Veteran actor, Jimmy Johnson, better known for his character as ‘Okoro’ in the NTA TV drama series ‘The Village Headmaster’ of the 1980s is dead.
His death was announced by actress, Ms. Funke Kate Adepegba who disclosed that he died on Wednesday, July 8 at Garki Hospital, Abuja after a brief illness.
In 2017 when the deceased turned 77 on January 11, President Muhammadu Buhari in a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina extolled the exceptional talent, skills and versatility of the veteran actor.
The president said Johnson’s sterling performances in `The Village Headmaster’, `The Citizens’ and other soap operas, earned him massive reputation and recognition at both national and international levels.
According to the President, Johnson’s contribution to the movie industry, which ranks second in the world, remains indelible, especially as the actors now play major roles in national and global development.
Johnson’s acting career started on stage at a time when there was not much monetary reward in acting in Nigeria.
Johnson’s death came three months after Mr. Asuquo Ukwak who played the role of ‘Boniface’ and storekeeper in Okoro’s shop, died.
Ukwak’s death occurred on April 7.
His death was announced by the public relations officer of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Monalisa Coker.
The Village Headmaster was a television series which was shown on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) from 1968 to 1988.
