08/09/2026
Mister Johnson (1990) is set in 1923 colonial Nigeria and follows the title character (played by Maynard Eziashi), an educated Nigerian clerk who idolizes British culture and works for the local colonial magistrate, played by Pierce Brosnan. It’s a story about identity, assimilation, and the tragic cost of trying to belong to a system that will never fully accept you. It was directed by Bruce Beresford, shot on location in Jos, Nigeria, and based on Joyce Cary’s 1939 novel.
Chief Hubert Ogunde, already a towering figure as the father of Nigerian theatre, played Brimah, Mister Johnson’s father-in-law.
During filming, he fell seriously ill. He was flown to London for treatment, but rather than staying to recover, he asked to be flown back to Jos so he could finish his scenes and honor his commitment to the production. He completed his role. Shortly after, his condition worsened, and he was flown back to London’s Cromwell Hospital, where he died on April 4, 1990, before the film was even released. The movie ended up dedicated to his memory.
It’s a striking footnote: a man who spent over 40 years building modern Nigerian theatre chose, in his final act on screen, to finish the job rather than walk away, speaking pidgin in what became his last recorded performance.
