Akosua Busia from 'The Color Purple' Is Now 52 & Shares Photo of Daughter Who Looks like Her

Ghanaian actress Akosua Busia is better known for her role as Nettie in the film “The Color Purple.” But that role doesn’t compare to the one as the mother to a 22-year-old daughter, Hadar, who is her look-alike.

Akosua Busia will be celebrating her 53rd birthday this upcoming December, and she has never looked better.

The actress, writer, director, and songwriter recently took to Instagram to share a series of pics and videos of and with her daughter, Hadar, who is a 22-year-old college student and actress on the making.

One of the pics in particular melted Akosua’s fans' hearts because it shows only the back of her head as she hugs Hadar, who’s a mommy’s girl.

“My heart... @hadsy #motherlove #blessed #mother #daughter #love,” Busia captioned the pic.

Fans’ reactions

Fans didn’t hold back their gushing comments, complimenting Hadar’s beauty and the mother-daughter’s lovely connection.

“She becomes more lovely each day. God Bless her and her beautiful Mommy!” wrote one user.

Another added, “oowww...your dearest heart..!!! @akosua.busia @hadsy Love U Both!”

And a third one chimed in to say:

“One of the best pics I've seen in a min @akosua.busia continues to be a blessing to my daughter and me. We love y'all so much.”

Akosua and Hadar’s story

Akosua Busia was a teenager when she made her acting debut in the 1979 movie “Ashanti,” starring Michael Caine.

Although it was a minor role, the film opened the doors of Hollywood for the Ghanaian beauty, who hails from the Yefri Royal House of Wenchi in Ghana, West Africa.

Busia went on to take several other parts on films and TV series, often splitting her time in between acting and finishing school in Holland, Mexico, Switzerland, and Great Britain.

"John’s failure to honor the court order and our other agreements with respect to the payment of Hadar’s tuition has caused me to go into debt..."

But it wasn’t until 1985, at 19, that she had her big break as Nettie Harris in the iconic film “The Color Purple,” where she shared the screen with Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover.

At the top of her career, Akosua had everything she’d ever wanted. And then she met late director John Singleton, with whom she married in 1996.

The next year, the couple welcomed their first and only daughter, Hadar Busia-Singleton, who came to complete Akosua’s live for the better.

After Hadar’s birth, Akosua took a break from the spotlight to raise her little girl mostly by herself, since Singleton asked for a divorce when Hadar was still a baby.

Akosua explained in her website:

“I'd always said that when I have a baby, I would come out of acting until my child turned eighteen. This is not my advice or even my suggestion for anyone else ~ It was my personal purpose and desire.”

Legal troubles

In late 2015, Busia filed a complaint against her ex-husband, claiming he had failed to comply with their divorce and custody agreements.

According to the “Tears of the Sun” star, Singleton agreed to pay for Hadar’s education but failed to honor their agreement.

Instead, Busia had to pay for Hadar’s expensive tuition on boarding schools in between Ghana, England, and Michigan, shedding more than $200,000 that she wanted Singleton to pay her back.

According to Bossip, Busia claimed in court documents that:

“John’s failure to honor the court order and our other agreements with respect to the payment of Hadar’s tuition has caused me to go into debt to pay for our daughter’s education and has caused both myself and Hadar great emotional suffering.”

A broken family in harmony

While it is not clear if Singleton paid the money or if the exes reached an agreement, he and Busia showed a united front at Hadar’s 2016 graduation from Interlochen Arts Academy, the number one performing arts school in America.

At the time, the gorgeous girl made history as the first-ever Ghanaian student to graduate from the prestigious school.

John Singleton passed away in April 2019, and both Hadar and Akosua had the chance to say their goodbyes and be present at his private funeral.

These days, Hadar splits her time in between New York City, Accra in Ghana, and Brasilia.