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 A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' Desmond's'', in which he played the role of Gambian mature student Matthew.

Life and career

Born in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

, 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 Hazell is a name of British origin, and may refer to: People Surname *Andy Hazell (born 1978), British rugby player *Bert Hazell (1907–2009), British politician *Bob Hazell (born 1959), British football player * Charles Hazell, Canadian archi ...

'' and ''

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'' 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 Kwahu refers to an area and group of people that live in Ghana, part of the Twi-speaking Akan group. The region has been dubbed Asaase Aban, or the Natural Fortress, in view of its position as the highest habitable elevation in the country. 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

in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

Partial filmography

*'' The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It'' (1977) - African Delegate *'' The Dogs of War'' (1980) - Geoffrey *'' Local Hero'' (1983) - Rev Macpherson *'' Desmond's'' (1989-1994) - Matthew

References

External links

*
Biography
1941 births 2000 deaths Ghanaian male television actors Alumni of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts People from Accra Ghanaian expatriates in the United Kingdom Expatriate male actors in the United Kingdom 20th-century Ghanaian male actors {{Ghana-actor-stub