Chiwetalu Agu (born 1956) is a Nigerian actor. He won the 2012

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

award for 'best actor in indigenous movie (non-English speaking language)'. His usage of specific language slangs, phrases or clichés in many films has made him uniquely a household name in Nigeria and among Nollywood fans in general. While asserting that comic genres is a unique vehicle in projecting Nigerian culture globally as well as establishing the Nollywood brand, Agu is listed as one of the outstanding comedians who have contributed to the development of Nollywood comic genres by Prof. Femi Shaka of the

University of Port Harcourt The University of Port Harcourt is located in Choba in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Nigeria. It was established in 1975 as University College, Port Harcourt and was given university status in 1977. The University of Port Harcourt was rank ...

. Agu is married to Nkechi and has three sons and two daughters.

Early years

Agu's versatility dates back to the transition of Nigerian television soap operas to

movies. Before the inception of Nollywood, about 31 years ago, television soap opera was the order of the day and Agu featured in

Nigerian Television Authority The Nigerian Television Authority or NTA is a Nigerian government-owned and partly commercial broadcast station. Originally known as Nigerian Television (NTV), it was inaugurated in 1977 with a monopoly on national television broadcasting, after ...

Channel 8 Enugu's ''Ikoro'', produced by Joe Onyekwelu. He also featured in ETV Channel 50, now ''ESBS''. in soaps like ''Baby Come Now'' and ''Ripples'' (in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

), produced by

Chico Ejiro Chico Ejiro (born Chico Maziakpono; died 25 December 2020) was a Nigerian movie director, screenwriter, and producer. Little is known about Ejiro other than he was born in Isoko, Delta, Nigeria, and that he originally studied agriculture, and h ...

's brother, Zeb; in the latter he played the character of Chief Abunna.

Filmography

There is a record of at least about 150 movies in which Agu has been cast.

Videography

Controversies

Agu has raised controversies with comments where he has said that he will act for a good price and described the sexual harassment alleged in

as an issue with a general phenomenon. He added "Nollywood actresses are well endowed". See also interview in '' The Daily Independent''. On 7 October 2021, Chiwetalu Agu was arrested by soldiers at Iweka Bridge in Onitsha, and spent a night in custody before the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria secured his release from the Nigerian Army after questioning. He was arrested after he was spotted wearing an outfit depicting the flag of

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

Nominations

* In the first

Movie Awards in 2012: Agu was nominated for 'the best actor in indigenous movie for his role' in Nkwocha. * Zulu African Film Academy Awards (ZAFAA London) 2011: Agu's role in ''The Maidens'' earned him

nomination Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In the ...

for 'the best supporting actor'.''African Movie News'' * In the 2008 4th annual

African Movie Academy Awards The Africa Movie Academy Awards, popularly known as AMAA and The AMA Awards, is presented annually to recognize excellence among professionals working in, or non-African professionals who have contributed to, the African film industry. It was fou ...

for his role in '' Across the Niger'' Agu was nominated for 'the best actor in a supporting role.'.

Awards

* Agu was the winner in the first ever Nollywood Movie Awards 2012 for 'the best actor in an indigenous movie: non English speaking language' for his role in '' Nkwocha''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agu, Chiwetalu Nigerian male film actors Living people Male actors from Enugu State 1956 births Date of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Nigerian male actors 21st-century Nigerian male actors Nigerian male television actors Nigerian television actors Igbo actors Nigerian media personalities