Tolulope Adesua Etomi-Wellington (born 22 February 1988), professionally known as Adesua Etomi is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

actress. In 2014, she starred in her first feature film ''

Knocking On Heaven's Door "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid''. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, ...

''. She won the Best Actress in a Drama award at the

2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards The 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) was held on March 5, 2016 at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. It was hosted by Ikponmwosa Osakioduwa and Minnie Dlamini. Nominees were revealed on December 11, 201 ...

for her role in the 2015 romantic drama film ''

Falling Falling or fallin' may refer to: *Falling (physics), movement due to gravity *Falling (accident) *Falling (execution) *Falling (sensation) People * Christine Falling (born 1963), American serial killer who murdered six children Books * ''Fall ...

''.

Early life and education

Tolulope Adesua Etomi was born in

Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...

Imo State Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its n ...

, several major sources claims her birthdate is 22 February 1988. However, in an interview published in January 2016, Etomi told ''Pulse Nigeria'' she was 29 years old. Furthermore, ''Answers Africa'' published an article in March 2016 stating that she was 30 years old. Her father is a soldier of Esan descent and her mother is an engineer of

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

descent. She is the youngest of three siblings. Etomi attended Corona School in

Victoria Island, Lagos Victoria Island (VI) is an affluent area that encompasses a former island of the same name neighbouring Lagos Island, Ikoyi and the Lekki Peninsula by the Lagos Lagoon. It is the main business and financial centre of Lagos State, Nigeria. Vi ...

, where she joined the drama club at the age of seven. Thereafter, she attended

Queen's College, Lagos Queen's College, Lagos, is a government-owned girl's secondary (high) school with boarding facilities, situated in Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. Often referred to as the "sister college" of King's College, Lagos, it was founded on October 10, 1927, when ...

before moving to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

at the age of 13. Etomi later obtained a

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

in "physical theatre, musical theatre and

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

" from

City College Coventry City College Coventry was a further education college based in the city of Coventry, England. It was formed in 2002 through the merger of two previous colleges in the city, although through them it has roots going back to the 19th century. ...

in 2004. After completing these courses in 2006 with triple distinctions, she studied drama and performance at the

University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mech ...

, graduating with

first-class honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

Career

Etomi's film credits include '' The Arbitration'', '' The Wedding Party'', and ''

''. Her performance in ''Falling'' earned her the 2016

Africa Magic Africa Magic is a collection of Pay TV entertainment channels that focus on African programming, most popularly Nigerian series and movies. ''Africa Magic'', which started off as single channel of the same name, is a brand owned by M-Net and n ...

Viewers Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama. Other notable films she has appeared in include '' A Soldier's Story'' (2015), '' Out of Luck'' (20,15), and ''Couple of Days'' (2016). Etomi played Shiela in the fourth and fifth seasons of '' Shuga'', a television soap opera about

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

prevention. Etomi began starring as Amaka Obiora, an undercover police officer, in Yemisi Wada's crime series ''LasGidi Cops'', which debuted in June 2016 on television. She was also featured on

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

's list of 14 global superstars. In February 2022, she released her first single titled ‘So Natural’.

Personal life

Etomi got engaged to

Banky W Olubankole Wellington (born 27 March 1981), popularly known by his stage name Banky W and credited in film as Banky Wellington, is a Nigerian singer, rapper, actor, entrepreneur and politician. Early life Olubankole Wellington was born in the ...

in February 2017. The couple held their traditional marriage on 19 November, court wedding on 20 November and white wedding on 25 November 2017; the latter ceremony was held in

Cape Town, South Africa Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislature, legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the sec ...

. In early January 2021, Adesua and Banky W had a son named Hazaiah Wellington. On 5 April 2021, Adesua and Banky W shared the story of their marriage and their struggles with conception and child hearing titled 'Final Say Faith'. This story was shared in the Waterbrook church. Adesua was credited for saving the daughter of Nollywood actress

Iretiola Doyle Iretiola Olusola Doyle (born 5 May 1967) is a Nigerian actress, entertainer, TV presenter, writer and a public speaker. Early life and education Doyle was born on 3 May 1967 in Ondo State but spent her early years with her family in Boston, ...

from bullies.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Voice over

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Etomi, Adesua Living people 21st-century Nigerian actresses Actresses from Imo State Alumni of the University of Wolverhampton Yoruba actresses Esan actresses Nigerian film actresses Nigerian television actresses Nigerian expatriates in the United Kingdom Queen's College, Lagos alumni Age controversies 1988 births Nigerian film producers