Chris Okagbue (born Okechukwu Christopher Ofala Okechukwu Okagbue, 23 June 1987) is a Nigerian model,

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

movie producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, dir ...

, and reality television star. He was the winner of the '' Gulder Ultimate Search'' season 8 reality show. He is of the Igbo tribe and is the son of the former

Obi of Onitsha The Obi of Onitsha is the traditional leader of Onitsha, Anambra State, southeast Nigeria. The post of the Obi is recognized by the state and federal governments of Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naij ...

Background and education

Okagbue is from Onitsha in

Anambra state Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State ...

. He is a twin. He was born into the royal family of the former Obi of Onitsha, the late H.R.H. Obi Ofala Okechukwu Okagbue and Ogechukwu Clara Okagbue, on 23 June 1987. His parents have six children, namely his elder sister Sandra Okagbue who is a former model and beauty queen, his twin brother Christian, and three younger sisters, Jane, Christabel and Bella. He has a degree in sociology from the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...

Career

His first venture into show business was as a model in 2004, when he appeared in commercials for brands like

Cadbury Plc Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mar ...

, MTN,

Nigerian Breweries Nigerian Breweries Plc, is the largest brewing company in Nigeria. It serves the Nigerian market and West Africa. History Early years The idea to establish a brewery in Lagos was first promoted by Frank Samuel of UAC prior to World War II. Bu ...

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

and

Airtel Bharti Airtel Limited, commonly known as (d/b/a) Airtel, is an Indian multinational telecommunications services company based in New Delhi. It operates in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, as well as the Channel Islands. Currently, ...

at age 17. He moved into acting in 2007 when he was given a part after accompanying friends to an audition and decided to give it a try. He then appeared as Preye Pepple in the TV series ''The Station''. The series was directed by Achor Yusuf who also gave him his second acting role as ''Lucky Edeghor'' in the TV series ''The Maze''. Okagbue took a break from acting for a while until he found a job he had taken a liking to, TV presenting. He had a short spell with Koga Studios and at the time had covered the live red carpet of notable events such as the launch of

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Afri ...

's first album, ''Superstar'', Yemi Sax's ''Sax Appeal'' concert and

DJ Jimmy Jatt Oluwaforijimi "Jimmy" Adewale Amu (born October 15, 1966), professionally referred to by his stage name DJ Jimmy Jatt, is a Nigerian disc jockey who is revered as one of the pioneering hip hop DJs in Nigeria. He started out his music career as a ...

's ''Jimmy's Jumpoff'' concert. He returned to acting shortly after as Victor in the TV series ''Secrets and Scandals''. His break came when he was given the role of Emil Haruna in the

M-NET M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

TV series ''

Tinsel Tinsel is a type of decorative material that mimics the effect of ice, consisting of thin strips of sparkling material attached to a thread. When in long narrow strips not attached to thread, it is called "lametta", and emulates icicles. It was o ...

''. He made his first appearance in a cinema film with a small role in the movie ''A Wish'', followed by the movie ''Playing Safe'', both directed by Elvis Chuks. His biggest role is as the lead character in the critically acclaimed movie ''

Lotanna ''Lotanna'' is a 2017 Nigerian crime drama film, directed by Toka McBaror. The film stars Chris Okagbue as the title character. The film had its worldwide release on 8 April 2017 at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, Nigeria. The original soundtrack f ...

''. He played the role of Lotanna in the film which starred the Ghanaian actress Ama K. Abebrese,

Jide Kosoko Jide Kosoko (born 12 January 1954) is a Nigerian actor, director and producer. He was born into a royal family, hence his traditional title of prince or "omoba" in the Yoruba language. Early life Prince Jide Kosoko was born in Lagos on the ...

Bimbo Manuel Bimbo Manuel (born 30 October 1958) is a Nigerian actor. He was nominated for Best actor in a supporting role at the 2013 Nollywood Movies Awards. Career Bimbo hails from Lagos State. After graduating from the University of Port Harcourt with ...

Victor Olaotan Victor Olaotan (17 February 1952 – 26 August 2021) was a Nigerian actor best known in his leading role of the soap opera ''Tinsel''. Early life and education He was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1952. He studied at the University of Ibadan, Ob ...

and

Liz Benson Elizabeth 'Liz' Benson (born 5 April 1966) is a Nigerian actress,television personality and philanthropist. Early life and education Liz was born in Etinan, Akwa Ibom State in southern Nigeria. She attended Sylvania State College in the Unite ...

. He made his debut on stage acting in a comedy play titled ''Election Fever'' which depicted the Nigerian government and its electoral system. The play was directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters and was sponsored by The Ford Foundation, British Council and the Lagos Theatre Festival. Okagbue has starred in movies with

Joke Silva Joke Silva , MFR is a Nigerian actress, director, and businesswoman. In 1998 she had a major role, starring opposite Colin Firth and Nia Long in the British-Canadian film ''The Secret Laughter of Women''. In 2006, she won "Best Actress in a Le ...

Fella Makafui Fella Precious Makafui (born 19 August, 1995 in Volta Region, Ghana) is a Ghanaian actress and a philanthropist. She is known mostly for her role in ''Yolo'' (Ghanaian TV series). She is married to the singer and rapper Medikal and they have a ...

Tonto Dike Tonto Charity Dikeh (born 9 June 1985) is a Nigerian actress, singer, songwriter, and humanitarian. On 27 August 2000, Tonto Dikeh set up her foundation, the Tonto Dikeh Foundation. In June 2022, Tonto was announced as the deputy governorship ...

Ini Edo Iniobong Edo Ekim (born 23 April 1982) is a Nigerian actress. Ini Edo began her film career in 2000, and has featured in more than 100 movies since her debut. In 2013, Ini Edo was a judge for the Miss Black Africa UK Pageant. In 2014, Miss I ...

, Ama K. Abebrese,

, Martha Ankomah,

Ngozi Ezeonu Ngozi Ezeonu (born Ngozi Ikpelue, May 23, 1965) is a Nigerian actress and former journalist notable for her maternal roles in Nollywood movies. In 2012, she starred in '' Adesuwa'', a role that earned her the Best Supporting Actress nomination ...

and

amongst others, and has worked extensively with directors like Obi Emelonye, Elvis Chuks, Toka Mcbaror, Victor Sanchez Aghahowa, Achor Yusuf, James Omokwe and Moses Inwang. In 2012, Okagbue was made a brand ambassador for Passion Energy Drink, by Orange Drugs Limited. He appeared in both TV and print commercials for the brand. In 2018, Okagbue was announced as on official Festival Ambassador by the Nollywood Travel Film Festival for the 2018 edition of the festival

Gulder Ultimate Search 8 winner

Okagbue won season 8 of the reality show '' Gulder Ultimate Search'' in 2011. The show was held in the Kukuruku Hills in Egbetua quarters, Akoko-Edo of

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

and was themed "The Contest of Champions". The task was to find the second lost helmet of General Maximilian Of the initial 30 contenders, ten champions were picked to appear on the show. Okagbue emerged as the winner. His prizes as winner included seven million

Nigerian naira The naira (currency sign, sign: ₦; ISO 4217, code: NGN) is the currency of Nigeria. One naira is divided into 100 ''kobo''. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the sole issuer of legal tender money throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria ...

, an SUV and a ₦500,000 wardrobe allowance for one year. As a result of being voted one of top three past winners of the show, he returned to the ''Gulder Ultimate Search'' season 9 themed "Gatekeepers' Fortune" where he was charged with the special role of Gatekeeper.

Personal life

Okagbue has an unreserved love for the city of Paris and French people in general. He explained in an interview with ''

The Punch ''The Punch'' is a Nigerian daily newspaper founded On August 8, 1970. Punch Nigeria Limited was registered under the Companies Act of 1968 to engage in the business of publishing newspapers, magazines and other periodicals. It was designed to i ...

'' newspaper about his experience during a family vacation to France that he believes Paris is called the "City of Love" because the French people are friendly and romantic. He is not currently married.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

As a model

His awards and nominations list for modeling and fashion includes: *The 9ja Top Models Awards 2008 *Nigerian Models Achievers Awards: Model Of The Year 2009 *Peak Awards Model Of The Year 2010 *Peak Awards Model Of The Year 2012 *Nigerian Models Achievers Awards: Fast-Rising Model Actor 2014 *Lagos Fashion Awards 2015: Special Recognition For Most Fashionable TV Personality Of The Year *Nigerian Icon Fashion Awards: Personality Fashion Icon Of The Year 2015 *Green October Event Awards: Most Fashionable Male Celebrity 2017

As an actor

*Links Achievers Awards: Fast-Rising Actor 2015 *

Golden Movie Awards ''Golden Movies Awards'' is an annual award that celebrates outstanding achievement in African television and film. The inaugural edition was held on 27 June 2015 at the State Banquet Hall, Ghana. In May 2016, Nadia Buari was unveiled as an ambassa ...

: Golden Actor (Drama) 2017 - nominated * City People Movie Awards: Most Promising Actor of the Year (English) 2017 - nominated *Nigeria Achievers Awards: Next Rated Actor Of The Year 2017 - nominated *

Zulu African Film Academy Awards Zulu African Film Academy Awards, also known as ZAFAA Global Awards, is an annual ceremony that rewards African films in the diaspora. It has been held in London, United Kingdom since its inaugural edition in 2006. The 2015 and 2016 awards were ...

: Best Newcomer for the film ''Lotanna'' 2018

Others

*MoreKlue All Youth Awards Africa For Style: Influencer Of The Year 2018 *African Entertainment Legend Awards: Special Recognition Awards For Achievements In Entertainment *Nigerian Designers Awards: Social Media Brand Influencer 2018

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okagbue, Chris 1987 births Living people Male actors from Anambra State Participants in Nigerian reality television series Nigerian male television actors Nigerian male film actors Igbo actors Nigerian television personalities Nigerian film producers Nigerian male models University of Lagos alumni