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Genoveva Kenechukwu Umeh (born 8 May 1995) is a British–Nigerian actress. She won the Best Supporting Actress award at The AMVCA in 2024 for her role in the Prime Video Original, Breath of Life. She was nominated for the Best Actress in a drama at the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards 2022 for her role in A Tune Away.  She also received critical acclaim for her roles in Nigerian's first Netflix original crime thriller series Blood Sisters and young adult series Far From Home. One of her major film roles include One Lagos Night (2019). She also leads as Shindara in Episode 4 of Showmax's Original drama series Crime and Justice Lagos (2022). In 2024, she won the best supporting actress at the 2024 AMVCA for her role in Breath of Life (2023).

Biography

Genoveva Umeh was raised both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. She was born in Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria on 8 May 1995 to computer engineer, Gaius Umeh and nurse Ifeoma Umeh.  She lived in Enugu until age 12 and received her primary education at Command Children's school, Enugu.

Umeh had her first year of secondary education at Command Day Secondary School, Enugu but later migrated with her family to the United Kingdom in 2006. She completed her secondary and A level education at St Mary's College of Education High School in London, United Kingdom.

Umeh fell in love with acting while she was in secondary school and then pursued the craft by successfully completing a term at part time drama school, Identity School of Acting, UK in 2012. She performed a few plays at the Hammersmith theatre in London during summer holidays. Afterwards, she obtained a degree in LLB Law from the University of Surrey, England, graduating with honours.

Career

Umeh moved to Lagos, Nigeria in 2018 to pursue her acting career. She wrote and performed a one-woman stage play, HOME, which performed at Lagos Fringe Festival in Lagos, Nigeria and a year later at Bloemfontein, South Africa. She also performed as Lami in Rue14 studios stage Play, High to shine a light on substance abuse amongst teenagers in December 2018 and 2019.

Umeh booked her first lead role in A Tune Away (2020), which earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 2022 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice -Award 2022. In 2019, she began her on-screen journey with a small role in Love is War, a cinema film that eventually found its home on Netflix. She then played Anita, a youthful London girl with a lot to hide in One Lagos Night released in 2021 and exclusive to Netflix two years after it was shot. She also played Khafilat in BAFTA nominated short film "Lizard" (2020).

She was one of the first set of students admitted into Ebonylife Creative Academy in hopes that her talents will be seen. She then featured in short films like "Monitoring Spirits", which earned her best supporting actress for her role as Sara. Other short films include "Reflections", "Focus" and "IJO". Shortly, she caught the attention of Kenneth Gyang who recommended her to Mo Abudu and owner of the academy to audition for the role of Timeyin Ademola in Netflix original and Nigerian's firs Netflix original crime thriller series, Blood Sisters.

Shortly after wrapping Blood Sisters she was cast to play Zina in Far From Home.

Filmography

Film/Television

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Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

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• Living people
• 21st-century Nigerian actresses
• Actresses from Anambra State
• Alumni of the University of Surrey
• Black British actresses
• Igbo actresses
• Nigerian film actresses
• Nigerian television actresses
• 1995 births
• Nigerian film producers