Kanayo O. Kanayo

Anayo Modestus Onyekwere MFR[1][2] // (listen)popularly known as Kanayo O. Kanayo // (listen) (born March 1, 1962)[3] is a Nigerian actor and lawyer.[4] In 2006 he won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the movie Family Battle.[5]

Kanayo O. Kanayo

MFR
Kanayo O. Kanayo at the Aka Ikenga dinner event in Lagos, Nigeria, 2008
Born
Anayo Modestus Onyekwere

(1962-03-01) March 1, 1962
Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria
OccupationActor

Early life and education

Kanayo is a native of Nru Umueze Oboama Ezinihitte in Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State.[1] He was raised in Aba, Abia State and attended St. Joseph primary school. He had his secondary education at Secondary Technical School, Aba.[6] He obtained a diploma in Mass Communication, a diploma in Law and a graduate degree in philosophy from the University of Lagos.[1] He also obtained a master's degree in political sciences.[6] He also obtained a law degree from the University of Abuja in 2018 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2020.[7][8]

Career

Kanayo started his acting career in 1982, acting in productions by the Nigerian Television Authority. He made his debut movie appearance in the year 1992 in the film Living in Bondage.[1][9] He has starred in over 100 films and was nominated in 2008 for African Movie Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Across the Niger.[9] His most recent movies are Up North and Living in Bondage: Breaking Free[10]

In 2011, he contested for the chair of Imo State House of Representatives but lost.[11] In 2018, he contested for representative of Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise in the Federal House Of Representative under the political party APGA[12] but lost.[13]

He has featured in multiple Nollywood productions including Lion Heart and the sitcom Professor Johnbull[14] and is however known for playing the role of a villan in these productions especially in films relating to occult practices.[15][16]

He is currently a United Nations ambassador and bears the title of MFR.[17][18]

Kanayo was among various Nigerians honored by the government in 2014 during the centenary celebration.[19]

Filmography

Films
Year Title Role Ref
1992 Living in Bondage Chief Omego [20]
1993 Circle of Doom
1994 Nneka the Pretty Serpent
1997 Blood Money: The Vulture Men Chief Collins
1999 Festival of Fire
2000 Battle of Love
419 Connection: Deadly Rose
Ngene: The Mistake of the Past Millennium
2003 Billionaire's Club [15]
2004 Across the Niger [21]
2005 Money is Money Andy [16]
Hot Money
2014 Apaye Emman [22]
October 1 Okafor [23]
2018 Up North
Lion Heart [24]
2019 Living in Bondage: Breaking Free [25]

TV Shows
Year Title Role Ref
1966-88 Village Headmaster
1991-94 Checkmate [6]
Ripples
New Masquerade
2016 Professor Johnbull Professor Johnbull [26]

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2006 Africa Movie Academy Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Family Battle Won [27]
2008 Africa Movie Academy Awards Across the Niger Nominated [28]
2012 Africa Movie Academy Awards Special Recognition Award N/A Won [29]
2014 Africa Movie Academy Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Apaye Nominated
Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards Best Actor Won [30]
Best On-Screen Duo Nominated
Best of Nollywood Awards Best Actor in Leading Role (English) Nominated [31]
Nigeria Entertainment Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role Nominated [32]
2019 Africa Movie Academy Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role Up North Nominated

References
  1. "Anayo Modestus Onyekwere aka KOK". African Movie Academy Award. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  2. "Official Website". kanayookanayo.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  3. AMatus, Azuh (2 March 2007). "Why Nollywood must recapitalise – Kanayo O. Kanayo". Daily Sun. Lagos, Nigeria. Archived from the original on 4 March 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  4. Okporu, Rachel (2022-01-26). "'This is disgusting' Actor Kanayo O. Kanayo dragged after rubbishing s€x for role claims in Nollywood". Kemi Filani News. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  5. "AMAA 2006 - List of Winners". African Movie Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  6. "The Sun Award winners 2020: Kanayo O. Kanayo: Thespian of outstanding ability". The Sun Nigeria. 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  7. "Nollywood actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo celebrates 60th birthday". The Sun Nigeria. 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  8. "Nigerians congratulate Veteran actor, Kanayo Kanayo as he officially becomes a lawyer". Vanguard News. 2020-09-15. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  9. "Living in Bondage: Internet Movie Data Base". Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  10. "Kanayo O. Kanayo". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  11. Medeme, Ovwe (28 March 2011). "Nigeria: Kanayo's Truth About the Country". Daily Independent. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via AllAfrica.
  12. Augoye, Jayne (7 June 2018). "Actor Kanayo O Kanayo To Contest For House Of Reps". Premium Times. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  13. "APGA aborted my dream — KOK". Vanguard. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  14. Anazia, Daniel (24 March 2018). "Glo-Sponsored Professor Johnbull cast and crew on set for Season 6". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  15. Ojiakor, Ojinime Ebelechukwu; Obiora, Adanma Vivian (2019). "Perception of Nigerian Audience on Real-life of Nollywood Artistes Repeatedly Characterized as Villains" (PDF). International Journal of Social Sciences and Management Research. 5.
  16. Hanmakyugh, Teddy Thaddeus (2019). "Ritual culture phenomenon in Igbo films: a study of Money is Money". EJOTMAS: Ekpoma Journal of Theatre and Media Arts. 7 (1–2): 374–385. doi:10.4314/ejotmas.v7i1-2.25. ISSN 2449-1179.
  17. Olowoporoku, Muhaimin (1 March 2021). "Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo celebrates 59th birthday". P.M. News. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  18. "The Sun Award Winners 2020: Kanayo O. Kanayo: Thespian of outstanding ability". The Sun. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  19. "Nigeria's Centenary: Queen Elizabeth and all the award winners". PM News. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  20. Haynes, Jonathan (2016-10-04). Nollywood: The Creation of Nigerian Film Genres. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-38795-6.
  21. Tsika, Noah A. (2015-04-10). Nollywood Stars: Media and Migration in West Africa and the Diaspora. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-01580-8.
  22. "Apaye". sunnewsonline.com. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  23. "Synopsis; October 1 – A Kunle Afolayan Movie". October1movie.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  24. Tsika, Noah (2022-01-21). "Genevieve Nnaji, director. Lionheart. 2018. 95 minutes. English and Igbo, with English subtitles. Enugu, Nigeria. The Entertainment Network. Streaming on Netflix. No price reported". African Studies Review: 1–3. doi:10.1017/asr.2021.122. ISSN 0002-0206.
  25. "Living in Bondage: How 1992 classic changed Nollywood". Pulse Nigeria. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  26. Okoye, Chukwudi M.C.; Abunike, Chibuike M. (2019). "Cultural transposition and challenges of policy making: a review of select Nigerian television series". Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities. 20 (3): 119–132. doi:10.4314/ujah.v20i3.7. S2CID 228953346 – via AJOL.
  27. "AMAA Awards and Nominees 2006". African Movie Academy Award. Archived from the original on 12 October 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  28. "4TH AMAA AWARD WINNERS AND NOMINEES". African Movie Academy. Archived from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  29. "AMAA Nominees and Winners 2013 | Africa Movie Academy Awards". Ama-awards.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-08. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  30. "GIAMA 2014 Full List Of Winners". pulse.ng. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  31. "BON Awards 2014". BON Magazine. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  32. Micheal Abimboye. "Nigeria: Tiwa Savage, Davido, Win Big At NEA Awards". Premium Times. allAfrica.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
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