Jemima Osunde (born 30 April 1996) is a Nigerian actress, model, and presenter. She gained exposure after playing Leila in the television series '' Shuga''. Osunde was nominated for

Best Actress in a Leading Role The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...

at the

15th Africa Movie Academy Awards The 2019 Africa Movie Academy Awards ceremony was held on Sunday 27 October 2019 at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. The ceremony recognized and honored excellence among directors, actors, and writers in the film industry. The awards ...

for her performance in '' The Delivery Boy'' (2018).

Early life

Jemima Osunde is an

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 ...

native. She grew up with her mother, father, and older brothers. She is the last child and only daughter of her parents. She studied

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

at 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 ...

. Osunde appeared in the film ''Jungle Jewel'' after being encouraged by her uncle to pursue acting in 2014.

Career

Osunde's first big break was her role as Laila in ''

MTV Shuga ''Shuga'', also known as ''MTV Shuga'', is a television drama series that was first aired in November 2009 on MTV Base as part of an initiative dubbed "MTV Staying Alive Ignite!". Its first two seasons were commissioned by MTV Networks Africa in ...

'', appearing in the fourth series. When the show moved to South Africa for its fifth series, Osunde was written out for a year. She returned for the sixth series when it returned to Nigeria. In 2018, she starred alongside

Linda Ejiofor Linda Ejiofor (born Linda Ihuoma Ejiofor; 17 July 1986) is a Nigerian actress and model from Abia state known for her role as Bimpe Adekoya in M-Net's TV series ''Tinsel''. She was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 9th Af ...

in the second series of

NdaniTV Ndani TV is a web-based channel owned by GTBank. History Ndani TV was established in 2012 by GTBank to offer both entertainment and informative content in order to attract a youthful customer base. It was the first online video content vehi ...

's ''Rumour Has It''. Osunde was back for the seventh series of MTV Shuga "Alone Together" which went out nightly featuring "lockdown" conversations between the main characters during lockdown from

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...

. All of the filmings were done by the actors who include Lerato Walaza, Sthandiwe Kgoroge,

Uzoamaka Aniunoh Uzoamaka Aniunoh is a Nigerian actor and writer. She has been a regular cast member of ''MTV Shuga'' appearing in several series including the first and the sixth. Life Aniunoh was born in Onitsha. She studied English & Literary Studies and Hi ...

Mamarumo Marokane Mamarumo Marokane (born c. 1997) is a South African actor and presenter. She known for her appearances in ''Shadow'' and MTV Shuga. Early life Marokane was born in about 1997 tafelkop Limpopo province. She studied at CityVarsity School of Medi ...

, and Mohau Cele. In 2020, she was in the cast of ''

Quam's Money ''Quam's Money'' is a 2020 Nigerian action comedy film written by Chinaza Onuzo, and directed by Kayode Kasum. The film stars Falz, Toni Tones, Jemima Osunde, Blossom Chukwujekwu and Nse Ikpe-Etim in the lead roles. It is a sequel to the 2018 ...

'', a follow-up to the 2018 film she starred in ''

New Money ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...

''. The follow-up story follows what happens when a security guard (Quam) suddenly becomes a multi-millionaire.

Education

She attended Air Force Primary School, went on to Holy Child college for her secondary school education, and had her tertiary education at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. In 2019, Osunde graduated from the

with a degree in physiotherapy. Osunde jouned the mandatory National Youths Service Corps orientation program and uploaded a picture of herself in the program on Instagram on June 7, 2021.

Filmography

playing MTV Shuga's Leila during the lockdown in 2020 *''Jungle Jewel'' *'' Esohe'' *''Stella'' (2016) *'' My Wife & I'' (2017) *''

Isoken ''Isoken'' is a 2017 romantic comedy film written and directed by Jadesola Osiberu (in her directorial debut). The film stars Dakore Akande, Joseph Benjamin, and Marc Rhys. The film was produced by Tribe85 productions and distributed by Silve ...

'' (2017) *''

'' (2018) *'' Lionheart'' (2018) *'' The Delivery Boy'' (2018) *''

'' (2020)

Television

*'' Shuga'' *''Ojays'' (2015) *''Inspector K'' (2018) * The Johnsons (2015) *'' This Is It'' (2016–2017) *''Rumour Has It'' (2018) *''

Papa Benji Papa Benji is a comedy web series that follows the life of its eponymous character, Papa Benji, a pepper soup joint owner and everyone surrounding him. Plot Papa Benji is a story about the Egwuowun family, their pepper soup joint and their son ...

'' (2020)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Osunde, Jemima Living people Actresses from Edo State Nigerian television actresses Nigerian film actresses University of Lagos alumni 21st-century Nigerian actresses 1996 births Nigerian female models Nigerian television presenters Nigerian physiotherapists Nigerian television personalities Nigerian media personalities