Most Nigerians do not know Ghanaian-born British actor, Hugh Quarshie, by name.
He is simply the man who appeared in the unforgettable Thermocool advert popular on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) back in the 80s.
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Thermocool’s first TV advert was so cool; many can still recite the words three decades after.
Speaking eloquently and using his hand as lightsaber, Quarshie gave a performance that was light years ahead.
Born in Accra, Ghana on December 22, 1954, Quarshie is of mixed Ghanaian, English and Dutch ancestry.
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His mother was Emma Wilhelmina while his father was Richard Quarshie.
He emigrated with his family to the United Kingdom at the age of three and was educated at Bryanston School in Dorset and Dean Close School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
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After graduating from Christ Church, Oxford with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics he considered a career in journalism but chose to become an actor instead, ending up touring with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
One of his early film roles is as Zangaron Officer in The Dogs of War – released in 1980 – also starring Nigeria’s Olu Jacobs.
His big break came as Sunda Kastagir in the 1986 sci-fi fantasy, Highlander.
He went on to appear in another well-known space flick, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999), as Captain Panaka.
Most of his appearances have, however, been on TV.
He currently appears as Dr Ric Griffin in the BBC medical drama, Holby City.
Married to Swedish health instructor, Annika Sundstrom, Hugh Quarshie is the father of three children.
