Stephanie Okereke Linus


Stephanie Okereke Linus is a Nigerian actress, film director and model. She has received several awards and nominations for her work as an actress, including the 2003 Reel Award for Best Actress, the 2006 Afro Hollywood Award for Best Actress, and three nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2005, 2009 and 2010. She was also the runner up for the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria beauty pageant of 2002. In 2011, she was honoured by the Nigerian government with a national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR. Stephanie is also a scriptwriter, a Producer and a Director.
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Early life and education

Stephanie Okereke was born in Ngor Okpala, Imo State. She is the sixth child of Mary and Chima Okereke's eight children. She completed her primary and secondary education in Delta State. She studied at the University of Calabar in Cross River State, where she graduated with a degree in English and Literary Studies.

Career

While she was still a teenager in the year 1997, she starred in two Nollywood movies; Compromise 2 and Waterloo. During the 2002 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria beauty pageant, Okereke reached 3rd place. A year later in 2003, Okereke won two awards, out of the eight nominations she received, at the 2003 Reel Awards for 'Best Actress - English' and 'Best Actress of the year 2003'. After graduating from the New York Film Academy in 2007, Okereke released the movie Through the Glass in which she served as director, scriptwriter, producer and actress. The film received an Africa Movie Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay in 2009. In 2014, she released another movie, Dry and again served as a director, scriptwriter, producer and actress which won many awards including 12th Africa Movie Academy Awards and 2016 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards best movie overall movie with the prize of a brand new car. Okereke has starred in over 90 movies.
In March 2017 she was appointed as a Regional Ambassador for the UNFPA, and she held this position until 2020.
In March 2021, as part of her campaign against gender-based violence on the female folk, the actress released two short movies titled ' and '.
In 2024 she was awarded the Lennox K. Black International Prize for Excellence in Medicine by Thomas Jefferson University.

Personal life

In April 2005, on her way to the Africa Movie Academy Awards held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Okereke was involved in a serious car accident that left her with burns all over and a broken leg.
In April 2012, Okereke married Linus Idahosa in Paris, France at a private wedding ceremony that was attended by members of her family and scores of Nollywood actresses and actors. Their first son Maxwell Enosata Linus was born in October 2015. They welcomed their second son in May 2022, seven years after their first son.
Okereke and her husband celebrated their 13th Anniversary on 19 April 2024.

Awards and nominations

YearEventPrizeRecipientResult
2003What a Year AwardsBest ActressHerselfWon
2003Reel AwardsBest Actress - EnglishHerselfWon
2003Reel AwardsBest Actress of the yearHerselfWon
2004Afro-Dublin AwardsOutstanding ActressHerselfWon
2004Film Makers of NigeriaAward For ExcellenceherselfWon
20051st Africa Movie Academy Awards,Best Actress in a Leading RoleHerself
2006Afro Hollywood AwardBest ActressherselfWon
20095th Africa Movie Academy AwardsBest Actress in a Leading RoleReloaded
20095th Africa Movie Academy AwardsBest ScreenplayThrough the Glass
20106th Africa Movie Academy AwardsBest Actress in a Leading RoleNnenda
2013Montage Africa Women of Exllence AwardsAchievement in drama and entertainmentHerselfWon
20152015 Best of Nollywood AwardsMovie With the Best Social MediaDryWon
20152015 Best of Nollywood AwardsBest Actress Leading RoleDry
20152015 Best of Nollywood AwardsBest DirectorDry
20152015 Best of Nollywood AwardsMovie of the YearDry
2015Bentonville Film FestivalBest ProtagonistDryWon
2015ZAFAA Global AwardsBest ActressDryWon
2015ZAFAA Global AwardsBest FilmDryWon
2015ZAFAA Global AwardsBest ProducerDryWon
2015ZAFAA Global AwardsBest DirectorDryWon
201612th Africa Movie Academy AwardsBest Nigerian FilmDryWon
201612th Africa Movie Academy AwardsBest FilmDryNomitated
201612th Africa Movie Academy AwardsBest DirectorDry
20162016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice AwardsBest Overall Movie DryWon
20162016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice AwardsBest DirectorDry
20162016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice AwardsBest Movie West AfricaDry
2016Pan African Film FestivalProgrammers'Award Narrative FeatureDryWon
2016NafcaBest Actress In Leading RoleDryWon
2016NafcaBest Overall MovieDryWon
2016NafcaBest DirectorDry
2016NafcaBest ScreenplayDry
2016NafcaBest Drama FilmDry
2016DALA awardsFace of Nollywood HerselfWon
2017Truth AwardsBest Supporting ActressBoonville RedemptionWon