Biographie
O.C. Ukeje is a Nigerian actor and singer who has achieved notable success in television and film after starting his career in theatre. In 2006, he won a Box Office reality TV show for actors, launching a career that blends stage and screen work.
From 1999 to 2004, Ukeje focused on music, writing and performing with acapella, rap, and choral groups. Following his reality TV win, he shifted his attention to TV and film, making his debut in Izu Ojukwu's White Waters (2008), alongside acclaimed actors Joke Silva and Rita Dominic. In 2007, he appeared in the BBC World Service Trust Nigeria TV series Wetin Dey. He earned the African Movie Academy Award (AMAA) for Best Upcoming Actor in 2008 and the City People's Award for Best New Act in 2010.
In 2009, Ukeje studied Acting for Film at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. Afterward, he returned to Nigeria and featured in Jeta Amata's Black November (2012), starring alongside Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Sarah Wayne-Callies, and Hakeem Kae-Kazim. He also returned to theatre, joining the repertory team that presented three plays for Nigeria House at the London Cultural Olympiad in 2012.
Later in 2012, Ukeje starred in the film adaptation of Bola Agbaje's award-winning play Gone Too Far, produced by BFI and directed by Destiny Ekaragha, with Malachi Kirby. The film premiered at the 2013 London International Film Festival. He also appeared in the adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun (2013), alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni-Rose, and John Boyega, directed by Biyi Bandele. The film premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and screened at the 2013 London Film Festival.
In 2015, Ukeje starred in the South African film Ayanda, directed by Sarah Blecher. The film premiered at the 2015 LA Film Festival, screened at the 2015 Cannes Film Market and London Film Festival, and opened the 2015 Durban Film Festival.
Recognized as a TIFF 2016 Rising Star, Ukeje subsequently completed a certificate course in Filmmaking at the Relativity School in Los Angeles before relocating to Canada. He participated in the 2017 Berlinale Talents Programme and returned to Berlin in 2020 for the premiere of Matias Mariani's Cidade Passaro/Shine Your Eyes, in which he starred.
Ukeje has won the Best Actor in a Drama Award at the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCAs) twice, in 2012 and 2015. He was also nominated for Best Actor at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in 2013, 2016, and 2018. Additionally, he received the Future Awards Africa Prize for Entertainment in 2013.
