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Hugh Quarshie

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Hugh Quarshie
Quarshie at German Comic Con 2024
Born
Hugh Anthony Kobna Amo Quarshie

(1954-12-22) 22 December 1954 (age 69)
Accra, Gold Coast (present-day Ghana)
NationalityBritish
EducationBryanston School
Dean Close School
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford
OccupationActor
Years active1979–present
SpouseAnnika Sundström
Children3

Hugh Anthony Quarshie (born 22 December 1954) is a Ghanaian-born British actor. He is known for his long-running role as Ric Griffin on the BBC One medical drama Holby City (2001–20), and for playing Captain Panaka in the Star Wars film Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). He is also known for stage roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, of which he’s been a member since 1981 and an associate since 2005.[1] His film work includes Highlander, Nightbreed and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. He is a BAFTA Award nominee, and a Critics' Circle Theatre Award and Emmy Award winner.

Early life

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A member of the Euro-African community of Ghana, Quarshie is of mixed Ghanaian, English and Dutch ancestry. He was born in Accra, Ghana, to Emma Wilhelmina (née Phillips; 1917–2004) and Richard Quarshie (1913–2006). His mother was of chiefly ancestry; her relatives currently serve as the chiefs of the Ghanaian village of Abii.

Hugh emigrated with his family to the United Kingdom at the age of three.[2] He was educated at Bryanston School in Dorset and Dean Close School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (during which time he played the role of Othello at the Tuckwell Theatre), before reading PPE at Christ Church, Oxford.

Career

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Quarshie had considered becoming a journalist before taking up acting. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), and has appeared in many stage productions and television programmes, including the serial Behaving Badly with Judi Dench. He is well known for playing the roles of Sunda Kastagir in Highlander, Captain Panaka in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and Ric Griffin on the television series Holby City. He attended the Star Wars fan event "Star Wars Celebration" in 1999. He portrayed Lieutenant Obutu in Wing Commander.

He appeared in the 2007 two-part Doctor Who episode "Daleks in Manhattan"/"Evolution of the Daleks" as Solomon, the leader of the shanty town Hooverville. He headed the cast of Michele Soavi's The Church (1989) as Father Gus, and played Aaron the Moor in the BBC Television Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.

Quarshie has also narrated for television. His work includes the 2006 documentary Mega Falls of Iguacu (about the Iguaçu Falls), the 2009 adaptation of Small Island, and the 2010 BBC Wildlife series The Great Rift: Africa's Wild Heart.

Personal life

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In September 2010, Quarshie featured in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, in which he traced his Ghanaian and Dutch origins.[3][4] The episode revealed that Quarshie is part of his country's old mixed-race elite as one of his ancestors, Pieter Martinus Johannes Kamerling, was a Dutch official on the Gold Coast. This also made him a distant relative of Dutch actor Antonie Kamerling.[5]

Political views

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Quarshie is a supporter of the Women's Equality Party.[6]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Dogs of War Zangaron Officer
1985 Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend Kenge Obe
1986 Highlander Sunda Kastagir
1989 La Chiesa Father Gus
1990 Nightbreed Detective Joyce
1999 Wing Commander Lieutenant Obutu
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Captain Panaka
2000 It Was An Accident George Hurlock
Threesome Dave Short film
2003 Conspiracy of Silence Fr Joseph Ennis, SJ
2011 Ghosted Ade
2012 Black Magic Short film
2013 The Meeting Jack
2018 Red Sparrow Simon Benford
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Mustafa Kama
2020 What Matters Ewan Short film
2021 Fire Ants Ewen
2022 The Railway Children Return General Harrison
2023 Book Club: The Next Chapter Ousmane

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1968 Scene Episode: "Wide Games"
1979 The Knowledge Campion TV movie
1980 Buccaneer Major Nbodi 2 episodes
1981 Wolcott Dennis St George Miniseries
The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs Danny Young TV movie
A Midsummer Night's Dream Philostrate TV movie
1983 Rumpole of the Bailey Jonathan Mazenze Episode: "Rumpole and the Golden Thread"
1983 Angels Turi Mimi 2 episodes
1984 Sharma and Beyond Man on Stairs TV movie
1985 Titus Andronicus Aaron TV movie
Alas Smith and Jones 1 episode
1986–89 ScreenPlay Mike / Wallace 2 episodes
1988 A Gentleman's Club Baba Episode: A Question of Er...
1989 Behaving Badly Daniel 4 episodes
1991 Chancer Kazeem 2 episodes
Press Gang Inspector Hibbert 2 episodes
1992–94 Medics Dr. Tom Carey 19 episodes
1992 Surgical Spirit Fergus Debonaire 1 episode
Virtual Murder Dr. Mellor Episode: A Dream of Dracula
The Tomorrow People Professor John Galt 5 episodes (The 5-part story officially known as "The Origin Story")
1993 The Comic Strip Presents... Lieutenant Delaney Episode: Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase
Red Dwarf Computer Voice Episode: "Emohawk: Polymorph II"
1994 Horizon Narrator (voice) Documentary
The Chief Vincent Pierce 1 episode
MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis Inspector Rhodes TV movie
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Cassius (voice) Episode: Julius Caesar
1999 The Murder of Stephen Lawrence Neville Lawrence TV movie
2000 Arabian Nights Mustappa Miniseries
2000 Jason and the Argonauts Chiron the Centaur Miniseries
2001 In Deep Jim Craddock
2001–2020,

2022

Holby City Ric Griffin 506 episodes
2004–2019 Casualty Ric Griffin
2007 Doctor Who Solomon Episodes: "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks"
2009 Hot Cities Narrator 8 episodes
2012 White Heat Victor 6 episodes
2017 Still Star-Crossed Prince Cosimo 3 episodes
2019 Absentia Dr. Semo Oduwale Season 2
2021 Stephen Neville Lawrence Miniseries
2021–2022 Breeders Alex 6 episodes
2022 Vera Dr. Leon Palmer Episode: "Vital Signs"
Silent Witness Series 25; Episode: "History Part 1"
Riches Stephen Richards
2023 Maryland Pete 3 episodes
2024 McDonald & Dodds Clarence Adderley Episode: "Jinxy Sings The Blues"

Theatre

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Year Title Role Notes
1984 Cymbeline Posthumous Royal Exchange, Manchester
1985 The Admirable Crichton Crichton Royal Exchange, Manchester
1995 Goethe's Faust Mephistopheles RSC
1995 Julius Caesar Mark Antony RSC
2015 Othello Othello RSC

References

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  1. ^ "Hugh Quarshie - the RSC and me | Royal Shakespeare Company". www.rsc.org.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Hugh Quarshie". TheGenealogist. Genealogy Supplies. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Hugh Quarshie". Who do You Think You Are?. BBC Magazines. 2010. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Hugh Quarshie — Holby City's African chief". BBC News. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Hugh Quarshie". GoldCoastDataBase. Retrieved 24 March 2019. Hugh Quarshie is related to Antonie Kamerling through Pieter Martinus Johannes Kamerling's brother Anthony Wilhelm Constantinus Gerardus Kamerling (1824–1875) (registration required)
  6. ^ Hugh Quarshie (23 April 2016). Hugh Quarshie: Give half your votes to equality on 5 May – WE think that's fair (Video). Women's Equality Channel. Retrieved 28 April 2016 – via YouTube.
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