Joseph van Vicker (born 1 August 1977),
better known as Van Vicker, is a
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
ian actor, film director and humanitarian. He is the chief executive officer of Sky + Orange production, a film production house. Van Vicker received two nominations for "Best Actor in a Leading Role" and "Best Upcoming Actor" at the
Africa Movie Academy Awards
The Africa Movie Academy Awards is an annual entertainment award ceremony presented to recognize excellence among African and non-African professionals, who have contributed to the African film industry. The award was founded by Peace Anyiam-Osig ...
in 2008.
Early life
Vicker was born in Accra, Ghana to a Ghanaian mother and a
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
father.
His father died when he was six years old.
[
Vicker attended ]Mfantsipim School
Mfantsipim School is an all-boys boarding secondary school in Cape Coast, Ghana, established by the Methodist Church in 1876 to foster intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth on the then Gold Coast. Its founding name was Wesleyan High Scho ...
, along with fellow actor Majid Michel. He graduated from the African University College of Communications in 2021.
Personal life
Vicker married Adjoa on 16 October 2003. When they celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary, he thanked God and also praised his wife for always being by his side.
Career
Television
Vicker started out in the entertainment world in radio as a presenter at Groove 106.3 fm (1999–2000) and Vibe 91.9fm (2001–2004) and as a television personality for TV3 Ghana
TV3 is a Ghanaian free-to-air television network in Ghana. Launched in 1997 by Malaysian company Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad, TV3 airs and produces a variety of television programmes including news bulletins, dramas and reality television a ...
(1997–1999) & Metro TV (2000–2004), Vicker appeared in the Ghanaian television series ''Sun city'', which depicted university life. He played the character of LeRoy King Jr., a Fine Arts student born in the U.S. who arrives at Sun City to complete his education. The series ran for a total of 10 episodes.
Film
Soon, Vicker was cast in his first film ''Divine Love'' as a supporting character. This film coincidentally, was also the debut roles for fellow actors Jackie Appiah and Majid Michel who were cast as the female and male lead respectively.
Vicker is usually cast as the male romantic lead, often alongside actresses Jackie Appiah and Nadia Buari
Nadia Buari (born November 21, 1982) is a Ghanaian actress. She received two nominations for Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, in a Leading R ...
. He is often compared to fellow Ghanaian actor Majid Michel and Nigerian Ramsey Nouah
Ramsey Nouah (born Ramsey Tokunbo Nouah Jr.; 19 December 1970) is a Nigerian actor and director. He won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2010 for his performance in the movie '' The Figurine''. He made his direc ...
.
Nollywood breakthrough
Vicker has appeared in numerous Nollywood
Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...
films alongside prominent Nollywood actors, including Tonto Dikeh
Tonto Charity Dikeh (born 9 June 1985) is a Nigerians, Nigerian actress, singer, songwriter, and humanitarian. On 27 August 2000, Dikeh set up her foundation, the Tonto Dikeh Foundation.
In June 2022, Dikeh was announced as the deputy governo ...
, Mercy Johnson, Stephanie Okereke
Stephanie Okereke Linus (born as Stephanie Onyekachi Okereke; 2 October 1982) is a Nigerian actress, film director and model. She has received several awards and nominations for her work as an actress, including the 2003 Reel Award for Best Actr ...
, Chika Ike
Chika Nancy Ike (born 8 November 1985) is a Nigerian actress, television personality, producer, businesswoman, philanthropist and former model.
Biography
Ike was born in Onitsha, Anambra, Anambra state, located in the southeastern region of Nige ...
and Jim Iyke
James Ikechukwu Esomugha, popularly known as Jim Iyke (born 25 September 1976), is a Nigerian actor and one of the stars of the movie ''Last Flight to Abuja''.
Early life and education
He was born in Libreville, Gabon. His parents, from Ogw ...
. His Nollywood movies include; ''My Soul Mate'', ''Heart of Fire'', ''Popular King'', ''Gambling with Marriage'', ''Harvest of Love'', ''Stolen Will'', ''The Joy of a Prince'', ''Discovered'', ''The Kingdom'' and ''Against the law''.
International success
Vicker has directed, starred in, and produced five films under his Sky + Orange Productions since 2008. 2012 was the biggest year for his production house, earning him the NAFCA Best Actor and Director Awards for his comedy movie, ''Joni Waka''.
Vicker has been nominated for and won numerous awards from Africa to the Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
. Awards include Ghana Movie Awards, ACRAG awards and the Nollywood Academy Films Critics’ Awards. In 2009, he won the Best African Caribbean Actor and Best Actor African American and in 2011, he won the Pan African creative actor. In 2013, he won the Best International Actor award at the Papyrus Magazine Screen Actors Awards (PAMSAA) 2013, which was held in Abuja
Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...
, Nigeria.
Awards and nominations
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vicker, Van
1977 births
Living people
Mfantsipim School alumni
Dutch male film actors
Liberian male film actors
Ghanaian male film actors
Ghanaian people of Liberian descent
Ghanaian people of Dutch descent
21st-century Ghanaian male actors
Ghanaian film actors
Actors from Accra
Ghanaian male actors