Hugh Quarshie

Last updated

Hugh Quarshie
Born
Hugh Anthony Kobna Amo Quarshie

(1954-12-22) 22 December 1954 (age 68)
NationalityBritish
Education Bryanston School
Dean Close School
Alma mater Christ Church, Oxford
OccupationActor
Years active1979–present
Organization Royal Shakespeare Company
SpouseAnnika Sundström
Children3

Hugh Anthony Quarshie (born 22 December 1954) is a Ghanaian-born British actor. Some of his best-known roles include his appearances in the films Highlander (1986), The Church (1989), Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), and the Doctor Who episodes "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks" (2007) as well as his long-running role as Ric Griffin in the BBC One medical drama Holby City (2001–2020). Quarshie played the role of Ric for 19 years and was the longest-serving cast member in Holby City, until he confirmed his departure in October 2020. The character departed in Episode 1034 (Episode 26) of Series 22, which aired on 10 November 2020, though he returned for the show's final episode in March 2022.

Contents

Early life

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. [1] 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.

Acting career

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

In September 2010, Quarshie featured in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? , in which he traced his Ghanaian and Dutch origins. [2] [3] 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. [4]

Politics

Quarshie is a supporter of the Women's Equality Party. [5]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
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
2000It Was An AccidentGeorge Hurlock
ThreesomeDaveShort film
2003 Conspiracy of Silence Fr Joseph Ennis, SJ
2011GhostedAde
2012Black MagicShort film
2013The MeetingJack
2018 Red Sparrow Simon Benford
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Mustafa Kama
2020What MattersEwanShort film
2021Fire AntsEwen
2022The Railway Children ReturnGeneral Harrison
2023 Book Club: The Next Chapter Ousmane

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1968SceneEpisode: "Wide Games"
1979 The Knowledge CampionTV movie
1980 Buccaneer Major Nbodi2 episodes
1981WolcottDennis St GeorgeMiniseries
The Jail Diary of Albie SachsDanny YoungTV movie
A Midsummer Night's DreamPhilostrateTV movie
1983 Rumpole of the Bailey Jonathan MazenzeEpisode: "Rumpole and the Golden Thread"
1983 Angels Turi Mimi2 episodes
1984Sharma and BeyondMan on StairsTV movie
1985Titus AndronicusAaronTV movie
Alas Smith and Jones 1 episode
1986–89 Screenplay Mike / Wallace2 episodes
1988A Gentleman's ClubBabaEpisode: A Question of Er...
1989 Behaving Badly Daniel4 episodes
1991 Chancer Kazeem2 episodes
Press Gang Inspector Hibbert2 episodes
1992–94 Medics Dr. Tom Carey19 episodes
1992 Surgical Spirit Fergus Debonaire1 episode
Virtual Murder Dr. MellorEpisode: A Dream of Dracula
The Tomorrow People Professor John Galt5 episodes (The 5-part story officially known as "The Origin Story")
1993 The Comic Strip Presents... Lieutenant DelaneyEpisode: Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase
Red Dwarf Computer VoiceEpisode: "Emohawk: Polymorph II"
1994 Horizon Narrator (voice)Documentary
The Chief Vincent Pierce1 episode
MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis Inspector RhodesTV movie
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Cassius (voice)Episode: Julius Caesar
1999 The Murder of Stephen Lawrence Neville LawrenceTV movie
2000 Jason and the Argonauts Chiron the CentaurMiniseries
2001–2020,

2022

Holby City Ric Griffin 506 episodes
2004–2019 Casualty Ric Griffin
2007 Doctor Who SolomonEpisodes: "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks"
2009 Hot Cities Narrator8 episodes
2012 White Heat Victor6 episodes
2017 Still Star-Crossed Prince Cosimo3 episodes
2019 Absentia Dr. Semo OduwaleSeason 2
2021 Stephen Neville LawrenceMiniseries
2021–2022 Breeders Alex6 episodes
2022 Vera Dr. Leon PalmerEpisode: "Vital Signs"
Silent Witness Series 25; Episode: "History Part 1"
Riches Stephen Richards
2023 Maryland Pete3 episodes

Theatre

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984 Cymbeline Posthumous Royal Exchange, Manchester
1985 The Admirable Crichton CrichtonRoyal Exchange, Manchester
1995 Goethe's Faust Mephistopheles RSC
1995 Julius Caesar Mark Antony RSC
2015 Othello OthelloRSC

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References

  1. "Hugh Quarshie". TheGenealogist. Genealogy Supplies. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  2. "Hugh Quarshie". Who do You Think You Are?. BBC Magazines. BBC Worldwide. 2010. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  3. "Hugh Quarshie — Holby City's African chief". BBC News. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  4. "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)
  5. 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.