Hugh Quarshie 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. His film work includes Highlander, Nightbreed, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Early life and education Hugh Quarshie was born in Accra, Ghana. He emigrated with his family to the United Kingdom at the age of three.
He studied PPE at Christ Church, Oxford.
Career
Quarshie had considered becoming a journalist before taking up acting.
He has been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) since 1981 and an associate since 2005 and has appeared in many stage productions.
He has also appeared in many 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 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 the television genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?, in which he traced his Ghanaian and Dutch origins. 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. One of his other ancestors, Jan ter Meulen, was also a Dutch official on the Gold Coast. He also has English ancestry as one of his other ancestors, Louis Waistell Phillips, was a British official on the Gold Coast.
Quarshie was a supporter of the Women's Equality Party. Awards and nominations In 1987, he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and in 2022 he was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for playing Neville Lawrence in Stephen.
He has also won a Critics' Circle Theatre Award and an Emmy Award.
Filmography
Film
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 HarrisonThe SonDr. Harris 2023 Book Club: The Next Chapter Ousmane 2024 The Return Imphinomous
Television +YearTitleRoleNotes1968SceneEpisode: "Wide Games"1979The KnowledgeCampionTV movie1980BuccaneerMajor Nbodi2 episodes1981WolcottDennis St GeorgeMiniseriesThe Jail Diary of Albie SachsDanny YoungTV movieA Midsummer Night's DreamPhilostrateTV movie1983Rumpole of the BaileyJonathan MazenzeEpisode: "Rumpole and the Golden Thread"1983AngelsTuri Mimi2 episodes1984Sharma and BeyondMan on StairsTV movie1985Titus AndronicusAaronTV movieAlas Smith and Jones1 episode1986–89ScreenPlayMike / Wallace2 episodes1988A Gentleman's ClubBabaEpisode: A Question of Er...1989Behaving BadlyDaniel4 episodes1991ChancerKazeem2 episodesPress GangInspector Hibbert2 episodes1992–94MedicsDr. Tom Carey19 episodes1992Surgical SpiritFergus Debonaire1 episodeVirtual MurderDr. MellorEpisode: A Dream of DraculaThe Tomorrow PeopleProfessor John Galt5 episodes (The 5-part story officially known as "The Origin Story")1993The Comic Strip Presents...Lieutenant DelaneyEpisode: Gregory: Diary of a NutcaseRed DwarfComputer VoiceEpisode: "Emohawk: Polymorph II"1994HorizonNarrator (voice)DocumentaryThe ChiefVincent Pierce1 episodeMacGyver: Lost Treasure of AtlantisInspector RhodesTV movieShakespeare: The Animated TalesCassius (voice)Episode: Julius Caesar1999The Murder of Stephen LawrenceNeville LawrenceTV movie2000Arabian NightsMustappaMiniseries2000Jason and the ArgonautsChiron the CentaurMiniseries 2001 In Deep Jim Craddock2001–2020, 2022Holby CityRic Griffin506 episodes2002HornblowerFrancois LefanuEpisode: "Retribution"2004–2019CasualtyRic Griffin2007Doctor WhoSolomonEpisodes: "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks"2009Hot CitiesNarrator8 episodes2009Small IslandNarrator/adult Michael junior2 episodes2012White HeatVictor6 episodes2017Still Star-CrossedPrince Cosimo3 episodes2019AbsentiaDr. Semo OduwaleSeason 22021StephenNeville LawrenceMiniseries2021–2022BreedersAlex6 episodes2022VeraDr. Leon PalmerEpisode: "Vital Signs"Silent WitnessSeries 25; Episode: "History Part 1"RichesStephen Richards2023MarylandPete3 episodes2024McDonald & DoddsClarence Adderley Episode: "Jinxy Sings The Blues"2025The RainmakerWilfred R. Keeley4 episodes
Theatre +YearTitleRoleNotes1984CymbelinePosthumousRoyal Exchange, Manchester1985The Admirable CrichtonCrichtonRoyal Exchange, Manchester1995Goethe's FaustMephistophelesRSC1995Julius CaesarMark AntonyRSC2015OthelloOthelloRSC
References
External links
Hugh Quarshie StarWars.com
Nicole Vassell, It's disappointing that Kwasi Kwarteng has allowed himself to be called Kwar-zee': actor Hugh Quarshie on the new assertiveness of young Black British people", The Independent.