Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru has died at the age of 57 following a brief illness, his family announced in the early hours of Friday, October 23.
The family confirmed his death in a statement posted on the actor’s official Instagram page. “We, the family of Francis Duru, regret to announce his passing following a brief illness,” the statement read. “We appreciate your prayers, love, and understanding. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.”
The Actors Guild of Nigeria also confirmed the death. Its national secretary, Ify Okeke, said the industry had “lost one of our own” and asked colleagues to pray for the family. Guild president Abubakar Sanusi Yakubu wrote: “Another great thespian gone. Rest in peace, Francis Duru.” Actor Desmond Elliot called him “a true thespian”. Fellow actors Kanayo O Kanayo and Kate Henshaw joined tributes from across Nollywood on Friday.
Duru rose to fame playing Ahanna Okolo, the young lead in Amaka Igwe’s 1995 classic Rattlesnake, one of the landmark productions of early Nollywood. His screen career began in 1989 with Missing Mark and spanned more than three decades, from the VHS home-video era to streaming. His filmography included Blood Money (1997), Forces of Nature (2006), Home in Exile (2010), Stigma (2013), Lipstick (2016), Who Killed Chief? (2017), Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons (2018), in which he played Inspector Jack, The Good Husband (2020) and the 2023 Netflix thriller Blood Vessel.
Born on July 27, 1969, in Cameroon to Nigerian parents from Imo State, Duru moved to Nigeria for university and studied Theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt, graduating in 1996. He won Best Actor in a Leading Role (Igbo) at the 2020 Best of Nollywood Awards for Mboputa, was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2010 Africa Movie Academy Awards, and that same year served as interim president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria. He was also named a United Nations ambassador of peace for his work with young people.
The death came months after he publicly pushed back on false health rumours. In June, concern spread among fans when a video of the actor looking frail circulated online, and he responded by sharing footage dismissing it as “fabricated and malicious”.
Duru married his wife, Adokiye, in 2003 and they had four children. The family lost one of the children, 15-year-old Ifeanyi, in August 2024, a tragedy the actor later said deepened his faith. Funeral details had not been announced as of Friday.
Sources: The Guardian Nigeria, Punch, TVC News
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