Remembering Ronald Goshop

Throughout Jamaica’s rich history in the performing arts, only a handful of thespians have defied all obstacles to become household names engraved in the minds of Jamaicans of all ages.

It is among this cohort that Ronald Goshop stands proudly.

Whether you knew him as Fudge from The Mighty Quinn or Mackie from Royal Palm Estate, Goshop was an actor known for his dedication and passion for playing authentically Jamaican roles.

The noted thespian died on Wednesday after he was reportedly found unresponsive in his home.

In the eyes of his peers, Goshop’s innate ability to take any character and make it his own, forms part of the direct reason he was so loved and adored by audiences worldwide.

“On the occasions I have worked with Ronald, both as an actor and a playwright, I found he had this ability to search for the authenticity of a character…to find the real, real [Jamaicaness] of a character,” said veteran playwright and producer Basil Dawkins.

“For Ronald, that authenticity came out in this kind of trickster or one-up-ster that Jamaicans are known for. [In] the characters he played, he was able to infuse this almost badman quality that Jamaicans really love. And this led to him being loved by a wide range of audiences,” Dawkins continued.

A similar sentiment was shared by another one of Goshop’s long-time directors, Lennie Little-White, who directed and produced the popular Jamaican TV drama Royal Palm Estate.

According to Little-White, Goshop was a “versatile professional” who made keeping Jamaicans entertained his “primary business”.

‘A TRUE PROFESSIONAL’

“He took his business very seriously…Goshop was a true professional. He studied serious theatre all over, but he never left it there. He took it with him and applied it every time he played Mackie,” Little-White told The Sunday Gleaner.

While Goshop played it very big and boldly on the screen and the stage, his private life was a little more reserved and quiet. In fact, some of his peers even joked that the veteran actor wasn’t even known by his neighbours in his community.

Tributes have since continued to roll in for Goshop. In a release sent on Thursday, Entertainment and Culture Minister Olivia Grange said “Ronald’s talent and charm shone brightly on our screens, and his performances brought joy, laughter, and excitement to countless viewers, making him a household name.”

With an acting career of almost 40 years, Goshop has one of the most acclaimed résumés in Jamaica’s performing arts industry.

One of Goshop’s first breakout roles was playing one of the robbers in the 1974 play, Ali Baba. Coming off the success of that play, Goshop would feature in other celebrated stage productions throughout the ‘70s. This included Don’t Wake The Baby (1977) and Wipe That Smile (1978), where Goshop was lauded by critics for his role as the flamboyant character, Prettywalks. In 1979, he starred alongside Carl Bradshaw in the play, Godson. Godson, ushered in a new era of Jamaica theatre, by having its performances on weekdays and not the more traditional weekend performances.

By November 1980, Goshop spearheaded the comedic thriller play, Victim. By 1981, he wrote, directed and starred in the play Naked Angels. Throughout the decade, he had roles in other plays such as Greasy Spoon (1982), Whiplash (1983), Bodymoves (1984), Poly-Tricks (1985), Ramroad (1987), Sugar D (1988), Level Vibes (1988) and Higglers (1989). Around this time, Goshop expanded to the cinematic arts and one of his biggest roles up to this point would be in the 1989 film, The Mighty Quinn.

HIT PLAY

Goshop began the ’90s in the starring role in Stafford Ashanti’s comedy, Foreign Mind. He alternated the leading male role with Baldwin Rowe. There was also the hit play Don-Man Part 2 (1991). His performance as Dick Tracy got rave reviews where The Gleaner reported:

“Ronald Goshop plays a crooked cop and he is very delightful. He hardly speaks at all but his timing, expression and movements are worth going miles to see.”

His other plays throughout the decade included Trailer Load Ah Dollars (1991), Coming in from The Cold (1993), ¼ to 12 (1997), Champagne and Sky Juice (1998) and Rosie (1999).

Still, the ‘90s marked the zenith of Goshop’s career on local television. One of his first acclaimed roles came in 1992 when he joined the cast of the family drama series, Win Some/Lose Some. However, his most well-known role was the character Mackie on the hit TV show, Royal Palm Estate. Goshop’s standout performance would inspire a spin-off TV show based on his character. Traxx, which premiered on CVM-TV on September 16, 1997, followed Mackie who through a stroke of luck became a millionaire and used his newfound wealth to fulfil his dream of becoming an impresario in the music industry. In the same year, Goshop had a small role as a taxi driver, in what would become one of Jamaica’s most successful movies, Dancehall Queen.

In the new millennium, alongside his role in Royal Palm Estate, Goshop starred, directed and produced the play, Undercover Lover (2005). After a brief hiatus from acting, he returned to the stage in 2008, in the Oliver Samuels-produced play, Moon River. As he told The Gleaner in a June 2008 interview:

“The break jus’ happen and I took advantage of it. I used the opportunity to reinvent myself.”

Reinvent himself he did, for around this time, Goshop was attending the Edna Manley College of the Visual Arts and Performing Arts while teaching at Excelsior High School. In the same year, Goshop wrote and directed the play, Pastor Heeden. A year later, he starred in the play, Dream Merchant.

In the years that followed, Goshop would continue to mould young Jamaicans creatively as he continued his teaching career. He spent almost 25 years as an educator.

Still, in the wake of his death, the curtain will never go down on his legacy in Jamaica’s theatre, film and television industry.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com