EMEKA ENYIOCHA THE ACTOR, HIS SUCCESS IN NOLLYWOOD.

                                EMEKA ENYIOCHA Biography

Family Background

My full name is Chukwuemeka Michael Enyiocha but all my friends and family call me Emeka. I am from Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria and the eldest of eight children. Being born on March 06 my Zodiac sign is Pisces.

Education

My education started in Umuahia where I completed primary school and part of my secondary school education. I completed my secondary education at Government Technical School in Port Harcourt. Several years after secondary school, I obtained a diploma in Theatre Arts from the Lagos State University (LASU).

Acting

Acting for me, came as an after thought. Initially I started modeling but I soon found out that even though I had the flair and physique for it, the scar on my forehead prevented me for getting enough jobs that would enable me to succeed as a professional model. Consequently the idea of acting came up. However, I realized that I had a lot to learn.

My first chance came when I got a chance to act in a popular soap on NTA, Nigerian Television Authority, called "Memorial Hospital". I can still remember one of my early episodes in "Memorial Hospital". I was asked to act a scene, making out with a girl in the office. Each time I touched her I trembled nervously and forgot my lines.

Luckily, my co-actor was patient with me. After about thirty takes and with encouragement from Lancelot and the director of the soap, I managed to eventually act the scene.

My Big Break

"End of The River" by Amaco productions was my first big break. Before this movie, I had done quite a few movies. It took me almost nine years to get a big break in the industry. When the script came, I saw it and said to myself "This is it! Either I make it or get out of the industry." I have always been a very blunt person and sometimes this is misconstrued to give one the impression that I am difficult. 

As a result of this, the director thought I would be a problematic person to handle on set. Shooting "End of The River" was really demanding. We had to stop shooting twice because the location camera got spoilt and eventually had to wait for a replacement. I was however, determined to make it in spite of the set back. The movie came out and thanks to God, it was an instant hit. It gave me a lot of prominence and my journey to stardom commenced. Also the name "Ezebunafo" stuck from then on.

My Movies

To the best of my knowledge and ability I do good movies. Good movies start from good scripts. I select my scripts and I try to be the best in my performance. I have featured in over 90 movie titles. Below is not an exhaustive list. It however includes most of the films where I have played the lead role:

Unforgettable Movies

Personally, all my movies come with memories that are not easily forgotten but I would say "End of The River" and "Peace Maker 1 & 2" are my most memorable movies to date. The film "Peace Maker" was an artistic fulfillment for me because I put in everything. It was a movie that came after "End of The River" and I had to do something quite different from my previous role. I was glad I did the movie as it won the best movie of the year in 2003. 

Challenges

The challenges in the industry are enormous. The challenge of trying not to disappoint your fans, trying not to disappoint yourself, trying to improve on your acting skills and also ensuring that you continue to maintain a high rating in the industry amidst the massive talent that exists in the country today. Having said this, I always try to be myself and do not try to imitate other actors. Embarrassing Moments After the release of "Peace Maker", I was driving around Yaba market when I discovered I had a flat tyre. Whilst changing the tyre, a woman came out from nowhere and started hitting me, raining abuses at me and also crying all at the same time.

I turned to her and said "Mummy, what is the problem?" By this time a crowd had gathered and amidst the raining abuses she explained to the crowd how wicked I was in the movie. Of course, the people started laughing and explained to her that it was just a movie. Tears filled from my eyes because I was hurt even though it was not her fault.