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Kanayo O. KanayoMFR
Kanayo O. Kanayo at the Aka Ikenga dinner event in Lagos, Nigeria, 2008
Born	Anayo Modestus Onyekwere (1962-03-01) 1 March 1962 (age 62) Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria
Alma mater	University of Lagos, University of Abuja
Occupation(s)	Actor, Lawyer
Years active	1982- till date
Spouse	Nneka Onyekwere ​(m. 1999)​
Children	4
Awards	AMVCA Best Actor in a Drama

Anayo Modestus Onyekwere MFR // popularly known as Kanayo O. Kanayo // (born March 1,1962) is a Nigerian actor and lawyer. In 2006, He won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the movie Family Battle.

Early life and education

Kanayo was born on March 1,1962. He is a native of Nru Umueze Oboama Ezinihitte in Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Kanayo was raised in Aba, Abia State and attended St. Joseph primary school. He had his secondary education at Secondary Technical School, Aba. He later obtained a diploma in Mass Communication, another diploma in Law and a graduate degree in philosophy from the University of Lagos. He also obtained a master's degree in political sciences. He also obtained a Law degree from the University of Abuja in 2018 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2020.

Career

Kanayo started his acting career in 1982, acting in productions by the national broadcaster, the Nigerian Television Authority, where he appeared in 1987 Television series Things Fall Apart and Checkmate. He made his debut movie appearance in the year 1992 in the film Living in Bondage. He has starred in over 100 films and was nominated in 2008 for Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Across the Niger. His most recent movies are Up North and Living in Bondage: Breaking Free.

In 2011, he contested for a seat in the Nigerian House of Representatives but lost. Seven years later, he again unsuccessfully contested for same position.

He has featured in multiple Nollywood productions including Lion Heart and the sitcom Professor Johnbull, however, he is known for playing the role of a villain in these productions especially in films relating to occultic practices.

He has received the order of the MFR.

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

Politics

In 2013, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan appointed him to the board of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Studies.

Kanayo declared his interest on June 3,2018 to represent the Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency of Imo State at the House of Representatives the following election year which was 2019. He made this known to the public, stating he was going to be under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). He lost the election but was expected to run in the 2023 election.

Kanayo disclosed in 2022 he was not contesting for any position in politics and said, "I will not contest for any political office in 2023. This sacrifice is to enable me to work for a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction."

Personal Life

Kanayo and his wife, Nneka Onyekwere have been married since 1999. They have four children: Oloaku Valerie, Clinton (also known as Onye Eze Mbaise), Einstein and Kassochukwa Montell.

Achievements and Awards

In 2006, he won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the movie Family Battle.Two years later, he received a nomination for Best Actor at the 2008 AMAA awards for his role in Across the Niger.

Filmography

Films

TV shows

Awards and nominations

See also

• List of Nigerian actors
• Nigerian Law School

References

1. ^ "Anayo Modestus Onyekwere aka KOK". Africa 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 (26 January 2022). "'This is disgusting' Actor Kanayo O. Kanayo dragged after rubbishing s€x for role claims in Nollywood". Kemi Filani News. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
5. ^ "AMAA 2006 - List of Winners". Africa Movie Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
6. "Kanayo O. Kanayo Celebrates His 59th Birthday (Photos) – Igbere TV". igberetvnews.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
7. ^ "The Sun Award winners 2020: Kanayo O. Kanayo: Thespian of outstanding ability". The Sun Nigeria. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
8. "Nollywood actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo celebrates 60th birthday". The Sun Nigeria. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
9. "Nigerians congratulate Veteran actor, Kanayo Kanayo as he officially becomes a lawyer". Vanguard News. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
10. Uche, Portia. "Anayo Modestus Onyekwere". Igbo Biography. Igbo Biography. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
11. ^ Room, News (25 March 2024). "Kanayo O. Kanayo : Biography, Career, Family – Pensioners FM". Retrieved 24 October 2024. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
12. Medeme, Ovwe (28 March 2011). "Nigeria: Kanayo's Truth About the Country". Daily Independent. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via AllAfrica.
13. Augoye, Jayne (7 June 2018). "Actor Kanayo O Kanayo To Contest For House Of Reps". Premium Times. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
14. "APGA aborted my dream — KOK". Vanguard. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
15. Anazia, Daniel (24 March 2018). "Glo-Sponsored Professor Johnbull cast and crew on set for Season 6". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
16. ^ 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.
17. ^ 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. S2CID 224242230.
18. Olowoporoku, Muhaimin (1 March 2021). "Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo celebrates 59th birthday". P.M. News. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
19. "The Sun Award Winners 2020: Kanayo O. Kanayo: Thespian of outstanding ability". The Sun. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
20. "Nigeria's Centenary: Queen Elizabeth and all the award winners". PM News. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
21. ^ Wangethi, Isaac (20 August 2024). "Kanayo O. Kanayo's net worth, biography, real name and family". Legit.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
22. Haynes, Jonathan (4 October 2016). Nollywood: The Creation of Nigerian Film Genres. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-38795-6.
23. Tsika, Noah A. (10 April 2015). Nollywood Stars: Media and Migration in West Africa and the Diaspora. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-01580-8.
24. "Apaye". sunnewsonline.com. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
25. "Synopsis; October 1 – A Kunle Afolayan Movie". October1movie.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
26. Tsika, Noah (21 January 2022). "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. 65: E56–E58. doi:10.1017/asr.2021.122. ISSN 0002-0206. S2CID 246168515.
27. "Living in Bondage: How 1992 classic changed Nollywood". Pulse Nigeria. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
28. Staff, Daily Post (14 November 2021). "Afribold releases thriller "Detour" starring KOK, Jemimah Osunde, Monalisa Chinda, others". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
29. 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.
30. Udodiong, Inemesit (20 November 2023). "Kanayo O Kanayo set to play lead role in Showmax's new series 'Agu'". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
31. "AMAA Awards and Nominees 2006". Africa Movie Academy Award. Archived from the original on 12 October 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
32. "4TH AMAA AWARD WINNERS AND NOMINEES". African Movie Academy. Archived from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
33. "AMAA Nominees and Winners 2013 | Africa Movie Academy Awards". Ama-awards.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
34. "GIAMA 2014 Full List Of Winners". pulse.ng. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
35. "BON Awards 2014". BON Magazine. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
36. Micheal Abimboye. "Nigeria: Tiwa Savage, Davido, Win Big At NEA Awards". Premium Times. allAfrica.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.

External links

• Kanayo O. Kanayo at IMDb
• Kanayo O. Kanayo on Twitter

• 1962 births
• Living people
• Male actors from Imo State
• Nigerian male film actors
• Igbo male actors
• Best Actor Africa Movie Academy Award winners
• 20th-century Nigerian male actors
• 21st-century Nigerian male actors
• Members of the Order of the Niger
• Actors from Imo State
• University of Lagos alumni
• People from Mbaise
• Nigerian actor-politicians
• University of Abuja alumni
• Nigerian male television actors