Welcome to Logbaby's Biography of Okechukwu Chukwudi Ukeje
SUMMARY
Name: Okechukwu Chukwudi Ukeje
Stage or Nickname: OC Ukeje
Date of Birth: July 15th 1981
Relationship Status: Married
Occupation: Actress
Net Worth: N1.1 Billion ($3.17million)
INTRODUCTION
Okechukwu Chukwudi Ukeje, known as OC Ukeje is Nigerian actor, model and musician. He came into prominence after winning the Amstel Malta Box Office reality show.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
OC Ukeje was born on July 15th 1981, He is the 2nd of 3 children. His father was a Caterer and the mother was a Civil Servant. Both were supportive of his pursuit of music and acting, although his father died before he became an adult. He attended (FGC) Federal Government College Ijanikin Lagos. He studied Marine Sciences at the University of Lagos.
ACTING BEGINS
He has been acting since his University days, doing stage plays from 2001,for four, five years constantly. He worked with an organization called Rhythm of Black Man.
Oddly enough he had the support of his mother and says of his early career “I was doing this from school. Grades were good and so she wasn’t complaining. But by the time I finished she asked what I wanted to do and I said entertainment and she just said okay, let’s see how it goes.
When I knew she was fully in support was when I was supposed to do a stage play in the United Kingdom while I was in school and I was almost going to defer a semester to go…and was afraid to ask my mum but I asked her and she said, ‘if you have gotten this far, I won’t tell you not to do it’. And from that point on, I knew I had her support.”
After the University He went on to pursue both music and acting, focusing mainly on acting in stage plays for the first four years of his career before attempting
He shot into the limelight after he emerged as a winner in the Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) reality show 2006 but his major break was in his role in the movie “White Water” with Joke Silva and Rita Dominic.
Between 2008 and 2012 he has written songs and collaborated with Nigerian musical artists and producers and worked on radio jingles for corporate organizations.
HIS CAREER
He was a member of cast of the TV series that was presented at the International Emmy World Television Festival, Wetin Dey (2007) produced by the BBC World Service Trust and played lead and supporting in films like Confusion Na Wa and The Awakening.
He played a role in the movie November and was on the team that showcased 3 stage plays for the Nigeria House at the London Cultural Olympiad (2012).
OC Ukeje featured in the screen adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun (2013) with Chinwetel Ejiofor and a host of other actors. He also starred in Shirley Frimpong Manso's Love Or Something Like That and the high-rated TV series Gidi Up and Dowry.
He played lead in the South African film Ayanda and The Mechanic (2015). The film screened at the Cannes film market, premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and opened the Durban International Film Festival.
PERSONAL LIFE
On the 8th November 2014 he got married to Senami Ibukun Oluwa Togonu-Bickersteth. The wife lives in Canada while OC lives in Nigeria.
AWARDS
Year
Title
Award
2008
Africa Movie Academy Award (AMVCA)
Most Promising Actor in White Waters
2010
City People's Award
Best New Act
2013
Best of Nollywood Awards (BON)
Best Lead Actor in an English Movie in Alan Poza
2013
Nollywood Movies Awards
Best Actor in a Lead Role -Hoodrush
2013
Africa Magic Viewers Choice (AMVCA)
Best Actor in a supporting role Drama - Two Brides and a Baby