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Sam Loco Efe (25 December 1945 – 7 August 2011), born Sam Loco Efeeimwonkiyeke in
Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Én ...
, was a Nigerian
actor 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 (), l ...
,
producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
and director.


Early life and education

Efe was born in Enugu, the son of Arase Efeimwonkiyeke, a warder. His father was of
Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...
ancestry and worked in Eastern
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 of G ...
and his mother was a petty trader who sold bean cakes. He spent a considerable part of his childhood in the town of
Abakaliki Abakaliki is the capital city of Ebonyi State in southeastern Nigeria, located southeast of Enugu. The inhabitants are primarily members of the Igbo nation. It was the headquarters of the Ogoja province before the creation of the Southeaster ...
in present-day
Ebonyi State Ebonyi State ( ig, Ȯra Ebonyi) is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by Benue State, Enugu State to the west, Cross River State to the east and s ...
. He lost his father when he was in elementary school; Efe then spent more than the normal years to obtain an elementary education because he had to help his mother in her trade in order to earn income for the family. His first experience with acting was at his school when a theatre group came to stage a play called
The Doctor In Spite of Himself ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, afterwards he discussed with members of the group about the
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...
and performance arts. In elementary school, he was a member various groups including a drama society that performed a rendition of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at an Eastern regional arts festival in Abakaliki, the play came last in the drama competition but Efe was noted as the best actor which earned him a scholarship to complete elementary school. After finishing elementary school, he attended various secondary schools and was active in the drama society, organizing a performance of The Doctor in Spite of Himself and a play called Vendetta. After secondary school, he was a member of a traveling theatre group and played soccer earning the moniker locomotive later shortened as loco. During the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
, Efe fought on the Biafra side until he returned to Benin in 1968. While in Benin, he started the Ovonranwen Theatre Group with their debut production being Ogierhiakhi's Obaiwape. However, his earnings from acting was meagre and thereafter, he traveled to
Lagos Lagos ( Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 f ...
to seek better career opportunities and to explore a career in football. He got his first job in 1972 working for Michelin Tyres. He applied for the position without knowing how to drive which was a requirement for the job. He learned how to drive a day before the interview. During the interview, he passed the oral interview and failed the driving test but honesty about his error in judgement won over the interviewer. He worked for Michelin selling tyres in Lagos,
Ijebu Ode Ijebu-Ode is a town in Ogun State, South Western geopolitical zone in Nigeria, close to the A121 highway. The city is located 110 km by road north-east of Lagos; it is within of the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern part of Ogun State and p ...
and
Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surroundin ...
. He soon left Michelin to work for Dunlop Tyres as a Senior Sales Representative in the Tyres and Allied products division. While working for Dunlop in Benin, he was a cast member of
NTA NTA may refer to: * Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, a method for visualizing and analyzing particles * National Tax Agency, the official tax collecting agency of Japan * National Tax Association, a non-profit organization in United States * Nati ...
Benin's television series, Hotel de Jordan and also performed in a rendition of Ola Rotimi's The Gods are Not to Blame. In 1977, he left sales for a career in theatre. He auditioned and got the lead part of Langbodo, a play by Dapo Adelugba presented during Festac. After the end of Festac, Adelugba introduced him to a friend of his at
University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 1962 ...
about opportunities in theatre. Adelugba's friend was able to get Efe a position as a senior artiste in the institution.


Selected filmography

*''
Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on the ...
'' (with Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme) *'' Owo Blow'' *'' I'll Take My Chances'' *''Final World Cup'' *''Long John'' *''Ukwa'' *''
Osuofia in London ''Osuofia in London'' is a 2003 Nigerian comedy film produced and directed by Kingsley Ogoro, starring Nkem Owoh. The film is arguably one of the highest selling Nollywood films in history. It was followed by 2004 sequel titled ''Osuofia in ...
'' *''My Love'' *''I want to harvest you'' * The return of anunuebe * Things fall Apart * Nneka the pretty serpent * '' Old School'' * A Fool at 40 * Blood Billionaires 2 * Daddy Must Obey * My love


Death

Sam Loco Efe was found dead in a hotel room on a Sunday morning. The room door was forced open after he failed to come down after retiring to bed the previous night. The cause of his death has never been known until now. He died sitting on a chair in the hotel room with Ventolin inhalers beside him. The former vice president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Mr
Steve Eboh Steve Eboh , popularly known as Ajebo, is a Nigerian actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''Extreme Measure'', ''Extreme Measure 2'' and '' Lionheart''. Apart from acting, Eboh is also a producer, television personality and a philan ...
, who happened to be a close friend and confidant to Sam Loco said Sam Loco had plans to visit his farm house at
Ebonyi state Ebonyi State ( ig, Ȯra Ebonyi) is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by Benue State, Enugu State to the west, Cross River State to the east and s ...
and rest there for a while but that desire was never fulfilled.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Efe, Sam Loco 2011 deaths 1945 births Male actors from Enugu State People from Enugu Nigerian male film actors 20th-century Nigerian male actors Nigerian male television actors Nigerian film producers Nigerian film directors Actors from Edo State Nigerian comedians People from Edo State