Eddie Tagoe
Eddie Tagoe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Eddie Nii Afutu Tagoe |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1971–1996 |
| Notable work | Top Secret! Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? |
Eddie Tagoe is a Ghanaian actor, musician and reflexologist, based in the United Kingdom.[1]
Early life
Eddie Tagoe was born Eddie Nii Afutu Tagoe to Chief Asafoatshe Ayah Tagoe.[2][3]
Tagoe travelled to London to study reflexology prior to pursuing acting. He then received a grant from the government of Ghana to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[2]
Acting
Tagoe is best-remembered for minor supporting roles in two film classics: As the hippie "Presuming Ed" in the 1987 film production of Withnail and I, a role that he resumed in 2000 in a stage production of the same work; and as one of the pirates in the 1981 movie Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Tagoe had a significantly larger part in his film debut, Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978),[2] and as "Chocolate Mousse" in the 1984 farce, Top Secret!. He appeared in various other roles such as Sgt. Gwambe in Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985), as well as The Dogs of War (1980), Pink Floyd The Wall (1982) and Spaghetti House (1982). Tagoe also appeared in episodes of a number of British television series, including Legacy of Murder, Prospects, and The Bill, becoming "a well-known face on British television as an actor".[4]
Tageo played the tumba, conga, maracas and the bongos on the 1972–1973 single "I Feel Funky" by Matata.[5]
Reflexology
In 1995, he returned to his original career choice when he was recruited to serve as team reflexologist for Newcastle United F.C.[6]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Black Joy | African Dustman | [7][8] | |
| 1978 | Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? | Mumbala | [9] | |
| 1979 | Arabian Adventure | Nubian | ||
| 1980 | The Dogs of War | Jinja | ||
| 1980 | The Boy Who Never Was | Ngalo | Made by the Children's Film Foundation | [10] |
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Messenger Pirate | ||
| 1982 | Pink Floyd The Wall | Minder | ||
| 1982 | Spaghetti House | Bill | ||
| 1984 | Top Secret! | Chocolate Mousse, Resistance Member | [11] | |
| 1985 | Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend | Sergeant Gambwe | [12] | |
| 1987 | Withnail and I | Presuming Ed | ||
| 1991 | Ama | Brother Josh | Last film role | [13][14] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Full House | Performer in Black Blast! | Season 1, Episode 13. Play by Lindsay Barrett. | [15][16] |
| 1996 | The Bill: Target | Mr. Henry | Crime / Drama |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971–1973 | Show Boat | Charlie, The Chorus | Adelphi Theatre | [17][18] | |
| 1972 | Oluwale | Horace Hames | Brighton Festival | Play by Jeremy Sandford. Also performed and broadcast on BBC Radio Brighton. | [19][20] |
| 1979 | King Kong | King Kong | His Majesty’s Theatre, Johannesburg | Lead role | [21][1] |
References
- ^ a b Fleming, Tyler (2020). ""Death Song": The 1979 Remake of King Kong and the Power of Cultural Memories under Apartheid". Opposing Apartheid on Stage: King Kong the Musical. Rochester, New York; Woodbridge, Suffolk: University of Rochester Press; Boydell & Brewer. pp. 228–272. ISBN 9781787446564.
- ^ a b c "Son Of African Royalty To Make His Film Debut", Jet (January 26, 1978), p. 56.
- ^ Fleming, Tyler (2020). "Notes". Opposing Apartheid on Stage: King Kong the Musical. Rochester, New York; Woodbridge, Suffolk: University of Rochester Press; Boydell & Brewer. pp. 363–375. ISBN 9781787446564.
- ^ R. Costello, Black Liverpool: The Early History of Britain's Oldest Black Community, 1730–1918 (2001), p. 40.
- ^ Dlamini, Sazi Stephen (2010). "Narratives of African identity in free jazz and avant-garde repertoires: Dudu's Pukwana's Assegai, Spear, Jabula-Spear and Zila repertoires as narratives of identity in exile". The South African Blue Notes: Bebop, Mbaqanga, Apartheid and the Exiling of a Musical Imagination. Durban: University of KwaZulu-Natal. p. 270. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ Simon Turnbull, "ROYAL APPOINTMENTS FOR NEWCASTLE SQUAD!", The Northern Echo, 11 February 1995.
- ^ "Black Joy". Collections Search. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ "Black Joy (1977) - Cast & Crew". Mubi. London. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?". Collections Search. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ "The Boy who Never Was". CFTF Films Catalogue. Borehamwood, Hertfordshire: The Children's Film & Television Foundation. 2005. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Top Secret! (1984) - Cast & Crew". Mubi. London. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985) - Cast & Crew". Mubi. London. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Ama (1991) - Cast & Crew". Mubi. London. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Ama - An African Voyage of Discovery - BFI Southbank Programme Notes". Southbank Programme Notes. London: British Film Institute. 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ Guernsey Jr., Otis L., ed. (1973). "The Season in London: Limited Runs of Interesting New British Plays". The Burns Mantle Yearbook: The Best Plays of 1972–1973. New York City: Dodd, Mead & Company. p. 106. ISBN 0-396-06878-2. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ "Full House [03/02/73]". Collections Search. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ Kreuger, Miles (1990). "Appendix B-Three London Productions". Show Boat: the story of a classic American musical (2 ed.). New York City: Da Capo Press. p. 220. ISBN 0-306-80401-8. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ Fielding, Harold; Kern, Jerome; Hammerstein II, Oscar (1972), Harold Fielding's London Production Of Show Boat, E.M.I (Australia); Columbia, retrieved 6 August 2025
- ^ Sandford, Jeremy (1974). SMILING DAVID: the story of David Oluwale. London: Calder & Boyars. ISBN 0-7145-1048-3. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ "Oluwale". BBC Programme Index, BBC Archive. London: BBC.
- ^ Oakes, Dougie, ed. (1988). Reader's Digest Illustrated History of South Africa: The Real Story (1 ed.). Cape Town: The Reader's Digest Association South Africa. p. 418. ISBN 0-89577-324-4. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
External links
- Eddie Tagoe at IMDb