Chika 'Nancy' Ike (born 8 November 1985) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

television personality Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, producer, business woman,

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

and former model.

Early life

Born in

Onitsha Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. I ...

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 ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. She began acting in church plays at the age of six. Ike began her career as a model at age 16 just after finishing

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. In 2004, Ike completed a two-year diploma programme in

Human Kinetics Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...

and Health Education before earning her degree in the same course, both from

University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...

. In 2014, she graduated from the New York Film Academy in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

where she studied Film Making.

Career

Film and television

Ike began her film career in 2005 when she played a minor character in the movie ''Sweet Love''. She got her first major role that same year in a movie titled ''Bless the Child'' and has since played major roles in over a hundred movies, such as ''Paradise'', ''Mirror of Beauty'', ''To Love a Stranger'', ''Girls Got Reloaded'', ''Happy Ending'', ''Yes We Will'', ''Anointed Queen'' and ''The Prince and the Princess''. In 2007, ''Mirror of Beauty'' was shown in Cineworld and Odeon cinemas across the U.K and in 2008 It was selected and screened at the Cannes film festival. She founded her production company, Chika Ike Production, in 2014, and produced her first movie ''Miss Teacher'' and her

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

'' African Diva Reality TV Show'' of which she is the executive producer, host and a member of the judging panel. The first season aired on

DStv Digital Satellite Television, commonly abbreviated to DStv, is a Sub-Saharan African direct broadcast satellite service owned by MultiChoice and based in Randburg, South Africa. Launched on 6 October 1995, the service provides multiple audio, ...

and the second season aired on AIT. In 2015, she collaborated with Rok Studios to produce movies like ''Happy Ending'' and ''Stuck on You''.

Other projects

Education

In 2004, Ike enrolled in the

(Unilag) for a 2-year diploma program in

human kinetics Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...

and health education. She completed the program in 2006, earning a certificate. She went further to get a degree in human kinetics and health education at Unilag. In 2014, she graduated from the

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a private for-profit film school and acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. The New York Film Academy was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, a former f ...

in Los Angeles, California where she studied film-making.

Philanthropy

Ike established the foundation Help the Child which is aimed at helping poor children. In 2012 she threw a street party where she hosted over 3000 children, feeding them and giving out toys, school bags and writing materials. Every year she organizes a major charity event for the children on the street, provides scholarships, and provides them with school writing materials.

Fashion line

In 2011, Ike founded her fashion line Fancy Nancy and launched it in

Abuja, Nigeria Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plan ...

Personal life

Ike has been outspoken on

abusive relationship Relational aggression or alternative aggressionSimmons, Rachel (2002). ''Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls''. New York, New York: Mariner Books. pp. 8–9. . Retrieved 2016-11-02. is a type of aggression in which harm is cause ...

s, having been a victim of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partn ...

. In 2013, she opened up about how she was domestically abused in her past marriage. She filed for divorce due to domestic violence in 2013. She eventually announced through her

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...

page that she's "officially divorced". This however did not go down well with some fane as they rained abuses on her.

Awards and nominations

Ike has received several awards and nominations for her work, including the

Africa Movie Academy Award The Africa Movie Academy Awards, popularly known as AMAA and The AMA Awards, is presented annually to recognize excellence among professionals working in, or non-African professionals who have contributed to, the African film industry. It was fou ...

s Best Upcoming Actress, 2008, and the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2009 for her performance in the movie "The Assassin".

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ike, Chika 1985 births Living people 21st-century Nigerian actresses Actresses from Onitsha University of Lagos alumni Actresses from Anambra State Nigerian television personalities Nigerian film producers Nigerian female models Nigerian philanthropists New York Film Academy alumni Igbo actresses Nigerian humanitarians Nigerian women film producers Nigerian businesspeople Nigerian women in business Nigerian chief executives Nigerian television producers