Stephanie Okereke Linus
| Stephanie Okereke Linus | |
|---|---|
 Stephanie Okereke at the Women's Month Award night | |
| Born |
Stephanie Onyekachi Okereke 2 October 1982 Ngor Okpala, Imo, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupation | Actress, Director, Model |
| Spouse(s) | Linus Idahosa (m. 2012) |
| Children |
1
|
| Website |
www |
Stephanie Linus (born Stephanie Onyekachi Okereke;[1] 2 October 1982)[2][3] is a Nigerian actress, film director and model. She has received several awards and nominations for her work as an actress, including the 2003 Reel Award for Best Actress, the 2006 Afro Hollywood Award for Best Actress, and three nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2005, 2009 and 2010.[4][5][6][7] She was also the runner up for the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria beauty pageant of 2002.[8] In 2011, she was honoured by the Nigerian government with a National honour (Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR).[9]
Early life
Stephanie Okereke was born in Ngor Okpala, Imo State. She is the sixth child of Mary and Chima Okereke's eight children. She completed her primary & secondary education in Delta State.She studied at the University of Calabar, in Cross River State, where she graduated with a degree in English and Literary Studies.[10]
Career
Already during her teenage years in 1997 she starred in two Nollywood movies, Compromise 2 and Waterloo.[11] During the 2002 Most beautiful girl in Nigeria beauty pageant Okereke reached 2nd place.[8] A year later in 2003, Okereke won two awards, out of the eight nominations she received, at the 2003 Reel Awards for 'Best Actress - English' and 'Best Actress of the year 2003'. After graduating from the New York Film Academy in 2007, Okereke released the movie Through the Glass[12][13] in which she served as director, scriptwriter, producer and actress.[8][14] The film received an Africa Movie Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay in 2009.[7] In 2014, she release another movie, Dry and again served as a director, scriptwriter, producer, and actress. Okereke has starred in over 90 movies.[15]
Personal life
Okereke was married (2004-2007) to a former Super Eagles football player Chikelue Iloenyosi, a marriage which a high court in Lagos in 2012 has declared null and void, because at the time they got married, Chikelue was already legally married to another woman in the US.[16]
In April 2005, on her way to the African Movie Academy Awards held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, Okereke was involved in a serious car accident that left her with burns all over and a broken leg.[17] She recovered speedily from the accident and went back to acting.[8][18]
In April 2012 Okereke married Linus Idahosa in Paris, France, at a private wedding ceremony that was attended by members of her family and scores of Nollywood actresses and actors.[19][20][21] Their first son Maxwell Enosata Linus was born in October 2015.
Awards and nominations
- 2002: Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Runner up (2nd place)
- 2003: What a Year Award for Best Actress
- 2003: Reel Award for Best Actress - English & Best Actress of the year
- 2004: Afro-Dublin Award, for Outstanding Actress
- 2004: Film Makers of Nigeria, Award For Excellence
- 2005: Africa Movie Academy Award, Best Actress in a Leading Role - nomination
- 2006: Afro Hollywood Award for Best Actress
- 2009: Africa Movie Academy Award, Best Actress in a Leading Role - nomination[6][7][8]
- 2010: Africa Movie Academy Award, Best Actress in a Leading Role - nomination[4][5]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Compromise 2 | ||
| Waterloo | |||
| 2002 | Pretender | with Patience Ozokwor and Tony Umez | |
| Blind Justice | with Tony Umez | ||
| 2003 | Aristos | ||
| Emotional Crack | with Ramsey Nouah, Dakore Egbuson and Patience Ozokwor | ||
| Genesis of Love | |||
| Private Sin | with Genevieve Nnaji, Richard Mofe-Damijo and Patience Ozokwor | ||
| Queen Sheba | |||
| The Cross of Love | with Patience Ozokwor | ||
| Together as One | |||
| 2004 | Beautiful Faces | with Ini Edo | |
| Critical Decision | with Genevieve Nnaji, Richard Mofe-Damijo & Mike Ezuruonye | ||
| Deep Loss | with Desmond Elliot | ||
| Diamond Lady: The Business Woman | |||
| Dream Lover | Benita | ||
| Eye of the Gods | with Ini Edo | ||
| In the Name of Love | with Desmond Elliot | ||
| Last Girl Standing | |||
| Magic Moment | Stephine Okereke | with Desmond Elliot | |
| Mama-G in America | with Patience Ozokwor | ||
| Miss Nigeria | |||
| More Than a Woman | |||
| My Mother My Marriage | |||
| Official Romance | with Zack Orji | ||
| Promise & Fail | with Desmond Elliot | ||
| Promise Me Forever | with Genevieve Nnaji | ||
| Right Man for Me | with Tony Umez | ||
| Sensational Spy | |||
| Strength of a Woman | |||
| To Love Again | |||
| Virgins Night Out | |||
| Working Class Lady | with Rita Dominic | ||
| 2005 | A Time to Die | ||
| Days of Bondage | Lucia | ||
| Guys on the Line | with Rita Dominic | ||
| Lonely Hearts | with Ini Edo | ||
| Ola... the Morning Sun | with Pete Edochie | ||
| Omalinze | Adaugo | with Onyeka Onwenu | |
| Price of Ignorance | with Pete Edochie | ||
| Princess of Wealth | |||
| Royal Battle | |||
| Street Fame | |||
| Windfall | |||
| Woman on Top | |||
| 2006 | Behind the Plot | with Desmond Elliot | |
| Daytime Lovers | Binta | with Tony Umez | |
| Efficacy | with Desmond Elliot | ||
| Shut In | |||
| Sitanda | directed by Izu Ojukwu, this film received 9 nominations and won 5 awards at the 3rd African Movie Academy Awards in 2007, including Best Picture & Best Nigerian Film.[22] | ||
| The Law Students | |||
| The Preacher | |||
| Upside Down | with Patience Ozokwor and Tony Umez | ||
| 2007 | A Time to Love | Hope | with Desmond Elliot |
| Governor's Wife | with Ramsey Nouah | ||
| 2008 | Mission to Nowhere | ||
| Hidden Treasure | Nadine | with Ramsey Nouah, Nadia Buari & Olu Jacobs | |
| Through the Glass | Ada | with Garrett McKechnie, Christy Williams, Pascal Atuma | |
| 2009 | Nnenda | this film, directed Izu Ojukwu, received 3 nominations at the African Movie Academy Awards in 2010, including the nomination for Heart of Africa[23] | |
| Reloaded | Weyinmi | with Ramsey Nouah, Desmond Elliot, Rita Dominic & Nse Ikpe Etim | |
| 2014 | Dry | Dr Zara | with Liz Benson |
| 2015 | Make Me Fabulous[24][25][26] | ||
References
- ↑ "Stephanie Okereke's full name". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ Onikoyi, Ayo (2 October 2012). "Stephanie Okereke clocks 30 and it’s going to be…". Vanguard (Lagos, Nigeria). Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ↑ "My Wedding Plans In Top Gear, Says Stephanie Okereke". P.M. News (Lagos, Nigeria). 1 February 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- 1 2 "And the 2010 AMAA nominees are". Jemati.com. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- 1 2 "The African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) 2010 Nominations". www.thefuturenigeria.com. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- 1 2 "Stephanie Okereke: Awards & Nominations". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- 1 2 3 "AMAA 2009: List of Nominees and Winners". Africa Movie Academy Awards. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Official bio". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "BN Bytes: Genevieve Nnaji, Stephanie Okereke, Amaka Igwe, Aliko Dangote & Jim Ovia receive National Honours – Photos from the Ceremony". bellanaija.com. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ↑ "Okereke at NigeriaMovies.com". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "Stephanie Okereke: Nigerian screen queen". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "Through the Glass: Review". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "Through the Glass: Official Site". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "New York Film Academy Film School: Film School Student Stephanie Okereke in The News". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "Filmography". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "Stephanie Okereke Marries Again in France". Thisday (Lagos, Nigeria). 22 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ↑ "Interview with Stephanie Okereke". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "Stephanie Okereke: My Close Shave With Death". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "Stephanie Okereke And Linus Idahosa Wed In Paris". Leadership (Abuja, Nigeria: Leadership Newspaper Group). 21 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ↑ Njoku, Ben (21 April 2012). "Genevieve, RMD, Others Storm Paris for Steph Okereke's Wedding Today". AllAfrica.com. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ↑ "AllAfrica.com: Why Stephanie Okereke ended her marriage". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ "AMAA 2007: List of Nominees and Winners". African Movie Academy Awards. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ↑ "The 2010 African Movie Academy Awards: Winners, Re-Cap, Dresses". New York, NY, USA: MTV Networks a division of Viacom International Inc. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ↑ "It’s Episode 1 of Stephanie Linus’ Reality Show "Make Me Fabulous"". Bellanaija. Bellanaija.com. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ↑ "Stephanie Linus Makes Couples Fabulous Celebs In One-of-its-kind Reality TV Show - Celebrities - Nairaland". Nairaland. Orikinla. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ↑ "Watch 1st episode of Stephanie Linus' reality TV series". Pulse Nigeria. Chidumga Izuzu. Retrieved 25 May 2015.