Nollywood actor Francis Duru dies at 57 after brief illness
- Francis Duru, the Nollywood actor known for Rattlesnake, has died at 57 after a brief illness.
- His family announced the death on his Instagram page early on Friday.
- Channels TV reported he died at the National Hospital Abuja on Thursday night.
Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru has died at the age of 57 after a brief illness. His family announced the death in a statement posted on his official Instagram page in the early hours of Friday.
"We, the family of Francis Duru, regret to announce his passing following a brief illness," the statement read. The family thanked fans for their prayers, love and understanding.
Channels TV, quoting a family source, reported that Duru died at about 10pm on Thursday at the National Hospital Abuja. He is survived by his wife and children.
For many Nigerians, Duru was one of the familiar faces of the home-video era, the actor you knew from the shelf of cassettes in the sitting room. He began acting in 1989 in Missing Mark, directed by the late Ndubuisi Oko. But it was his role as young Ahanna in the 1995 action film Rattlesnake, produced by the late Amaka Igwe, that made him a household name.
Born on July 27, 1969, in Cameroon to Nigerian parents from Imo State, he did his primary and secondary schooling there before moving to Nigeria. He studied Theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and graduated in 1996.
He stayed on screen for more than three decades, moving from VHS films to streaming. His credits include Blood Money (1997), Stigma (2013), Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons (2018), The Good Husband (2020) and Blood Vessel (2023). In 2020 he won Best Actor in a Leading Role (Igbo) at the Best of Nollywood Awards for Mboputa.
Beyond acting, he worked as a producer, director, voice-over artist and master of ceremonies. He was interim president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria in 2010 and received a United Nations Ambassador of Peace award in 2007.
Mourning in Nollywood
His death comes five weeks after the industry lost veteran actor Olu Jacobs. Veteran actor Kanayo O. Kanayo, mourning on Instagram, called Duru "one of the most flexible, prolific performers Nigeria ever produced" and said: "A consummate actor has left the stage."
It also comes two years after Duru lost his 15-year-old son, Ifeanyi, in August 2024. He publicly mourned the boy, describing him as a "champ" and a "lion" who fought fearlessly.
In June this year, Duru dismissed reports that he was battling a life-threatening illness. After a video showing him looking frail spread online, he posted a video calling the footage "fabricated and malicious".
Sources differ on the number of children he leaves behind. Punch reported that he married his wife, Adokiye, in 2003 and they had four children, while Channels TV said he is survived by his wife and two children.
His family has asked for prayers and understanding as they mourn.
