Veteran Ghanaian actor, David Dontoh, has appeared on the Y Leaderboard Series show to connect with the youth through the inspiring life journey he shared with host Rev. Erskine.
The conversation with David touched on his upbringing, his education, acting career, family and his personal motivations.
The actor revealed that he had developed a passion for acting during his secondary school days at Apam Senior High School when he used to write poetry, plays and novels. He shared that as an avid reader, he was just moved to switch to being a writer and that is where he discovered that he had a thing for literature.
Just when he had begun his acting career, his father opposed his path as it was expected that he enrols in medical school, to establish himself as a medical doctor in the future. But David took a different path and that intensified the pressure and rift at home.
“My dad was not speaking to me for two and half years because I continued to develop the passion for acting. He only talked to me when he saw my name in the newspapers that I had won an award for best actor. He gave me a suit he had never worn before to wear for the ceremony. He then followed me to the ceremony after which our relationship became stable,” he stated.
David however, noted that he clearly understood his father’s concern as he [David] was not the first to venture into acting. “My dad’s younger brother who was an actor far better than me and a member of the Happy Stars band had to endure strong family opposition that he had to resort to drinking which eventually killed him. The family regarded that path he took as ‘concert’ and so they opposed it”, he explained.
Even though he was not able to pursue medicine, he says doing his job as an actor, he realized that he was also a doctor, a preacher and a teacher and that is basically what every other actor is because “you heal, you teach and you preach the gospel” in the acting.
As a veteran in the industry, David has shared some words of wisdom with the youth who seek to pursue a “strong career” in the entertainment industry.
“Theatre is the seed of all entertainment. Everything entertainment starts from theatre. We have radio theatre, we have theatre on stage and we have TV theatre and theatre on screen as in film so you realize that theatre cuts across. So, my first advice to the youth is that if you want to really be somebody in the entertainment industry, study theatre very well. This is because that is what will give you the leverage to find your level and to be able to do virtually everything,” he told Rev.Erskine.
Commenting on his family life, David Dontoh revealed that he has two wonderful kids with his wife. Meanwhile, the whole family resides abroad while he is all alone in the country; alone time that he says allows him to be creative.
Programmes Manager of YFM, Eddy Blay was so enthused about the riveting interview with David Dontoh that he had this to say: “It was an honour to host the legendary David Dontoh on the Y Leaderboard Series. There were so many discoveries of his life that we were glad to know. His interview just revealed that every activity he has ever involved himself in was for a purpose; a purpose of impacting the lives of others. We are really thrilled to have used our platform to bring this enterprising personality closer to the youth”.
