Keira Hewatch, (; born 8 November 1985) is a Nigerian actress, singer, songwriter and writer, best known for her role as ‘Keche’ in the movie; ''

Two Brides and a Baby ''Two Brides and a Baby'' is a 2011 Nigerian romantic drama film directed by Teco Benson and starring Keira Hewatch, Kalu Ikeagwu, OC Ukeje, Chelsea Eze, Stella Damasus-Aboderin and Okey Uzoeshi. It premiered on 17 November 2011. It received a ...

'', as well as her role as ‘Peace Nwosu’ in the television series; ''Lekki Wives'' Hewatch won the Best of Nollywood award (BON) for ‘Best Breakout Performance’ in 2011 and has been nominated twice for the Golden Icon Academy Awards (GIAMA).

Early life and background

Hewatch was born in

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and cre ...

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

. Her mother, Elizabeth Hewatch, is a teacher with the police force, who raised Keira as a single parent and her father a missionary. Her mother was transferred to Minna,

Niger State Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. Niger state has three political zones, zone A,B and C. The state's capital is at Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. It was fo ...

to teach in the Police secondary school and took 11 year old Keira with her. Hewatch's family relocated to

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

in 2005, where she was enrolled in the Graduate school of management Studies to study Travel and Tourism and Hospitality Management. In 2006, on completing her certification exams, Hewatch decided to pursue her passion for acting. She spent another year in Ghana trying to break into the entertainment industry to no avail, as most of the roles involved speaking the local dialect. In 2007, she returned to Nigeria, to continue pursuing her passion for acting.

Career

Bearing a semblance to fellow Nollywood actress,

Mercy Johnson Mercy Johnson Okojie (; born 28 August 1984) is a Nigerian actress, film director and film producer She went to a Rivers State Secondary School for her secondary education in addition to the Nigerian Navy Secondary School in Port Harcourt, Riv ...

; the acting skills of both are described as being similar. she claimed that sometimes she gets insulted due to her semblance to Mercy Johnson. Hewatch's first break came in the television series ''Cross Roads'' produced by

Emeka Ossai Emeke Ossai is a Nigerian film actor. He won the Best Supporting actor award at the 4th Africa Movie Academy Awards for his performance in the movie "Checkpoint". he is of the opinion that the new Nollywood lacks credibility. Personal life Ossai ...

. In 2010 she starred as the lead, starring alongside

Desmond Elliot Desmond Elliot'' (born Desmond Oluwashola Elliot; 4 February 1974)'' is a Nigerian director, and politician He was elected as a lawmaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Surulere Constituency, in the 11 April 2015 Nigerian General Election ...

, in the first but adjudged failed science fiction/futuristic film, ''Kajola'', directed by Niyi Akinmolayan. The film was not well received in Nigerian cinemas. In 2011, she went on to star as ‘Keche’ the lead role, in ''Two Brides and a Baby'' alongside

OC Ukeje Okechukwu Ukeje, known as OC Ukeje is Nigerian actor,model and musician. He came into prominence after winning the Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) reality show. He has received several awards including Africa Movie Academy Awards, Africa Magic Vi ...

Stella Damasus-Aboderin Stella Damasus (born April 24, 1978) is a Nigerian actress and singer. She was nominated for ''Best Actress in a Leading Role'' at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009. She won the Award for Best Actress at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards in ...

Chelsea Eze Chelsea Eze (born Chelsea Ada Ezerioha; 15 November 1985) is a Nigerian actress. She came into prominence in her first Nollywood film ''Silent Scandals'' where she acted alongside Genevieve Nnaji and Majid Michel. She also won the '' Most Promi ...

and Okey Uzoeshi. Hewatch attributes her flair for acting to having come from being inspired by the children of ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

'' after watching it for the first time at the age of 5. In 2012 she was nominated as the best new actress in 2012 for the Golden Icon Academy Awards (GIAMA)."My journey has been satisfying, frustrating… – Keira Hewatch", Vanguardngr.com, Nigeria, 14 March 2014. Retrieved on 4 January 2016. She works with a charity organization, ‘The wings of love foundation’, which focuses on helping widows, orphans and young people getting off the streets and building a life for themselves.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hewatch, Keira 21st-century Nigerian actresses 21st-century Nigerian women singers Nigerian women songwriters 1985 births Living people Nigerian television actresses Actresses from Cross River State Nigerian film actresses Nigerian writers Nigerian philanthropists

Early life and background

Career

Filmography

See also

References

External links