Ebele Okaro Onyiuke (born 19 January 1964) is a Nigerian

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), 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 ...

and

film 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, di ...

Early life and education

Ebele Okaro was born on 19 January 1964 in London and raised in

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

, Nigeria. She began acting while attending the Santa Maria Primary School and continued while at

Nsukka Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi (archaeological site), Ede-Oballa, and Obimo. The postal code of the area is 410001 and 410002 respectively referr ...

's Queen of the Holy Rosary Secondary School. Initially she began studies in education at the

University of Calabar The University of Calabar is a public university, public List of universities in Nigeria, university situated in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. It is one of Nigeria's second generation federal universities. The University of Calabar was a ...

Cross River State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Cross River.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Cross River State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint ...

, but later found out that her passion for the

dramatic arts Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

won out and she earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

Theatre Arts Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

. Okaro's mother is a

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

and her father, an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

who also have great interest in arts and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

Career

After graduation from university, Okaro served her National Youth Service at the

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 ...

, where she made some television appearances. However, after the Youth Service, she worked with an embassy in Lagos and later in a bank before returning to acting in the Nigerian movie industry (known as

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 ...

). In 2014, Okaro produced and acted in ''

Musical Whispers Musical Whispers is a 2014 Nigerian film about autism and how to care for those with it. It was directed by Bond Emeruwa and written by Amaechi Ossai. The film was produced by Ebele Okaro. Premier The film was premiered 30 May 2014 sponsored ...

'', a movie that advocates for loving care for children with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

. It features other prominent Nigerian actors, most notably

Chioma Chukwuka Chioma Chukwuka (born March 12, 1980, also credited as Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha or Chioma Akpotha) is a Nigerian actress, director and movie producer. In 2007, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for "Best Actress in a leading role" for her per ...

and

Kalu Ikeagwu Kalu Egbui Ikeagwu is a British-Nigerian actor and writer. As an actor, he has received several awards and nominations for his performances on screen. Early life Kalu was born in England but was relocated to Nigeria by his dad at the age of 9 ...

. She has become known as the "Mama of Nollywood" and has earned the respect of both fans and colleagues.

Personal life

She married into the Onyiuke family.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okaro, Ebele Living people University of Calabar alumni Igbo actresses 1964 births Nigerian film actresses Nigerian film producers Actors from Enugu State Nigerian women film producers Nigerian women film directors 21st-century Nigerian actresses Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards winners