Van Vicker

Before he was a film star, Joseph van Vicker was a radio and TV presenter. He started on TV3 in 1997, moved through Groove FM, Vibe FM and Metro TV, and only made his first film, Divine Love, in the early 2000s. Within a few years he was one of the most familiar faces in Ghanaian and Nigerian film.

Early life

He was born on 1 August 1977 in Accra to a Ghanaian-Liberian mother and a Dutch father, who died when he was six. He attended Mfantsipim School, where his schoolmates included Majid Michel. In 2021, 24 years after he first enrolled, he graduated from the African University College of Communications.

Film career

Divine Love put him alongside Jackie Appiah and Majid Michel, and the three became the core of a run of popular Ghanaian romances. His films include Beyoncé: The President's Daughter (2006), Mummy's Daughter (2006), Princess Tyra (2007), Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark (2011) and One Night in Vegas (2013), along with many Nollywood titles such as Heart of Fire and Stolen Will. He also appeared in the TV series Sun City.

He runs his own production company, Sky + Orange Productions, under which he has directed, produced and starred in films since 2008. Its comedy Joni Waka (2012) won him Best Actor in a local film at the 2013 Ghana Movie Awards. He was named Best Actor in the African film category at the 2009 Afro-Hollywood Awards and received the Africa Channel's Creative Achievement Award at the Pan African Film Festival in 2011.

Defamation suit against Lil Win

In October 2026 he sued Lil Win for defamation at the High Court in Accra, seeking GH₵10 million in exemplary damages and a public apology over an August 2026 video in which Lil Win accused him of failing to meet his obligations on a film production. On 15 October he wrote that "defamation is not freedom of expression". The court had not ruled.

Family

He married Adjoa on 16 October 2003, and they have three children.