Genevieve Nnaji turns 36 today and in celebration we’ve decided to put together some interesting facts about the actress and her feat in the Nigerian movie industry.
Nnaji was born in Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria but grew up in Lagos, the fourth of eight children and was brought up in a middle class environment. Her father worked as an engineer and her mother as a nursery teacher. She attended Methodist Girls College (Yaba, Lagos), before transferring into the University of Lagos. While at the university, she began auditioning for acting jobs amongst the many Nollywood projects.
Genevieve Nnaji as she is fondly called started her acting career as a child actress in the then-popular television soap opera “Ripples” at the age of 8.
She was also featured in several commercials, some of which included Pronto beverage and Omo detergent. In 1998, at the age of 19, she made her debut in the growing Nigerian film industry with the movie “Most Wanted.” As an upcoming actress, trying to create a niche for herself, she went through various minor roles seeking for that opportunity for a breakthrough.
She was also featured in several commercials, some of which included Pronto beverage and Omo detergent. In 1998, at the age of 19, she made her debut in the growing Nigerian film industry with the movie “Most Wanted.” As an upcoming actress, trying to create a niche for herself, she went through various minor roles seeking for that opportunity for a breakthrough.
Her subsequent movies– “Last Party,” “Mark of the Beast,” and “Ijele” (which is still considered to be one of her best epic performances to date) brought forth an icon to be loved and adored by many. Her name became a household name and her image the desire of every young girl.
In 2002, she starred in the movie Sharon Stone (2002) (V), and her fame shot beyond the shores of Nigeria to the rest of Africa and several European countries. One can say that through the buzz, Genevieve reinvented the Nigerian film Industry, introducing Nollywood to the rest of the world.
Genevieve appeals just as warmly to Kenyans, Liberians, South Africans, and Ghanaians, who avidly watch Nigerian home videos at home and abroad. Genevieve has led the market into new territories today. She took the extra step of projecting herself beyond Nigeria by having a Web site constructed back in 2003, and it was arguably the most-visited Nigerian site on the Internet. Its fame spread like wildfire, a jolly virus: 3549 hits on 355 pages in two weeks.
Genevieve Nnaji once dated one of Nigeria’s biggest music stars, D’banj although they didn’t reveal much to the public, the pair were spotted at several occassions and they seemed quite cosy and fond of each other at the time, but both denied it at the time until after the relationship hit the rocks.
Although, the two aren’t dating anymore, it appears that the pair are still great friends.
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