

References
  1. Horace Newcomb, Encyclopedia of Television, Routledge, 2014, p. 690.
  2. "Gyearbuor Asante Prize for Acting". Mountview.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2014-08-25.
  3. "Gyearbuor Asante". BFI. Archived from the original on 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2014-08-25.
  4. "Desmond's star leaves a lasting legacy in Ghana". Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  5. Jason Deans (2003-01-05). "Comic Hero". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-08-25.
  6. Canby, Vincent (1981-02-13). "'Dogs of War,' Forsyth's Mercenaries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-17.


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