He was born to Mr and Mrs. Michael Ikedieze Ogbonna of Iluoma Nzeakoli in Bende local government area in Abia State. He was born on December 12, 1977.
After his primary and secondary education, he proceeded to IMT Enugu where he studied Mass Communication. Chinedu says: “Acting is a talent that God deposited in me right from the cradle.
For example, during my secondary school days, I was a member of the Art and Dramatic Society. My greatest opportunity came in my first year (August, 1998) at IMT, where I met a friend whom I told about my desire to become an actor and to discover more about the Nigerian movie industry.
I told him about my desire to be part of the industry and as God would have it, our discussion coincided with an audition slated somewhere the very next day.
He promised to take me to the place and the following day, we went to the venue of the audition at a popular hotel on Ogui road in Enugu.
The audition was for a movie titled Evil Men, One and Two and luckily for me, I got a role.
That was exactly how I started and since then I have been actively involved in it.” He will be in Uganda on January 26 for the Katogo Show at the Imperial Royale Hotel.
John Okafor ( Mr Ibu, father in movie)
John Ikechukwu Okafor, a.k.a. Mr Ibu, is unquestionably one of Nigeria’s most talented comic characters. Okafor in recent times is best known for his humourous acting which is often characterised by stupidity, hilarious imbecility and a sharp disconnection from reality.
Background
I was born into a humble family in Ankanu Local Government Area of Enugu State. I attended Community Central School, Eziokpo. During my elementary school days, I was so fortunate; whenever I committed an offence that warrants severe punishment, my teacher would ask me to do something to make the class laugh. It may be to create effects with my stomach or to shake my buttocks in a comic style. So, whenever I did as requested, I’d gain my freedom inmmediately.
The whole class would reel in laughter and that remained my saving grace till the end of my early school years. I grew up under the tutelage of my grandfather, who was my source of inspiration in what I have become today.
Starting
While I was growing up in Benin, there used to be a popular TV comedy programme called Hotel de Jordan. We used to go and see the actors and crew members during shootinng. So, on this fateful day, it happened that as we watched them do their thing, one of the artistes asked me to come on set and play the role of a farmer in one of the episodes. That was how I became an actor and made my first appearance before the television camera. From that point anytime I heard anything that had to do with drama, I would jump at it.
Later on, I found myself in Onitsha where I got myself acquainted with the major entertainers in town. These people were always kind and willing to assist me.
When the Anambra State Broadcasting Service (ABS) came on board, I was involved in some productions until 1994 when I did what I consider my first paid acting job. The title of the film was Rolling Stone produced by Solomon Eze and directed by the late Kenneth Egbuna. I was paid N5,000 for the job.
This is Lagos
After I moved over to Lagos, I discovered that many jobs were available and that once you are able to prove yourself, you would not lack jobs. My first job in Lagos was Don’t Cry for Me. After that I did Banana Girls. I came down to Lagos not to go into acting per se, but to be behind the scene. However, each time anyone billed to play a lead role in a movie failed to show up, I would be asked to stand in for him. Before I knew it, people began to take notice of me and I felt, well, if you people want me to come to the front seat ,why not. So from that point I was invited to act in other movies.
I discovered Jim Iyke
During the shooting of Woman in Jos, Georgina Onuoha was discovered on my set. I thank God that she still pays me homage till date. After returning from Jos and we were preparing for the shooting of Vuga, Jim Iyke walked up to me and showed interest and commitment in becoming a seasoned actor. I put him through and he acted in about eleven scenes in Vuga and he proved himself. I have played motivational roles to many up and coming artistes in this business and most often many of them see me as someone who is approachable.
My most outstanding movie
I consider Uncle Wayward as my best movie so far. However, I am not supposed to rate myself. I think Mr Ibu is more popular in the market even outside the country. Many Nigerian families have copies of Mr Ibu in their collection and most people call me Mr Ibu anywhere they see me. And well before the movie came, people already knew me as Ibu. It is a name I inherit from my grandfather.
Getting into character
When I am given a very good script with a fantastic story line and other good artistes playing alongside or supporting me, I tend to come into character quickly. But in a situation where probably due to lack of funds on the part of the producer, I see myself playing the major role and the script is also poor, all I do in such circumstance is to come up with an attitude that is unique. That was what I did in School Boy. I read the script and I found out that it was rubbish. But because I was broke at that time, I decided to act as a stammerer in School Boy.
How I make people laugh
I love playing serious roles than the comic ones. But, the irony of it all today is that even when I play the role of a serious medical doctor with all the instruments of the profession, nobody takes me seriously. Many will say ‘ah Ibu is going to kill somebody today’. I am comfortable playing any role but since my fans have decided that for now what they want from me is comedy, I have no option than to satisfy them. Even when I am given a serious role, I still do everything possible to chip some humour to sustain my audience’s attention. I have attained a level in this profession that even my cries make people laugh
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