Biography

Hugh Anthony Quarshie is a Ghanaian-born British actor celebrated for his long-running role as Ric Griffin on the BBC medical drama Holby City (1999) and for portraying Captain Panaka in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). A member of the Royal Shakespeare Company since 1981, he has appeared in notable stage productions and films including Highlander (1986), Nightbreed (1990), and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). His work has earned nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor (1987) and the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor (2022), along with a Critics' Circle Theatre Award and an Emmy Award. Originally from Accra, Ghana, he moved to the United Kingdom at age three. He was educated at Bryanston School and Dean Close School, performing Othello at the Tuckwell Theatre, before studying PPE at Christ Church, Oxford. Initially considering journalism, Quarshie turned to acting, building a career across stage, television, and film. He has appeared in Doctor Who (2005), the The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978), and the film The Church (1989), and has narrated documentaries including The Falls of Iguaçu (2006) and The Great Rift: Africa's Greatest Story (2010). Quarshie has also been active in public discourse, supporting causes such as the Women's Equality Party, and participated in the genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? (2004), exploring his Ghanaian-Dutch heritage.
- IMDb mini biography by: Capamaroux

Member of The Royal Shakespeare Company

He was awarded the 1986 London Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Great White Hope.

Two children with Annika Sundström: Maya (b. 1990) and Freya (b. 1995)

[on his role in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)] Panaka's Captain of the Guard. The way I conceived of the role is that he is very tough, and I figured the tougher I was, the tougher it would make the Jedi seem. Obviously, no one out-toughed the Jedi, but Captain Panaka was going to give them a run for their money!