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Continental pip for dependable actor, Gideon Okeke

By Shaibu Husseini
27 October 2018   |   4:28 am
Nigerian filmmakers who were in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, last weekend for the 14th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) didn’t come back empty- handed.

Nigerian filmmakers who were in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, last weekend for the 14th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) didn’t come back empty- handed.

Although they lost most of the coveted technical awards to the ambitious South African feature, Five Fingers of Marseilles, and to a Nigerian-born, but South Africa-based filmmaker, Akin Omotosho, whose silent movie, Hotel Called Memory, was voted best in the sound, sound track and editing categories, the Nigerian filmmakers returned with all the coveted acting awards, and like a notable critic of African cinema quipped, the Nollywood filmmakers showed that when it comes to acting, naija no dey come last.

Indeed, they showed stuff in the acting categories and only managed to win the award for best make-up and best costume.

The acting award rain for Nigeria started when dependable actor, Gideon Okeke, was declared best actor in a supporting role for his superb performance in Seyi Sowoku’s crime drama, Cross Roads.

Minutes after, it was the turn of the veteran actress, Joke Silva, who was declared the best actress in a supporting role for her performance in the romantic drama, Potato Pohtato.

Then came the two big awards, the award for actor in a leading role and the award for actress in a leading role. While notable actor, Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD) got the crest for leading actor, thus making him the first actor to have won the best actor award twice, it was the diva, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, that was the AMAA jury’s pick for best actress in a leading role.

But while Joke, RMD and Dakore couldn’t pick up the awards personally, an elated Gideon was live in Kigali, walking up the well laid out stage to receive the supporting actor award, his first major award since he started acting over a decade ago.

“I didn’t see this coming,” he said repeatedly as he climbed the stage to receive the award. “I just told myself that I was coming to have fun, but if I win, okay, and if I don’t, still okay. It was indeed difficult to say who will win in that category, because everyone there deserved to win.

“But I thank AMAA and the jury and also my wife, who has been very supportive. And like I said on stage, I dedicate this to Egbon Seyi, the director of Cross Roads for believing in me and for giving me the opportunity to feature in the movie. Egbon, this is truly for you,” he enthused.

A respected stage and screen actor, model and show host, Gideon is best known for his role as Phillip Ade Williams, the arrogant son of a media mogul in that long running MNET TV series Tinsel. But he shot his way into limelight when he featured as a contestant in the first edition of the Big Brother Nigeria (BBN) television reality show.

It was after his stint in the Big Brother house that he joined the cast of Tinsel, and he has been regular on the series till date.

An Applied Bio-Chemistry graduate of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Akwa, Anambra State, he was raised in Ajegunle area of Lagos State, where he also had his early education.

Soon as he established that he was cut out for acting, Gideon, always wanting to improve himself, enrolled to be trained in acting at the Strasberg Institute in New York, where he got his professional training in acting.

A notable cast member of the South African television series, Jacob Cross, Gideon has continued to enjoy super roles on stage and screen. His first lead role in a movie is in the drama film by Andy Okereke, titled, Relentless, starring Nneka Egbuna and Jimmy Jean-Louis.

Many still live with memories of his performance as Bernard in Poisoned Bait, a series produced by Irokotv and directed by award-winning director, Leila Djansi.

Gideon’s next hit was playing the lead in the crime thriller by Steve Gukas, titled, A Place in the Stars. He followed that up with a believable performance in Seyi Babatope’s romance drama, When Love Happens, then 93 Days and Gbomo Gbomo Express.

On stage, Gideon has been on call, featuring in several stage productions, including playing Fela Kuti in the musical, Fela: Arrest The Music.

He was also a leading cast member in the musical by Bolanle Austeen Peters, Saro, The Musical 2. His other most pronounced stage credit is featuring in Fractures, an adaptation of Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge.

Said to be humble and hardworking, Gideon said the AMAA win has spurred him to do more and to work harder, adding: “This is just to spur me to work harder and to continue to aim for the stars.

“I want to continue to be the best in what I am doing and with God on my side, I will get there.”

Other winners of this year include Jade Isiberu’s Isoken (Best Nigerian Film).

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