Ngozi Ezeonu (born Ngozi Ikpelue, May 23, 1965) is a Nigerian actress and former journalist notable for her maternal roles in

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 ...

movies. In 2012, she starred in '' Adesuwa'', a role that earned her the Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 8th Africa Movie Academy Awards .

Early life

A native of

Ogbunike Ogbunike is a town in the Oyi local government area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Location It is located about 15 kilometers east of Onitsha. The Onitsha-Enugu expressway cuts through its northern border. The town is bordered on the east by Umud ...

, 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 St ...

. Ezeonu was born in

Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...

to Dennis and Ezenwanyi Ikpelue, and has six siblings. Prior to finding fame as an actress, she studied Journalism at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism and worked for Radio Lagos and

Eko FM Eko FM was established in 1997 as the sister station of Radio Lagos. EkoFM was created to provide information to Yoruba people. Many Lagosians rely on this channel to keep them updated, as it broadcasts Broadcasting is the distribution of a ...

Career

Although best known for her reprisal of mother figures, Ezeonu was originally cast as younger characters at the start of her acting career. In 1993, veteran film director

Zeb Ejiro Zeb Ejiro, MFR is a Nigerian filmmaker and producer. He is one of the two brothers of Chico Ejiro, a veteran Nigerian filmmaker and producer. In November 2005, Zeb received a National award of Order of the Federal Republic alongside Lere Paim ...

offered Ezeonu a supporting role as Nkechi, the antagonist's best friend in the

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

blockbuster ''Nneka The Pretty Serpent''. This was followed by her role in 1994's '' Glamour Girls'' as Thelma, a high society

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...

Filmography

She has featured in more than 150

films. Among them:

1994 – 2007

* ''Ada Vigilante'' * ''End of Ada Vigilante'' * ''Evil Project'' * ''Senseless'' * ''Best Honeymoon'' * ''Enslaved'' * ''Definition of Love '' * ''End of a Princess'' * '' Glamour Girls'' – 1994 * '' Nneka The Pretty Serpent'' – 1994 *''I Swear'' – 2004 * ''Occultic Kingdom'' – 2005 * ''Abuja Top Ladies'' – 2006 * ''The Love Doctor'' – 2007 * ''Royal Grandmother 1 and 2'' – 2007

2008 – 2016

* ''Tears in My Eyes'' – 2008 * ''Throne of Tears 1, 2 and 3'' – 2008 * ''My Darling Princess'' – 2008 * ''Tears of a Prince'' – 2009 * ''Sister Mary and Ossy'' – 2009 * ''Stone Face'' – 2009 * ''Secret Shadows 1 and 2'' – 2010 * ''Wise In-Laws'' – 2010 * ''A Private Storm'' – 2010 * ''Adesuwa'' – 2012 * ''Shattered Mirror'' – 2012 * ''The Kings and Gods'' – 2012 * ''Broken Engagement'' – 2013 * ''Palace War'' – 2014 * ''Tears of a Virgin'' – 2014 * ''Luscious Lucy'' – 2016 * ''Tears of the Innocent'' – 2016 * ''Zenith of Sacrifice'' – 2016 * ''Heritage'' – 2016

2017 – 2019

* ''Tears and Glory'' – 2017 * ''Child of Pain'' – 2017 * ''Tell Me Why'' – 2017 * ''Pretty Little Thing'' – 2017 * ''Family Secret'' – 2017 * ''A Better Family'' – 2018 * ''Lion Heart'' – 2018 * ''Confessor'' – 2018 * ''Different Worlds'' – 2019 * ''Seed of Destruction'' – 2019 * ''Dusted Crown'' – 2019 * ''Crazy Princess'' – 2019 * ''On All Sides'' – 2019 * ''Run Away From Love'' – 2019 * ''If Trouble Comes'' – 2019 * ''Making a King'' – 2019

2020 – 2021

*''Nkasi my flesh and blood'' *''Prince Decision''

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Ngozi Ezeonu Films
on iROKOTv Actresses from Anambra State 20th-century Nigerian actresses 21st-century Nigerian actresses Living people Nigerian film actresses 1965 births Igbo actresses Nigerian journalists {{Nigeria-actor-stub