Ghanaian theatre and film has lost one of its most recognisable voices with the reported death of veteran actress Grace Nortey at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) in the early hours of Wednesday, August 26, 2026. She was 89.
Nortey, born on February 1, 1937, spent more than five decades in theatre, television and film, building a career that made her one of the enduring figures of Ghana’s performing arts.
For generations of viewers, Nortey was more than an actress. She became a familiar presence in Ghanaian homes, particularly during the golden era of television drama when productions such as “Obra,” “Osofo Dadzie,” “Key Soap Concert Party,” “Cantata,” “Taxi Driver,” and “Thursday Theatre” dominated primetime entertainment.
Her characters were often difficult to ignore. Nortey was known for portraying outspoken, assertive and strong-willed women who refused to quietly accept injustice. She frequently played matriarchs who challenged patriarchal authority, discriminatory traditions, class divisions, corruption and other forms of social injustice.
That screen identity also brought her into memorable confrontations with some of Ghana’s best-known male actors, including Solomon Sampa, MacJordan Amartey, George Williams, Kofi Adjorlolo, and William Addo, popularly known as Akpatse.
Those exchanges helped establish Nortey as one of the commanding female personalities of Ghanaian television and theatre. She could be fierce without losing the humanity of her characters, giving audiences women who spoke with conviction at a time when many female characters on screen were written primarily around domestic roles.
Her career, however, began long before television fame.
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In the 1970s, Nortey hosted “Nyeawokoshie,” a radio talk show for Ga women on Radio One. The programme sought to empower women, giving her an early platform to engage directly with issues affecting women and communities.
She had already built experience on stage before making the transition to film and television. Her major screen debut came in the 1986 Afro Movies comic production “Juju,” co-produced by King Ampaw and Peter Wohlgemuth-Reinery. She played the wife of fellow veteran actor Joe Eyison and appeared alongside Emmanuel Agbenowu, Grace Ofoe, Osei Kwabena and Evans Oma Hunter.
From there, her acting career expanded across a wide range of productions. Her credits include “Lost Hope,” “Dza Gbele,” “Matters of the Heart,” “Sekina,” “Expectations,” “Jewels,” “Beasts of No Nation” (2015), “Ties That Bind” (2011), “Sinking Sands” (2011), “Nana Akoto” (1985), “Escape to Love” (1996) and “The Other Side of The Rich” (1992).
She also featured in several productions associated with the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), further cementing her place in the development of Ghana’s screen industry.
In later years, declining physical health and acute eyesight problems limited the demanding roles she could accept. Mobility challenges and difficulty reading lengthy scripts meant that she gradually moved away from physically intensive and heavily scripted productions.
Yet Nortey did not completely leave the stage or screen. She continued to take on smaller roles that demanded less physical movement and allowed greater room for improvisation.
Beyond her acting career, Nortey was an advocate for professional development within the industry. She repeatedly stressed the importance of actors receiving formal education and academic training in acting before committing themselves to full-time careers.
She was also a member of the Ghana Actors Guild, an organisation established to promote the welfare and interests of actors, including veterans who helped build the industry.
Nortey’s legacy extends beyond the list of productions in which she appeared. She belonged to a generation of performers who helped make Ghanaian theatre and television drama a defining part of popular culture.
She was a mother of five, including actress Sheila Nortey, who followed her into the acting profession.
