Accomplishments and Life Story of Nollywood Actress Stephanie Okereke

One of the most popular Nigerian actresses, Stephanie Okereke, has achieved a successful career in the Nigerian film industry, Nollywood, reportedly the third-largest film industry globally. Besides acting, Stephanie has accomplished a lot as a film director and producer. Not only has she carved a niche for herself in the entertainment industry, but she has also gone ahead to become a household name following her advocacy works against all forms of violence on women, early marriage, illegal wildlife trade, and more.

The stunning actress has achieved a well-decorated career; she has won numerous accolades for her endeavors as an actress, director, producer, and humanitarian. Despite her eye-catching accomplishments, the Imo State native has not rested on her laurels but is so determined to take her career to the apex and equally impact the lives of millions of people, especially women, through her Extended Hands Foundation. Though her beginning wasn’t all that smooth, Stephanie has since exploded into the international scene and is now an international star.

Originally From Imo, Stephanie Okereke Grew Up In Delta State, Nigeria

The screen diva was born Stephanie Onyekachi Okereke on October 2nd, 1982, in Ngor Okpala, Imo State, Nigeria. She comes from a family of eight children and is the sixth child of late Mr. Chima and Mary Okereke. Her father passed away in late 2015. Stephanie grew up in Delta State, where she completed her primary and secondary school education. She then proceeded to the University of Calabar, Cross River, and there, she got a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Literary Studies.

The comely actress later studied theatre and film directing at the New York Film Academy, graduating in 2007. Interestingly, her impressive educational achievements have proved pivotal to her chosen career field. It has helped her climb the height she has attained today, as Stephanie Okereke is now considered one of the most successful actresses and filmmakers in Africa.

She is Not The Only Famous Person in Her Family

Like earlier mentioned, Stephanie Okereke is the sixth child of her parents and has seven siblings. She has two younger siblings who have been identified as Sandra Okereke and Chioma Okereke Moses. Details about her older siblings are unknown except Daniel Okereke, who came into the limelight for the wrong reason- rape allegations. Meet her siblings below.

Sandra Okereke and Chioma Okereke Moses

Like her elder sister, Sandra Okereke is an actress. Over the course of her budding career, she has starred in many films such as More Money, Spirit of Anger, Small World, and Royal Fighter. Sandra is well known for her ability to interpret movie roles with precision. Chioma Okereke Moses, on the other hand, is a gospel artist and songwriter. She has a melodious voice and has released several albums since she began her music career, including ‘Shekinah Glory.’

Some of her best-recognized songs include ‘Lord You Are,’ ‘He Loves Me,’ ‘Rhythm of Your Love,’ ‘Okaka,’ and ‘Crown You.’ Chioma was born on September 29th, 1984, and was raised in Delta State. She attended Faith Group of Schools and Asaba Girls Grammar School. Stephanie Okereke’s younger sister graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Policy and Administrative Studies from the University of Calabar in Cross River. In July 2019, she exchanged marital vows with Joseph Moses.

Daniel Okereke

Unlike his siblings, Daniel Okereke came to the spotlight for being caught up with the law. In 2014, he was involved in a rape scandal and was arrested and charged to court for the alleged crime. He was accused of rape by Arinola, a 300 Level Computer Science student of Unilag, in November 2014. He reportedly carried out the alleged crime at his residence in Mende, Maryland, Lagos. Asides from Arinola, several other women also alleged that Daniel raped them during his trial.

Speaking about the ugly incident, Stephanie Okereke, who has been a passionate human rights advocate, especially violence against women, stated how devasted she was to learn that her brother is an alleged perpetrator of sexual violence against a woman. She applauded the alleged victim for speaking up and then said it was left for Nigeria’s criminal justice system to determine the guilt or innocence of her brother. Before being hit by the rape scandal, Daniel Okereke had a music label, Kings Unit Entertainment. He worked as a gospel singer and released a song titled ‘See Ye First’ in 2013.

The Actress Gained Recognition in The Film Industry in The Late ’90s

While in secondary school, Stephanie Okereke started honing her acting skills by taking part in the school’s dramas, performing on stage. Soon after completing her high school education, the dexterous actress took to acting and landed a role in a film titled Compromise. She eventually gained prominence in the Nigerian film industry in her teens when she starred in Compromise 2 and Waterloo in 1997. Later in 2002, she participated in the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria beauty pageant and finished second.

Upon graduation from the university, the famed social activist focused on her career full time and now has more than 100 acting credits to her name. She gained wider recognition in the 2000s, starring in numerous movies alongside Nollywood stars like Genevieve Nnaji, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Patience Ozokwor, Ini Edo, Tony Umez, Mike Ezuruonye, Pete Edochie, and Rita Dominic. Some of her notable works include Pretender (2002), Emotional Crack (2003), Private Sin (2003), Beautiful Faces (2004), Mama-G in America (2004), Royal Battle (2005), Daytime Lovers (2006), Governor’s Wife (2007), Hidden Treasure (2008), and Reloaded (2009).

A Look at The Works That Made Her a Superstar

In 2006, Stephanie Okereke scored a role in Sitanda, which Izu Ojukwu directed. She starred in a leading role in the film, and it won multiple awards, including Africa Movie Academy Awards for Best Nigerian Film, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director. Later in 2009, she was cast in the romantic drama film, Reloaded and her outstanding performance landed her Africa Movie Academy Award nod for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She also gained another Africa Movie Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Nnenda in 2010.

Four years later, she starred in Dry, and for excellently interpreting her role of Dr. Zara, Mrs. Linus walked home with Bentonville Film Festival Award for Best Protagonist, ZAFAA Global Award for Best Actress, and Nafca Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Additionally, Stephanie Okereke won Truth Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Boonville Redemption in 2017.

Besides Acting, Stephanie Okereke Works as a Brand Ambassador 

Over the years, the Private Sin star has served as an ambassador for diverse brands and organizations. Hence, she is widely considered a model. She has also been part of multiple campaigns for which she has featured on the cover of many magazines. Stephanie has worked as a brand ambassador for Green Valley Oatmeal, Diva Pads, MINISO Nigeria, and Kanekalon Hair throughout her career. In 2015, she became the ambassador for Stop Violence Against Women in Elections (STOP-VAWIE) and was appointed to the prestigious position by the National Democratic Institue.

She has also been associated with the United Nations For Population Activities (UNFPA) for more than a decade and was appointed a regional ambassador for West and Central Africa in 2017. The award-winning director has represented the famous online casting site for music videos, film/TV shows, and commercials – Nollycasting, for several years. More so, she unveiled Hygiene First campaign in May 2020, and four months later, Stephanie was appointed National OPS-WASH ambassador by Nigeria’s Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu.

In January 2021, Stephanie Okereke became one of the celebrity ambassadors of WildAid, an organization that works to end the illegal wildlife trade in Africa and the world at large. She was also named Gree AC brand ambassador in June 2021.

Her Career As Film Director and Producer Have Made Her Scarce From The Acting Scene

Stephanie was scarcely seen on the silver screen in the 2010s as she only made a few movie appearances. The actress, however, now works as a film director and producer. She made her directorial and production debut in 2008 when she released her movie, Through The Glass, which was quite successful. The movie earned her several accolades and was also a box office success. In the first week of its release, Through The Glass raked in ₦10 million and emerged as the first Nigerian film to have earned up to 10 million Naira in the first week of release.

Stephanie Okereke served as the scriptwriter, director, and producer of the film and received Africa Movie Academy Award nod for Best Screenplay. She also released another movie, Dry, in 2014, as a tool for her advocacy against child marriage and violence on women and improved maternal healthcare. The Nigerian drama film was critically and commercially successful. It has been translated into several languages and has garnered multiple awards for the filmmaker. For her role as the writer, director, and producer of Dry, she clinched the Best of Nollywood Award for Movie With the Best Social Media.

Also, the film won other awards such as the ZAFAA Global Awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Producer; Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award for Best Overall Movie (Africa); Pan African Film Festival’s Programmers’ Award Narrative Feature; and Nafca Award for Best Overall Movie. In August 2020, Stephanie released a film titled Miracle in the Valley, which she starred in, and then produced two short movies, Bad Police and The Student, as part of her awareness campaign for violence against women in 2021.

She is Also a Blogger and Philanthropist

Besides focusing on her career as an actress and filmmaker, Stephanie Okereke also has an interest in blogging. She launched a personal blog site, Stephanie Daily, in 2012. Therein, she interacts with her fans and gives updates about her daily life, career success, and equally relationship tips. Additionally, she serves as the founder and director of a non-profit organization called Extended Hands Foundation. The renowned actress has been working to eradicate obstetric fistula and improve maternal healthcare in Africa through the foundation. Over the years, she has provided free fistula surgeries to fistula patients in Nigeria.

In 2014, the organization helped repair the Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) of 22 women in Cross River State. Also, in 2017, Stephanie Okereke’s NGO successfully carried out repair surgeries on 35 VVF patients in Kebbi State. She works with a team of dedicated doctors to help young girls who were forced into early marriage and suffer from the embarrassing effect of VVF and other women who are victims of VVF. Interestingly, through her advocacy with her movie Dry, Gambia has banned child marriage in the country, and the quality of maternal health has improved in Nigeria.

The Ghastly Motor Accident That Nearly Ended Her Career

Stephanie’s dream of becoming an international star was almost shattered in April 2005 when she was involved in a fatal motor accident. She was heading to the African Movie Academy Awards organized in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, that fateful day when a tanker with faulty brakes hit her vehicle, which instantly resulted in an explosion of plumes of fires. As a result, some parts of her face and body were burned, with one of her legs broken.

Focusing only on surviving, the Dry actress thought she would lose her face and leg to the accident. Thankfully, she survived it after passing through intense pain, as four surgeries were carried out on her leg. Presently, she can walk and run with her legs and also glows like a diamond. Stephanie Okereke has attributed her speedy recovery and survival to God’s special grace. She is quite grateful to God, who saw her through the most difficult period of her life and brought her out stronger and better.

At 38, She Has Made Remarkable Achievements 

Throughout her decades-long career, the famous social activist has garnered recognition on the local and international scenes. In 2010, she graced the Women in the World Conference held at Hudson Theatre in New York City and equally took part in the exclusive stage reading of the play, Seven, alongside the former U.S Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and Hollywood star, Meryl Streep.

Later in 2015, she was invited by Queen Elizabeth II as one of the 60 young people across Commonwealth Nations who were honored at the Queens Young Leaders Award held in Buckingham Palace that year. Stephanie Okereke also spoke at the #NotThe Cost Conference in New York in 2016 alongside Madeleine K. Albright, the first female U.S Secretary of State, and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Canadian First Lady.