Grace Nortey (1 February 1937 – 26 August 2026) was a Ghanaian actress who played several lead roles on Ghanaian television.She was active in the film, theatre, and drama industries for over five decades and was considered to have been one of the veterans of Ghanaian theatre and drama.
Early life
Grace Nortey was born on 1 February 1937.
Nortey had five children, including Sheila Nortey who is also an actress.
Career
Nortey played different roles and starred in several movie productions released by the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI).
She was often typecast as a feisty, vocal, assertive, eloquent, simple and straightforward, and strong-willed matriarch who confronted outmoded and discriminatory traditions and practices, including the deeply conservative views of the patriarchy, male dominance, backward and dehumanizing gender-based violence, class discrimination, institutional corruption, and social injustice, among others.[citation needed]
She was particularly active between the 1980s and the turn of the millennium—the period often described as the golden age of Ghanaian theatre and drama when primetime evening entertainment TV programmes such as "Obra," "Osofo Dadzie," "Key Soap Concert Party," "Cantata," "Taxi Driver," and "Thursday Theatre" were at the height of their popularity. She had starred in numerous stage productions before appearing in film and television. Before gaining fame on television, she hosted a radio talk show for Ga women that sought to empower women ("Nyeawokoshie") on Radio One in the 1970s. Her first major appearance on the screen was in the 1986 King Ampaw/Peter Wohlgemuth-Reinery co-produced Afro Movies comic film "Juju," where she played the wife of fellow veteran actor Joe Eyison, alongside the likes of Emmanuel Agbenowu, Grace Ofoe, Osei Kwabena, and Evans Oma Hunter, among others. Some of her most notable movies include Lost Hope, Dza Gbele, Matters of the Heart, Sekina, Expectations, Jewels, Beasts of No Nation (2015) which starred Abraham Atta as Aku, Ties That Bind (2011), Sinking Sands (2011), Nana Akoto (1985), Escape to Love (1996), and The Other Side of The Rich (1992), among others.
Problems with her physical health that became chronic and acute eyesight issues in later years meant that she no longer took on highly scripted or physically demanding acting roles due to restrictions on her mobility and the challenges of reading long scripts. Nonetheless, she still performed minor roles in movies and drama, which required less physical movement and also provided greater scope for on-set improvisation.
Advocacy
Nortey was a member of the Ghana Actors Guild, which seeks to promote the welfare of members past and present.
She furthermore stressed the need for actors to obtain formal education and academic training in acting before pursuing a full-time career in the industry.
Death
In her later years, Grace Nortey encountered the typical challenges associated with aging, such as health issues and a reduced role in the entertainment industry. She died on 26 August 2026, at the age of 89.
