The top 10 Ghanaian actors in Nollywood include Majid Michel, Van Vicker, John Dumelo, Chris Attoh, Kofi Adjorlolo, Prince David Osei, Adjetey Anang, Eddie Nartey, Ekow Smith-Asante and Kwadwo Nkansah. These Ghanaian actors in Nigerian movies have appeared in productions made in Nigeria or through Ghana-Nigeria film partnerships.
The link between Ghanaian cinema and Nollywood grew sharply from 2006 to 2007, when Nigerian filmmaker Frank Rajah Arase worked with Ghanaian production company Venus Films. The partnership helped introduce actors including Van Vicker, Majid Michel and John Dumelo to mainstream Nigerian films.
As the two industries worked more closely, Ghanaian stars began appearing alongside leading Nigerian actors. Majid Michel and Van Vicker became regular faces in Nigerian movies, while John Dumelo later appeared in Nigerian productions including Blood Vessel. Chris Attoh also worked extensively in Nigerian television and film, including Tinsel and Flower Girl.
The list below ranks the Ghanaian Nollywood actors with notable Nigerian film credits and sustained careers across the Ghanaian and Nigerian film industries.
Top 10 Ghanaian Actors in Nollywood
1. Majid Michel
Majid Michel is one of the best-known Ghanaian actors in Nollywood, with a film career that has taken him from Ghanaian television and cinema into major Nigerian productions. He first gained attention as Shaker in the Ghanaian television series Things We Do for Love before moving into feature films. He starred in Divine Love alongside Jackie Appiah and Van Vicker, which helped establish him as a leading Ghanaian screen actor.
Michel entered Nollywood during the period when Nigerian director Frank Rajah Arase worked with Ghanaian producer Abdul Salam Mumuni of Venus Films. Their productions featured Michel in films such as Crime to Christ (2007), Agony of Christ (2008), Heart of Men (2009), The Game (2010) and Who Loves Me? (2010).
In 2009, Michel made his Nollywood debut in Emerald, where he starred alongside Genevieve Nnaji. He followed the film with Silent Scandals, Guilty Pleasures and Bursting Out, adding several Nigerian productions to his growing filmography.
Michel then took on the lead role of a military dictator in Somewhere in Africa. His performance earned him the 2012 Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He later returned to Nigerian cinema with films including Knocking on Heaven’s Door, Being Mrs. Elliot, 30 Days in Atlanta, Brother’s Keeper and Road to Yesterday.
In Knocking on Heaven’s Door, Michel played Thomas Da’Costa, a music producer who becomes involved in the troubled marriage at the centre of the story. Desmond Elliot directed the 2014 Nigerian musical drama, while Ini Edo and Emem Isong served as producers.
Michel also appeared as Adetola Briggs in 30 Days in Atlanta. Ayo Makun produced the 2014 Nigerian comedy and Robert Peters directed it. The cast included Ramsey Nouah, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Desmond Elliot, Mercy Johnson, Omoni Oboli and Juliet Ibrahim. The film earned about ₦163 million in Nigerian cinemas.
For Knocking on Heaven’s Door, Michel won Actor of the Year (Africa) at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
His Nigerian film credits continued with Road to Yesterday, The Department, Slow Country, Thank God It’s Friday, Tòkunbò and other productions.
2. Van Vicker
Van Vicker is a Ghanaian actor, director and producer whose career spans Ghanaian cinema and Nollywood. He entered film in 2004 with Divine Love, appearing with Majid Michel and Jackie Appiah.
His early credits included Beyonce: The President’s Daughter, Mummy’s Daughter and Princess Tyra. Nigerian productions later brought him together with stars such as Mercy Johnson, Tonto Dikeh, Stephanie Okereke, Chika Ike and Jim Iyke.
Among his Nollywood films are My Soul Mate, Heart of Fire, Popular King and Gambling with Marriage. His other credits include Harvest of Love, Stolen Will, The Joy of a Prince, Discovered, The Kingdom and Against the Law.
Van Vicker moved into filmmaking in addition to acting. He founded Sky + Orange Productions in 2008 and has worked on projects as a director and producer. Joni Waka, released in 2012, was among his directing and production credits.
The film earned him the Best Actor in a Lead Role award in English Language at the 2012 Ghana Movie Awards. Joni Waka also won the Best Directing award in the English Language category.
His film credits extend into the 2020s. African Movie Database lists Escape From Vows and Eligible Bachelors among his 2025 credits. The database also lists Royal Crown, Energy For Energy, Compliance, Leverage and Managing Director under his 2026 credits.
3. John Dumelo
John Dumelo is one of Ghana’s best-known actors to have built a career across Ghanaian and Nigerian film productions. His filmography includes Heart of Men, The Game, 4Play, Blackmoney, Love or Something Like That, Double Cross, Blood Vessel and Hijack ’93.
Dumelo starred alongside Majid Michel, Prince David Osei, Kofi Adjorlolo, Jackie Appiah, Nadia Buari and Yvonne Nelson in Heart of Men, the 2009 Ghanaian-Nigerian thriller written and directed by Frank Rajah Arase. Dumelo played Kay in the film, which was later reissued internationally as Forbidden Fruit.
His early work also included The Maidens, A Private Storm, The Supremo and The Game. Dumelo received an Africa Movie Academy Awards nomination for Africa’s Most Promising Actor for Heart of Men and a Best Actor nomination at the Best of Nollywood Awards for The Maidens. He also received a Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination at the 2011 Best of Nollywood Awards for A Private Storm.
In 2023, Dumelo joined the cast of Blood Vessel, a Nigerian thriller directed by Moses Inwang and released on Netflix on 8 December. He played Commander John Abe alongside Dibor Adaobi, David Ezekiel, Swanky JKA, Levi Chikere and other Nigerian actors.
Blood Vessel recorded 4.4 million views between 11 and 17 December 2023 and spent two weeks in Netflix’s Global Top 10. Netflix ranked it first on its Non-English Films list for that week.
Dumelo received a nomination for Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2024 Ghana Movie Awards for Blood Vessel. The category also featured Kofi Adjorlolo, Van Vicker, Majid Michel and Clement Bonney.
In 2024, Dumelo appeared in Hijack ’93 as Captain Ambrose. Robert Peters directed the Netflix film, which dramatises the 1993 hijacking of a Nigerian Airways flight.
4. Chris Attoh
Chris Attoh became a familiar face in Nollywood through Tinsel, where he played Kwame Mensah from 2008 to 2013. The Nigerian television drama gave him one of his best-known roles and led to further work in Nigerian film and television.
After Tinsel, Attoh moved into Nigerian cinema with roles in Flower Girl, Journey to Self, A Trip to Jamaica, In Line, Lotanna, The In-Laws and Sylvia. In Flower Girl, a 2013 Nigerian romantic comedy, he played Umar Abubakar alongside Damilola Adegbite and Blossom Chukwujekwu.
His role in Sylvia gave him one of his notable Nigerian film performances. Attoh played Richard Okezie, a man whose childhood imaginary friend, Sylvia, remains part of his life after he grows up. Daniel Oriahi directed the 2018 Nigerian supernatural thriller, which also starred Zainab Balogun and Ini Dima-Okojie.
Attoh also starred as Gabby in Potato Potahto, the 2017 Ghanaian-Nigerian romantic comedy directed by Shirley Frimpong-Manso. The cast included Ghanaian actors Joselyn Dumas and Adjetey Anang alongside Nigerian stars Joke Silva, OC Ukeje and Blossom Chukwujekwu.
His film credits also include The Perfect Picture: Ten Years Later, A Soldier’s Story 2: Return from the Dead, Nine, Finding Odera and The Waiter. He also directed and executive-produced Nine, adding filmmaking and production to his acting career.
5. Kofi Adjorlolo
Kofi Adjorlolo worked in music and broadcasting before he entered acting. He built his film career in Ghana and has also appeared in Ghanaian-Nigerian productions.
His early screen work included My Mother’s Heart, Princess Tyra, Heart of Men, Ties That Bind and Single and Married. In Somewhere in Africa, he played General Olemba and won Best Cameo Actor at the 2011 Ghana Movie Awards.
Adjorlolo later appeared in A Northern Affair, Ghana Must Go, Different Worlds, The Will and End of the Will. His credits also include Aloe Vera, A Taste of Sin and The Scuffle.
He featured in Hero: Inspired by the Extraordinary Life and Times of Mr. Ulric Cross and later appeared in films such as Chemistry, We Are All Yours, My Crazy Rich Girlfriend, The Englishman, Daddy, Through His Eyes and The Storm. His role in Ghana Must Go earned him a nomination at the 2017 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.
6. Prince David Osei
Prince David Osei has appeared in both Ghanaian and Nigerian productions, including Last Night, Hero, Forbidden Fruit, The Nanny and Things Fall Apart. He also played Sergeant Daniel Dembele in the British film The Dead.
His film credits later included Roommate Couple in 2023, followed by Letters to Goddo and 13 Kinds of Women in 2024. Other productions in his filmography include Flight by Night, Fix Us, Charlie Charlie and Sade.
Osei has received acting awards, including Best Actor at the City People Entertainment Awards and Best Actor in a Lead Role at the African International Film Festival Awards in Dallas in 2019.
In 2026, Ghana’s National Film Authority included Osei in its actor spotlights. His Nigerian film credits also include several productions that link his career to Nollywood.
7. Adjetey Anang
Adjetey Anang became a familiar face on Ghanaian television through Things We Do for Love, where he played Pusher. He later moved between television, theatre and film, building a career that includes productions from Ghana and Nigeria.
Among his better-known films are The Perfect Picture, A Sting in a Tale, Potomanto, Double-Cross, Devil in the Detail, Potato Potahto and Borga. His performance in The Perfect Picture earned him the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2010. He won the category again for Borga in 2022.
Nigerian productions have also featured the Ghanaian actor. He plays a role in Phoenix Fury, a film directed by Ifeoma Chukwuogo. Richard Mofe-Damijo, Tina Mba, Ama K. Abebrese, Ijeoma Grace Agu and Onyinye Odokoro are also part of the cast.
Phoenix Fury won Best Film and Best Director at the 2024 Africa International Film Festival. Nile Entertainment has scheduled the film for release in Nigerian cinemas on 30 October 2026.
8. Eddie Nartey
Eddie Nartey is a Ghanaian actor, director and film producer who began his acting career in 2004. He has worked in Ghanaian and Ghana-Nigeria film productions.
Nartey played Godknows in Ties That Bind, the 2011 drama directed by Leila Djansi. He appeared alongside John Dumelo, Kofi Adjorlolo and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde. He also played Pascal in Frank Rajah Arase’s Somewhere in Africa.
His other acting credits include The Return of Beyonce, Crime to Christ, Passion of the Soul, Number One Fan, Shattered Romance, In April, The New Adabraka, The Don and Wedlock of the Gods.
Nartey later took up directing, with credits including Could This Be Love, Shattered Romance, Royal Diadem, Beautiful Ruins, In April, The New Adabraka, Woman at War, Okada, Kofi Abebrese, Frema and That Night. He also wrote Royal Diadem and directed Shattered Romance, which featured Juliet Ibrahim.
9. Ekow Smith-Asante
Ekow Smith-Asante became one of the Ghanaian actors involved in the Ghana-Nigeria film collaborations that expanded during the 2000s. He has worked as an actor, director, producer, production designer and television personality.
His acting credits include Behind Lies, Pit of Shame, Darkness of Sorrow, Her Excellency, Mummy Daughter, The Ultimate Sacrifice, Devil in the Detail, Heartless and 3 Can Play. He also appeared in Frank Rajah’s Somewhere in Africa.
Smith-Asante became one of the actors associated with the early Ghana-Nigeria movie partnerships. In 2013, he spoke about the Ghana-Nigerian film business and his involvement in productions made through those collaborations.
His career also extends beyond acting. Smith-Asante has worked in production and television, while his screen career has included leading and supporting roles in Ghanaian films.
10. Kwadwo Nkansah (Lil Win)
Kwadwo Nkansah is the real name of Lil Win, one of Kumawood’s familiar actors. He also works as a comedian and musician.
His film credits include A Country Called Ghana, Made in Agege, Mr. President, Mad Queen and The Cursed Treasure. Agya Koo, Kwaku Manu and Mercy Asiedu are among the Ghanaian actors he has worked with.
Lil Win appeared in A Country Called Ghana, which also featured Nigerian actor Ramsey Nouah. The film earned a nomination at the 2024 Nollywood Film Festival in Germany.
Most of Lil Win’s acting work comes from Ghana’s Kumawood industry. His appearances in films connected to Nigerian cinema have also brought him into the wider Ghana-Nigeria film scene.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most famous Ghanaian actor in Nollywood?
Majid Michel is among the Ghanaian actors best known to Nigerian audiences. He starred in Silent Scandals with Genevieve Nnaji and later took roles in films such as The Game, Bursting Out and 30 Days in Atlanta.
Which Ghanaian actors have acted in Nollywood?
Majid Michel, Van Vicker and John Dumelo are among the Ghanaian men who have worked in Nollywood. Kofi Adjorlolo, Chris Attoh and Prince David Osei have also taken roles in Nigerian productions. Jackie Appiah, Nadia Buari, Yvonne Nelson, Juliet Ibrahim and Joselyn Dumas have done the same.
Is John Dumelo a Nollywood actor?
John Dumelo is a Ghanaian actor with credits in both countries. Nigerian films such as The Game, Men in Love and One Night in Vegas feature among his work.
Is Van Vicker Ghanaian or Nigerian?
Van Vicker is Ghanaian. He started out in radio and moved into acting soon afterwards. Divine Love was one of his early films, alongside Majid Michel and Jackie Appiah. He later appeared in Nigerian productions including Heart of Fire and Discovered.
Which Ghanaian actors are famous in Nigeria?
Majid Michel, Van Vicker and John Dumelo became familiar names among Nigerian film audiences. Jackie Appiah, Nadia Buari, Yvonne Nelson and Juliet Ibrahim also gained Nigerian audiences through their film work.
Which Ghanaian male actors have acted in Nollywood?
Majid Michel, Van Vicker, John Dumelo, Kofi Adjorlolo, Chris Attoh and Prince David Osei have all worked in Nigerian productions. Their credits cover films released during different periods of Ghana-Nigeria collaboration.
Did Nollywood make Ghanaian actors famous?
No. Several of these performers were already established in Ghana before they entered Nigerian productions. Kofi Adjorlolo said in 2025 that Ghanaian actors had gained popularity in Ghana before Nigerian producers began hiring them.
When did Ghanaian actors start appearing in Nollywood?
Their presence became more noticeable in the mid-2000s. The period around 2006 and 2007 saw closer links between Ghanaian producers and Nigerian filmmakers, including Frank Rajah Arase and Venus Films. Van Vicker, Majid Michel and John Dumelo later became familiar faces in Nigerian cinema.
Which Nollywood movies feature Ghanaian actors?
Ghanaian performers have appeared in Nigerian films including Silent Scandals, Guilty Pleasures, Heart of Men, The Game, Bursting Out, 30 Days in Atlanta and One Night in Vegas. Majid Michel, Van Vicker and John Dumelo feature among the Ghanaian names in these productions.
Are Ghanaian actors part of Nollywood?
Ghanaian actors can take roles in Nollywood while remaining Ghanaian performers. Ghana and Nigeria maintain separate film industries, but actors from both countries have worked across the two markets for years.
