Paul Danquah, born Joseph Paul Walcott^[1] (25 May 1925 – 13 August 2015), was a British film actor, known particularly for his role in the film A Taste of Honey (1961), adapted from the 1958 play of the same name written by Shelagh Delaney. He later became a barrister and a bank consultant.^[2] His father was the Ghanaian statesman J. B. Danquah.^[3][4]

He was born Joseph Paul Walcott in London, England, where he grew up.^[5] His mother, Bertha May Walcott, was English, and his father Joseph Boakye "J.B." Danquah was a Ghanaian politician and traditional aristocrat; Paul was the eldest of his many children from two marriages and various relationships.^[6]

Danquah studied law and was called to the bar at the Inner Temple, as well as in Ghana and in Washington, D.C. He subsequently worked as a consultant with the World Bank until his retirement in 1986,^[2][4] and while living in Washington befriended African-American arts practitioners including Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Roberta Flack and Nina Simone.^[7]

While still a student, Danquah made his acting debut in the British film A Taste of Honey (1961), featuring in the role of Jimmy.^[4][8] He shared a kiss with his co-star Rita Tushingham, which she claims was the first interracial kiss on screen.^[9] A review in The New York Times noted: "Paul Danquah in his movie debut as the Negro sailor, is gentle and subtle in a small but demanding role".^[10] He presented the BBC Two television series Play School in 1965 and is reported to have been the first black presenter of a children's programme in the UK.^[11]

Painter Francis Bacon lived with Danquah and Danquah's partner Peter Pollock (19 November 1919 – 18 July 2001)^[12] in their Battersea flat from 1956 to 1961.^[4][13] During this period, in late 1961, Danquah arranged for Don Bachardy to draw Bacon.^[14] Danquah moved with Pollock to Tangier, Morocco, in the late 1970s.^[4] In the late 1990s, Danquah and Pollock discovered a suitcase containing drawings by Bacon; these drawings were acquired by the Tate in 1996 and exhibited in 1999.^[12][15][16]

Danquah died in Tangier on 13 August 2015 at the age of 90; according to his niece Meri Nana-Ama Danquah, he was buried in Boubana Cemetery, beside Peter Pollock, as he had requested in his will.^[6]