As the international women’s day approaches, we will not forget to remember and be thankful for the iconic and influential women of Nollywood. We are very impressed by the inspiration and power that they have given to younger women.
Nollywood Women Are Driving Nollywood Forward
These women stepped up all by themselves and made history in the entertainment industry. They became trailblazers, who took risks to change the Nollywood system and women representation in the industry. However, this is not a comprehensive list. There are many more, including those who have passed away. But we applaud every Nollywood woman with this list.
Rita Nzelu
This woman is to be credited for her role in the popular Nigerian movie ‘Living in Bondage’. She ruled the industry in the early 90s playing strong female lead characters, though she was later overtaken by the likes of Genevieve Nnaji. However, she had already established herself as one of N favorites and won several awards before she disappeared from the screens.
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Liz Benson
Liz is famous for her radiant beauty. She was a leading Nollywood actress around the 90s until she quit to become a gospel preacher. Liz Benson is among the many who did not receive awards or recognitions despite being the best in her acts. However, she accumulated enough stats to prove she is one of Nollywood’s best.
Regina Askia
Regina Askia is Nigeria’s beauty icon, model and actress of the 90s who made several histories during her beauty pageant career. Some of her achievements include being the first woman to represent Nigeria at the “Miss Charm International” in 1998 in Leningrad, Russia.
She won several contests and gained recognition both as a model and later as an actress. She later left acting to become a medical practitioner and escaped the World Trade Centre attack in 2001 where she worked at the time.
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Caroline Ekanem D
When the industry started becoming flooded with beautiful women in the early 2000s, Caroline Ekanem was among the few that dominated because of her talent and beauty. The Scottish-Nigerian actress is known to have dated Nigeria’s biggest singer Tuface – this was a big deal giving the controversy around the singer.
Ireti D
She has been in the industry for about 2 decades and is credited for her appearance in both TV, stage, and films. She is an accomplished Nollywood writer, actor, and producer. Ireti Doyle has been active in social functions representing women through her entire career.
Onyeka Onwenu
Onyeka Onwenu has been making history in Nigeria since the 70s as a talented singer and was once dubbed mother Nigeria. She advanced into Nollywood in the early 90s and has been leaving trails for women in the field to follow.
Ngozi E
She began her career as a journalist in the early 90s. However, she later found a path in acting and became one of the most substantial women in the industry. She is popularly known for playing ‘Queen’ in movies and has given many younger women a voice with her strong female lead characters.
Ngozi Ezeonu has given many younger women a voice with her strong female lead characters
Ayo A
Nollywood has never lacked female talents – even at the time when the number of women was only a fraction of what it is today. Ayo Adesanya gave her best to the industry in the 90s and is still doing so. Her light transcends to the younger generation in the industry today.
Annie Idibia
Annie Idibia is a unicorn and conquered the turbulence both in the widely acclaimed marriage to Tuface and in her career. many young women, she has become a love icon and inspiration.
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Rita D
Rita Dominic is an actor with a zeal to inspire people who want to grow in the field and has featured in numerous events and functions representing women. Rita Dominic is on the list of Nollywood’s “super-singles” who are ruling the women’s world.
Franca Brown
Just when Nollywood started becoming better, women like Franca Brown began fading from the screen. In the 80s, she was among the many that were glowing on our screens. At the time she became the first woman to win the award. She helped keep the industry going until many others came along.
Victoria Inyama
Women were underrepresented in Nollywood in the early 90s since many families forbade their girls from acting. However, women like Victoria Inyama, at this time took the opportunity to establish themselves and became among the living legends of Nollywood.
Genevieve Nnaji
Nollywood’s list of most celebrated and decorated actors/directors/producers begins with her. She began acting early in life and broke several records. She has more awards than any other Nollywood actresses to date. In 2011 she received an honor as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Genevieve has on many occasions presented herself as a strong feminist.
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde
Omotola is a pioneer of both the new cinema and the video film eras of Nollywood. The award-winning actress became the youngest to win the THEMA award in 2007. Her name made it to the list of 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine in 2013. The actress is also a recognized Member of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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