#Celeb Crush: Genevieve Nnaji
BORN: May 3rd 1979
POB: Mbaise, Imo State
NATIONALITY: Nigerian
RELIGION: Brought up Catholic
EDUCATION: Methodist Girls College, Yaba, Lagos; University of Lagos
Genevieve Nnaji started her acting career as a child actress in the then-popular television soap opera “Ripples” at the age of 8. She was also featured in several commercials, some of which included Pronto beverage and Omo detergent. In 1998, at the age of 19, she made her debut in the growing Nigerian film industry with the movie “Most Wanted.” She has gone ahead to star in over eighty movies and has become a household name. In 2002, she starred in the movie Sharon Stone (2002) (V), and her fame shot beyond the shores of Nigeria to the rest of Africa and several European countries. Genevieve has arguably reinvented the Nigerian film Industry, introducing Nollywood to the rest of the world.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
Homevida Ambassador (2011)
Ranked #19 in Forbes “40 Most Powerful Celebrities In Africa” [2011]
Voted as the sexiest Nollywood actress in poll conducted by Vanguard Newspaper in 2008
Won Best Actress at the inaugural AMAA (2005)
Was voted for and officially became face of Lux beauty soap for sub-Saharan Africa in 2004
Won Best Actress of the year award at the 2001 City People Awards
FUN FACTS
Genevieve Nnaji the fourth of the family’s eight children
GN has a daughter named Chimebuka
Genevieve’s guilty pleasures include a penchant for chocolates and cake
In its 20 years of publishing, News/Politics magazine, TELL has never put a Nigerian entertainer on its cover until Genevieve Nnaji graced one of its June 2011 editions
In 2008, Nnaji launched a clothing line called St. Genevieve, which donates a percentage of its proceeds to charity
GN appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2009 and has been dubbed as the ‘Julia Roberts of Africa’ by Oprah Winfrey and Cable News Network (CNN)
