The exciting Nollywood movie industry is still turning heads all across the globe with the quality and entertaining movies it keeps churning out that won’t stop wandering into international waters and gaining global recognition, and we are here for it.
The Nigerian film industry remains one of the largest movie industries in the world based on the number of films produced, and it is only bettered than the highly prolific Bollywood and the ever-successful Hollywood, but our Nigerian movie stars are very hell-bent on closing that gap.
With household names like Genevieve Nnaji, Jim Iyke, Ramsey Noah and Peter Edochie e.t.c already sealing their legacy in an industry they practically built from the ground, we are also beginning to see younger actors fighting to make a name for themselves while leaving no stone unturned in ensuring their careers also turn out great like the legends that came before them.
These youngsters are the hope we have that Nollywood is guaranteed a bright future, therefore they also deserve to be recognized and celebrated as often as possible, especially for their hard work and patience over the years. See Best Nollywood Superstars Below 30 Years (2022).
1. Rahama Sadau:
Born on 7 December 1993, Sadau is famous for her role in MTV Shuga, as Coper Yasmin, and she is one of the future generation stars that Nollywood has produced in recent years. She was born and raised in Kaduna and her fame started in 2013 after she joined Kannywood with her first movie, “Gani ga Wane.” Rahama has since appeared in several Nigerian movies in both Hausa and English, and the youngster even speaks Hindi fluently.
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Winning “Best Actress (Kannywood)” at the City People Entertainment Awards in 2014 and 2015, and “Best African Actress” at the 19th African Film Awards in 2015 has further sealed her spot as a talent who would moat likely rule the industry for years to come, and she has achieved all of this at just 27.
2. Sharon Ezeamaka:
Sharon is another stunning Nollywood talent that was born on the 24th of October 1992 in Lagos, despite being an indigene of Enugu. She is an amazing multi-talented star who is into acting, presenting, producing, and modelling at the same time.
Her acting career began when she was just 5 years old, but her debut movie was “Narrow Escape,” a project she featured in as a teenager. The youngster eventually experienced fame in a popular movie titled “Dear Mother,” and she starred alongside the talented Hilda Dokubo. Sharon went on to receive a “Best Teenage Actress” award for her role in that movie, and she has not looked back ever since.
Ezeamaka has featured in many more movies since that time, including “Little Angel,” “Who Is my Father,” and “Dorathy My Love,” and the awards she has clinched in the process are “Best New Act” at the City People Entertainment Award, “Most Promising Actress in Nigeria” at the African Magic Viewers Choice Award and so on.
3. Samuel Robinson:
This young actor was born on the 30th of June 1998, and he is a Nollywood star who has appeared in Nigerian and Malayalam movies. He is popular for his role in the 2018 Malayalam film titled “Sudani from Nigeria,” and the project was directed by Zakariya Mohammed.
His career really kicked off in 2013 and he has since featured in various major productions in Africa like Walt Disney’s “Desperate Housewives Africa,” M-Net’s “Tinsel,” MTV Base’s “Shuga” and Raconteur Production’s “8 Bars And A Clef.” Remember, Samuel Robinson is just 24 years of age.
4. Olumide Oworu:
If you watch popular TV series regularly, you will already know he is the young actor who plays Tari in the successful TV series project, “The Johnsons.” This youngster is a Nollywood actor, model and rapper who was born on December 11, 1994, and he graduated from Babcock University in June 2017.
He started his acting career at the age of six with another successful TV series, “Everyday People,” and he is also known for his impressive roles in series like “The Patriot,” “The Men In Her Life,” “Hammer,” “Stolen Waters” and “New Son.” He is one many have preferred to call The Series Man, or boy, since he is still quite young.
Despite his age though, Olumide has managed to win several awards including “Mr Popularity” in the Model of Africa 2012 contest, “Nollywood Revelation of The Year” at the Scream Awards 2014, “The Most Promising Youth Actor” at Ping Awards 2014, “Most Promising Actor” at the 2015 Best of Nollywood Awards and “Best Supporting Actor” for his role in the Soldier’s Story at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
5. Uzodima Esther:
Uzodima Esther is a very young Nollywood actress who is also a TV Presenter, red carpet host, content creator and media personality. The youngster was born in March 2002, and she hails from Imo State.
Esther just started her tertiary education and plans to study Mass Communication in the university, but she is already popular for her role as Angela in the popular TV Series, “My Sibling and I.” And according to Uzo, her mother got her that role, despite still auditioning for it.
Popular for once saying she has a crush on Ramsey Noah, she has also been heard saying she would love to work alongside the star actor, Adesuwa Etomi, Genevive Nnaji and Peter Edochie someday.
6. Jessica Orishane:
Jessica is already a Nollywood talent to behold despite just clocking 23 in November last year. She is from soko-South, Delta State, Nigeria and she considers herself a work in progress in the Nollywood industry.
She started her acting career as an extra-curricular activity in school and church, but she soon began to take it seriously when she featured in popular series “My siblings and I,” as Nnenna. Jessica has since said she looks forward to working with Richard Mofe Damijo, Rita Dominic and Genevieve Nnaji someday as well.
7. Sharon Ifedi:
Another Sharon that made the list is Sharon Ifedi, and she is definitely one youngster who has taken the Nollywood industry by storm. Ifedi who was born on the 15th of March 2004 is from Anambra State, despite being born and raised in Delta State.
She is famous for taking up roles that get her maltreated, but she kills it every time and makes every maltreatment worth it in the end. She had her primary school education in Asaba and she is presently in secondary school while living with her parents in Asaba.
Sharon is also a child model, dancer and TV personality, and just like Regina Daniels who started out as a kid actress, she is gradually gaining the buzz needed to grow before our very eyes and become the star she was born to be.
Ifedi has since acted alongside Nollywood heavyweights like Mercy Johnson, Oge Okoye, Zubby Michael, Ebele Okaro, Ruth Kadiri, Queen Nwokoye, Ken Erics, Regina Daniels, Jim Iyke, Ngozi Ezeonu, and her list of movies include “Tears of a Slave Child,” “Little Madam of the House,” “Price of Wickedness,” “My Responsibility,” “Lost Princess,” “The agony of the Girl Child,” “Peace, at Last,” “Child Misfortune,” “Return of Tears of Sharon,” “Sarafina The Rejected Orphan,” “Wasted Authority.” “Shakira (Queen of Selfie),” “Tears of the Weeping Prince,” and “Celebrity Queen.”
Best Nollywood Superstars Who Just Crossed 30 (2022):
1. Tomiwa Tegbe:
Tomiwa is a popular award-winning Nigerian Actor who holds a BSc in Environmental Management and Toxicology from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB).
He has actually been gracing our TV screens for 10 years now, and his list of successful projects include “Shuga,” “My Siblings” “I, Kasala, Kasanova,” “Training day” “On The Real,” and so on.
The youngster won the “Fast Rising” award at a ceremony organized by Starz recently, beating fellow actors like Somto Eze, Chimezie Imo and Ab Usen in the process. His acting talents cannot be denied, and that fact that he has many more years (he just crossed 30) ahead of him makes him one actor to watch out for in the nearest future.
2. Sharon Ooja:
Sharon is from Benue State and she was born in April 1991. She is another young force to reckon with in the Nigerian film industry and her acting career began when she moved to Lagos in 2013. The beautiful actress has since featured in top movies like “King of Boys,” “Skinny Girl in Transit,” “Lara and the Beat,” “Bling Lagosian,” and “Who’s The Boss.”
Ooja is a graduate of Mass Communication from Houdegbe North American University, Benin, and she made waves when she hosted GT Bank’s Fashion week red carpet alongside Timini Egbuson in 2017.
3. Nancy Isime:
Nancy is a stunning Nigerian actress, model and media personality who is fast becoming a household name in the Nollywood industry. She was born on the 17th of December 1991, and despite being quite young, she has already won the Miss Valentine International beauty pageant while taking her acting career to the next level within a very short period of time.
Nancy started out by featuring in popular TV series, “Echoes” in 2011, and since that successful debut, she has appeared in many more movies while taking on several presenting and hosting gigs. In 2016, Isime replaced Toke Makinwa as the presenter of the popular show, “Trending” on HipTV, and the young talent has also hosted the popular Headies awards more than once.
4. Dorcas Shola-Fapson:
Dorcas Shola-Fapson is a Nollywood actress and TV presenter popular for her role in MTV’s Shuga as “Sophie.” Shola was born in London in 1991 and she had her first degree in Criminology England before going on to study acting in New York, a profession she has been excelling in, while engaging in TV presenting by the side.
5. Ini Dima-Okojie:
Ini surely deserves a spot on our list for being young and consistent as an actress. She is a graduate of the New York Film Academy and she actually resigned from her job in the finance industry to pursue a career in Nollywood.
Dima used to be known for playing major roles in Nigerian TV series, but she grew from that eventually and began to feature in more prominent roles, including her appearance in the popular movie titled “The Royal Hibiscus Hotel.”
Fast forward to now, Ini Dima-Okojie is fast becoming a household and we can only wait for that final push to make it obvious to Nollywood fans.
