Nkiruka 'Kiki' Omeili (born May 31, 1986) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

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 ...

, best known for her role as Lovette in the

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

'' Lekki Wives''. She is also known for her role as Blessing in the 2015 crime caper, ''Gbomo Gbomo Express'' alongside

Gideon Okeke Gideon Okeke is a Nigerian actor, model, and TV Presenter. He came to the public eye in 2006 when he appeared as a contestant on the first edition of '' Big Brother Nigeria''. In 2008, Gideon joined the cast of the M-NET TV series ''Tinsel'' on wh ...

Early life

Omeili was born in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, and is the second of four children of Charles and Maureen Omeili. She is ethnic Igbo from Nimo 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 ...

. Her Father Charles was a banker with First Bank Nigeria and retired as a general manager, while her mother Maureen was the Controller of Prisons in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

Oyo State Oyo State is an inland state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the east by Osun ...

, Nigeria. Omeili began performing in stage plays all through her primary and secondary school years. This continued when she got into the university as she was a member of the drama club and acted in various productions as well as taking part in several drama competitions. In 2006, she obtained a Medical degree from the

College of Medicine, University of Lagos College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL) also known as Medilag is the medical school affiliated with the University of Lagos. It is located in Idi-Araba, Lagos beside its sister institution, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The colle ...

Career

In 2011, Omeili auditioned for and got the role of Debbie in the TV series ''Behind the Smile''. In 2012, she teamed up with the director of ''Behind the Smile'', Tunde Olaoye, to star in her debut feature film ''Married but living single'' where she worked with

Funke Akindele Olufunke Ayotunde Akindele-Bello (born 24 August 1977) popularly known as Funke Akindele or Jenifa, is a Nigerian film actress, politician and producer.Funsho AkinwaleFunke Akindele gives first glimpse of her twins ''The Guardian'' Akindele sta ...

, Joseph Benjamin, Femi Brainard and

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 ...

. Omeili has had roles in a number of TV series including ''The Valley Between'', ''NESREA Watch'', '' Lekki Wives'' and ''Gidi Culture''. Asides from her acting roles, in 2011 Omeili hosted the Dance reality TV show ''Dance 234'', a Koga entertainment production. In August 2013, it was announced that Lekki Wives would be renewed for a second season, and Omeili's contract was renewed to reprise her role as Lovette. Early 2016, she starred in the Nigerian Box Office hit ''Couple of Days'', where her portrayal of the character Joke, got wonderful reviews from critics. In May 2016, "Iterum" a short film directed by

Stanlee Ohikhuare Stanlee Aideloje Ohikhuare known professionally as Stanlee Ohikhuare is a Nigerian filmmaker, cinematographer, and writer. He is known for producing short films. He obtained a diploma from a school of fine arts In European academic traditio ...

and starring Omeili and Paul Utomi was premiered at the 69th Annual

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. On May 31, 2016, Omeili made her debut as a movie producer, with the release of the Short Film "Unprotected". The film is based on true events, which she observed as a medical student in the university. The film features Omeili, as the lead character, and Eric Didie, Bimbo Ademoye, Blessing Ambrose and Nathan Kingsley in supporting roles. In June 2018, Omeili began production of her debut full-length feature film, ''Run'', which was directed by Uche Chukwu. The movie ''Run'' was released in cinemas on August 23, 2019 starring comedian Owen Gee,

Rotimi Salami Rotimi Salami () is a Nollywood actor and film producer who has been honored by the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCA). Early life and education He is a native of Lagos State and a graduate of sociology from Lagos State University. ...

, Kelechi Udegbe, and Greg Ojefua. It was also selected to screen at the Silicon Valley International Film Festival in California and the Slum International Film Festival in Kenya and received an award at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival in Canada.

Awards and recognition

In October 2012, Omeili received the award for the Best Actress (Supporting Role in an English language film) at the 17th African Film Awards in London. In May 2014, Omeili was listed among the Top 25 New Faces of Nollywood by ''

Nigerian Entertainment Today The Netng (Nigerian Entertainment Today) also known as ''NET'' is an online entertainment news organisation based in Lagos, Nigeria. It is a leading source of African entertainment, fashion and lifestyle news. Netng formed part of NET Newspaper ...

''. She had also been listed by Nigerian newspaper '' The Sun'' as one of Nollywood's fastest rising stars earlier in 2014. Omeili was nominated for the TV Actress of the Year at the

ELOY Awards ELOY (Exquisite Lady of the Year) Awards is an award for women excelling in their field of work. It was established by Tewa Onasanya in 2009. During the ELOY awards which was held in Lagos Continental Hotel in 2018, the convener Tewa Onasanya r ...

in November 2014. She was nominated for her lead role in the Television series '' Lekki Wives''. In October 2015, Omeili won the award for the Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Movie ''Sting'', at the

2015 Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards The 2015 Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards was the 4th edition of the ceremony. The event was held on October 17, 2015 in Houston, Texas. It was hosted by Nigerian comedian, Ayo Makun. Awards Best Motion Picture *''Love Regardless'' *'' Stalker'' ...

which held in the USA. In July 2016, Omeili won the award for Best Supporting Actress of the Year at the 2016

City People Entertainment Awards City People Entertainment Awards are an annual accolade presented by ''City People Magazine'' to honour Nigerian and Ghanaian entertainers. The first edition was held in Abeokuta, Ogun State on June 14, 2009. The event was hosted by Governor Gbe ...

in Lagos, Nigeria. In October 2016, Omeili was nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Short Film at the 2016

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

for her role in the film, ''Deluded''. Omeili, was unveiled as a Festival Ambassador at the 2017 Realtime film festival in recognition of her contribution to the Nigerian film industry. In 2018, Omeili won the best supporting actress award at the

World Music & Independent Film Festival ''World Music & Independent Film Festival'' is an international film festival that takes place annually in Washington D.C.. Held in the third week of August the seven-day festival is a showcase of independent filmmakers and musicians from around ...

, which held in the Caribbean Islands for her role in the movie ''3Some''. In the same year, she was also nominated for Best Actress at the Realtime film festival.

Humanitarian work

Omeili has been involved in humanitarian work with Project Pink Blue. She led their cancer awareness walk, helping the cancer nonprofit raise funds and awareness through social media and events.

Filmography

References