Sharon Ooja Nwoke (née Egwurube; born 6 April 1991), known professionally as Sharon Ooja, is a

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

actress. She came into the

limelight Limelight (also known as Drummond light or calcium light)James R. Smith (2004). ''San Francisco's Lost Landmarks'', Quill Driver Books. is a non-electric type of stage lighting that was once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illum ...

after she played the role of "Shalewa" in the web series '' Skinny Girl in Transit''.

Early life and education

Ooja is from the Idoma tribe of

Benue state Benue is a State in the North Central Nigeria, North Central region of Nigeria. It is popularly referred to as part of the Middle belt. It has an estimated population of about 4,253,641 in List of Nigerian states by population, the 2006 census. ...

. She was born in

Kaduna State Kaduna (, جىِهَر كَدُنا; مدينة كدونا; , ; ) is a States of Nigeria, state in the northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna (city), Kaduna, which was the List of Nigerian ...

. She has three sisters. She attended Kings and Queens School, Jos, for her primary education. For her secondary education, she attended two all-girls schools – Regina Pacis Secondary School, Garki II,

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

, and St. Louis Girls’ College, Jos. Both were boarding schools.

Career

Ooja started her acting career when she moved to

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

in 2013. She revealed in an interview with a Nigerian tabloid, ''Punch'' newspaper how she got into acting. According to Ooja, it all began when she was at a photo session for a store and NdaniTV was covering the behind-the-scenes activities of the shoot. The next week, she was invited for an interview for a television show that did not happen. Shortly afterwards, she was called to play in a small role in the television series, ''

Gidi Up ''Gidi Up'' is a Nigerian television and web drama series starring OC Ukeje, Deyemi Okanlawon, Somkele Iyamah, and Titilope Sonuga in lead roles. The series was created by Jadesola Osiberu and executively produced by Lola Odedina. It is prod ...

''. Ooja also featured in '' Skinny Girl in Transit'', where she played the character Shalewa. Ooja is a graduate of

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 ...

from Houdegbe North American University Benin. She hosted GT Bank's Fashion week red carpet alongside Timini Egbuson in 2017. She was listed as a top female celebrity of 2020 and a

Nollywood Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...

actress to look forward to in 2024. Ooja was among many others selected by Netflix to represent Nigeria in the program organized titled "The Bridgeton Affair" in South Africa. She fell ill during the remake of the movie ''Glamour Girls''.

Personal life

Ooja and Ugo Nwoke dated for two and a half months before they married. The actress announced in March 2024 that she had a private civil wedding ceremony with her husband whom she calls "Odogwu silencer". Surrounded by family members, friends and colleagues, Ooja married Ugo Nwoke in June 2024. The traditional leg of the ceremony was held on 27 June 2024, while the white wedding was on 29 June 2024.

Controversies

Ooja's husband, Ugo Nwoke, was said to have been a three-time divorcee and had three children from previous marriages.

Filmography

TV shows

Movies

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ooja, Sharon 1991 births 21st-century Nigerian actresses Living people Nigerian film actresses People from Benue State