Emmanuel France, a veteran Nollywood actor is dead, News About Nigeria reports.
The actor, famous for his roles in Domitilla (1996) and The Curfew (2021), died at the age of 84.
France’s death was made public by his colleague and filmmaker, Olufemi Ogedengbe, in a post on his Instagram account on Monday.
He wrote, “Rest in peace to one of Nollywood legends, Uncle Emmanuel France, One of the actors I took to Tanzania in 2006, Shot three movies with him: Cross MY Sin, She Is My Sister & THE Director.”
His colleague, however, did not reveal the cause of his death, as it remains unknown.
The late actor, who was born in Kano State, joined the Nigerian movie industry in the ’80s and was renowned for playing Witch Doctor roles in Nollywood films.
The late actor was also famous for the catchphrase ‘Tufancha,’ a word which he repeatedly used in the classic Nollywood film Suicide Mission.
His other movie credits include Oganigwe, Narrow Escape, Witches, Silent Night, Exile, and Silent Night.
Before his demise, his nationality had always been debated, as he had in an interview published on Modern Ghana in 2011 noted that he is a Gold Coastan.
He had said, “I am not even a Ghanaian but a “Gold Coastian” because my grandparents came from the Gold Coast. They didn’t come from Ghana. I have a Nigerian Passport because I was born in Nigeria. I don’t have a Ghanaian Passport because I don’t reside there. I didn’t go to school in Ghana. Ghanaians don’t know me as theirs. Nigerians know me as a Ghanaian. Of course, that is what it is. I say it out loud because my parents come from there.”
