Anayo Modestus Onyekwere popularly known as Kanayo O. Kanayo (born 1 March 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 1 March 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 Abia is a state in the Southeastern region of Nigeria. The state's capital is Umuahia and its most populous city is Aba. Abia is bordered the west by Imo, east by Cross River, south by Rivers, northwest by Anambra and northeast by Enug ...

and attended St. Joseph primary school. He had his secondary education at Secondary Technical School, Aba. He later obtained a diploma in

Mass Communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large population segments. It utilizes various forms of media as technology has made the dissemination of information more efficient. Primary examples o ...

, another diploma in

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and a graduate degree in philosophy from the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

. 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 The Nigerian Television Authority or NTA is a Nigerian government-owned and partly commercial broadcast station. Originally known as Nigerian Television (NTV), it was inaugurated in 1977 with a monopoly on national television broadcasting, after ...

, where he appeared in 1987 Television series ''

Things Fall Apart ''Things Fall Apart'' is a 1958 novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It is Achebe's debut novel and was written when he was working at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. The novel was first published in London by Heinemann (publisher), ...

'' 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 House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

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 Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and w ...

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 Imo () is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its name from the Imo R ...

at the

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

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanayo, Kanayo O. 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