Stephanie Okereke Linus (born as Stephanie Onyekachi Okereke; 2 October 1982) is a Nigerian actress, film director and model. She has received several awards and nominations for her work as an actress, including the 2003 Reel Award for Best Actress, the 2006 Afro Hollywood Award for Best Actress, and three nominations 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 Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2005, 2009 and 2010. She was also the runner up for the

Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria – often abbreviated as MBGN – is a pageant organised by Silverbird Group with the main purpose of sending representatives to international competitions. Originally known as Miss Universe Nigeria, it was rena ...

beauty pageant of 2002. In 2011, she was honoured by the Nigerian government with a national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR.

Early life

Stephanie Okereke was born in

Ngor Okpala Ngor Okpala is a Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Umuneke Ngor. It has an area of 561 km²; it has a population of 159,932 at the 2006 census. It is a notable place in Imo state because of the ...

Imo State Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its n ...

. She is the sixth child of Mary and Chima Okereke's eight children. She completed her primary & secondary education in Delta State. She studied at the University of Calabar, in Cross River State, where she graduated with a degree in English and Literary Studies.

Career

While she was still a teenager in the year 1997, she starred in two Nollywood movies; ''Compromise 2'' and ''Waterloo''. During the 2002

beauty pageant, Okereke reached 3rd place. A year later in 2003, Okereke won two awards, out of the eight nominations she received, at the 2003 Reel Awards for 'Best Actress - English' and 'Best Actress of the year 2003'. After graduating from the

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a private for-profit film school and acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. The New York Film Academy was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, a former film, t ...

in 2007, Okereke released the movie '' Through the Glass'' in which she served as director, scriptwriter, producer and actress. The film received an

Africa Movie Academy Award The Africa Movie Academy Awards, popularly known as AMAA and The AMA Awards, is presented annually to recognize excellence among professionals working in, or non-African professionals who have contributed to, the African film industry. It was fou ...

nomination for ''Best Screenplay'' in 2009. In 2014, she released another movie, ''

Dry Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Lack of rainfall, which may refer to ** Arid regions ** Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Dryness (medica ...

'' and again served as a director, scriptwriter, producer, and actress which won many awards including

12th Africa Movie Academy Awards The 2016 Africa Movie Academy Awards ceremony was held on Saturday 11 June 2016 at the Obi Wali International Conference Center in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The ceremony recognized and honored excellence among directors, actors, and writers in ...

and

2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards The 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) was held on March 5, 2016 at the Eko Hotels and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. It was hosted by Ikponmwosa Osakioduwa and Minnie Dlamini. Nominees were revealed on December 11, 201 ...

best movie overall movie with the prize of a brand new car. Okereke has starred in over 90 movies. In March 2021, as part of her campaign against gender-based violence on the female folk, the actress released two short movies (which she produced) titled
The Student
' and
Bad Police
'.

Personal life

In April 2005, on her way to the African Movie Academy Awards held in

Yenagoa Yenagoa is a Local Government Area and capital city of Bayelsa State, southern Nigeria. It is located at the southern part of the country at coordinates . The LGA has an area of 706 km² and a population of 352,285 at the 2006 census. Th ...

, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Okereke was involved in a serious car accident that left her with burns all over and a broken leg. In April 2012 Okereke married Linus Idahosa in Paris, France, at a private wedding ceremony that was attended by members of her family and scores of Nollywood actresses and actors. Their first son Maxwell Enosata Linus was born in October 2015. They welcomed their second son in May, 2022, seven years after their first son.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okereke Linus, Stephanie 1982 births Living people Igbo actresses Igbo beauty pageant contestants Nigerian female models Nigerian film directors Nigerian women film directors Nigerian screenwriters New York Film Academy alumni Actresses from Imo State 20th-century Nigerian actresses 21st-century Nigerian actresses University of Calabar alumni Members of the Order of the Federal Republic Nigerian film actresses Nigerian film producers Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria contestants Nigerian beauty pageant contestants Nigerian film award winners Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards winners