5 Nollywood Actors You Didn’t Know Are Asian
Nollywood is filled with some of the most talented actors and actresses. Because Nollywood is the Nigerian movie and television industry, it is easy to assume that everybody within the industry is 100% Nigerian. However, that is in fact not the case.
Today, we’ll be counting down 5 Nollywood actors you may not know are actually also Asian. Are you ready to find out who they are? Then let’s go!
1. Sophie Alakija
Nigerian actress Sophie Alakija is a Nollywood actress who has starred in a myriad of blockbuster Nollywood productions including Dinner At My Place, Introducing the Kujus, My Village People, A Time to Heal, and more.
What many do not know however is that Sophie Alakija is also partly Asian. Sophie Alakija’s mother is a Nigerian woman, specifically an Efik woman who married her dad, a man who is from Lebanon, a country that is located in Western Asia. Sophie Alakija is half African, half Asian.
2. Denrele Edun
Nigerian media personality, provocateur, host, and actor Denrele Edun is the next Nollywood star on our list. Denrele Edun has acted in movies such as Excess Luggage, Pepper Soup, The Return of Jenifa, I Am Nazzy, and many more.
What many people may not know is that Denrele Edun was actually born in Hamburg, Germany to a Nigerian father of Yoruba descent and an Indian-Mauritan mother. This makes Denrele Edun, a half African, half Asian man himself.
3. Ben Lugo Touitou
Ben Lugo Touitou also known to many as Benjamin Touitou was born on January 22, 1988. He was born to an Israeli father and a Nigerian mother from Imo State(Igbo tribe). He is originally from Israel and best known for his breakout role on Lagos Cougars. Since then Ben Touitou has gone on to star in a myriad of Nollywood productions including the movies Time and Chance, Shrine Girl, Forgetting June, One Fine Day, Bad Comments, and more.
What many people may not know about Ben Touitou’s ancestry though is that the actor was actually born to a Nigerian mother of Igbo descent and a father who is Israeli. This combination makes Ben Touitou a half African, half Asian man himself.
4. Pearl Shim Mugalla
Pearl Shim Mugalla also known to many simply as Little Daniella is a fast rising young and pretty Nigerian female actor and soul mate studio star. She was born on June 27, 2008. Her father is from South Korea, though she revealed she has not met him, and her mother, Afor Franca Mugala now deceased from Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, in south southern Nigeria.
Shim Pearl is currently doing her secondary education in Warri, Delta State.
Pearl Shim joined Nollywood in 2017 at the early age of 9 and has since made significant impacts in the movie industry.
The beautiful, young, creative and highly talented Nollywood teenage actress has so far in the industry starred in a number of movies, some of which are Hostage, Small Girl Wth Big God, All I Want For Christmas, Lent, My Kids and I, Little Daniella.
Shim Pearl is widely known for her brilliant roles in movies, playing teenage characters.
She revealed that a movie, In Bondage with Little Daniella actually shot her to fame and recognition in Nollywood. She also said in an interview that the movie ‘The Making of Small Girl With Big God’ was quite challenging and fun at the same time.
Shim has acted alongside top Nollywood stars in the likes of Christian Paul, Ebu, Oguike’s family, and many others.
Shim Pearl revealed that acting with the Oguike family is a good one but stated they are not related by blood. According to the young star, “we are just friends, not really close friends, but we are just colleagues”.
Shim also stated that she has a strong passion for acting and hopefully study Theatre Acts. Pearl Shim cites Regina Daniels as her role model because of her brilliant way of acting. She also named actor Ogbonna as her male role model.
5. Ramsey Nouah
Nigerian actor, Ramsey Nouah is one of the most popular male actors in Africa. The award-winning star has played a significant role in the success of most Nollywood films. The Nollywood veteran has acted in a number of blockbuster Nollywood productions including My Wife and I, Blood Sisters, Living in Bondage, and more.
What many do not know about the actor though is that he is also partly both Israeli and Lebanese according to an interview he gave to Classic FM. Ramsey Nouah was born to an Israeli Jewish father and a Nigerian mother of Yoruba descent. The combination of that makes Ramsey Nouah a half African, half Asian man.
The Nigerian actor was born on December 19th, 1970 to an Israeli father and a Yoruba mother in Lagos, Nigeria. He is biracial, and he grew up in Surulere, Lagos State.
Ramsey’s mother, on the other hand, is a Yoruba from Owo, Ondo State. She goes by the name Margaret Afolabi. Not much about Ramsey Nouah’s parents are known to the public.
Having been raised in Surulere, the famous actor went to Atara Primary School and then enrolled at Community Grammar School. Both schools are in Lagos State.
Ramsey later joined the University of Lagos, where he enrolled for a Diploma in Mass Communication. After graduation, he ventured into acting fully.
The Nigerian actor has hundreds of movie credits to his name. His career began in the mid-1990s and got to its peak in the early 2000s. Ramsey was inspired to build a career in acting by a friend. At that time, he was struggling to establish a career in music.
He began showing up for auditions for TV series, and luckily, he was offered the role of Jeff in the television series known as Fortunes. He acted alongside actresses Liz Benson and Regina Askia in the series.
Nouah’s career breakthrough came in 1996 in the best-selling movie called Silent Night. His exemplary performance catapulted him into the limelight, and he became a Nollywood sensation. Since then, the legendary actor has made tremendous appearances in various movies.
The name Ramsey Nouah is undoubtedly a household name. This has been a result of impressive performances in the movies he has acted in.
The legendary Nigerian actor is a happily married man, and he currently lives in Lagos with his family. Ramsey Nouah’s wife is called Emelia Philips. Unlike most wives of celebrities, Emelia Philips likes to maintain a low profile.
Ramsey Nouah and his wife got married in 2004, and they have been blessed with three children, a daughter named Desiree and two sons called Quincy and Camil.
That’s All.
I hope you’ve had fun. Don’t forget to follow Swiftloaded for more stories like this, the fun never ends.
TAGS
