Genevieve Nnaji was born in Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria but grew up in Lagos, the fourth of eight children and was brought up in a middle class environment. Her father worked as an engineer and her mother as a nursery teacher. She attended Methodist Girls College (Yaba, Lagos), before transferring into the University of Lagos. While at the university, she began auditioning for acting jobs amongst the many Nollywood projects.
She started her acting career as a child actress in the then popular television soap opera Ripples at the age of 8. In 1998 at the age of 19 she was introduced into the growing Nigerian film industry with the movie “Most Wanted”. Her subsequent movies include Last Party, Mark of the Beast and Ijele.
In 2010 she starred in the award winning film Ijé: The Journey. Nnaji has starred in over 80 Nollywood movies. Genevieve Nnaji is considered to be one of the best paid actresses inNollywood. In 2004 she signed a recording contract with EKB Records, a Ghanaian record label, and released her debut album One Logologo Line, a mix of R&B, Hip-Hop and Urban music.
Nnaji has featured in several commercials some of which include Pronto beverage and Omo detergent. In 2004 she became the "Face of Lux" in Nigeria in a highly lucrative sponsorship deal. 2008 saw Nnaji launching a clothing line, "St. Genevieve", which donates its proceeds to charity. In May 2010 Nnaji was appointed to be the official "Face of MUD" in Nigeria
Nnaji has received several awards and nominations for her work, including the Best Actress of the year award at the 2001 City People Awards and the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2005 African Movie Academy Awards
Genny has frequently been hailed as Africa’s own answer to the likes of Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon and the rest of the feminine Hollywood stars. She started out in her acting career over 24 years ago, at the age of 8, playing a supporting role in a Nigerian TV series. Today, she is arguably Africa’s most revered actress and the poster girl for Nollywood- Nigeria’s burgeoning movie industry. The Nollywood diva has become one of Africa’s most recognizable faces, and has featured in over 80 successful Nigerian blockbusters.
Happy birthday to you Genevieve Nnaji, lovely and well respected Actress so far.
