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Zulu Adigwe

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Zulu Adigwe
Born
Enugu, Eastern Region, Nigeria
Died23 April 2024
NationalityNigerian
Alma materUniversity of Ibadan
OccupationActor
Years active1988–2024
Known for
  • Blood Diamonds (2004)
  • Unforgetable (2003)
  • Issakaba (1999)
TelevisionCheckmate
Basi & Company

Zulu Adigwe (27 June 1945 - 23 April 2024) was a Nigerian actor and singer,[1][2][3][4] best known for paternal roles in Nollywood movies. He first achieved fame as Mr. B in the sitcom Basi and Company,[5][6] and most recently featured in the 2019 blockbuster Living in Bondage: Breaking Free.[7]

Early life

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Adigwe was born in Enugu where he spent most of his childhood but moved to Austria where he attended primary and secondary school.[8] Prior to acting he studied French and German, worked as a teacher, and briefly studied Medicine before returning to Nigeria after his father's death. He enrolled with the University of Ibadan where he studied Theatre Arts, graduating with First Class Honours.[8]

Career

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Adigwe's interest in acting started when he was seven. His earliest appearance on Nigerian television was in Basi and Company where he played the lead character Mr. B, replacing former actor Albert Egbe who left the series after a dispute with the show's creator Ken Saro-Wiwa. Adigwe's introduction to the cast saw Mr. B re-invented as a guitar-strumming layabout composing and singing get-rich-quick ditties. He also performed Basi and Company's new theme song, and an album coinciding with the series - Mr. B Makes His Millions - was released under Polygram Nigeria in 1990.[5][9]

In 1991, Adigwe was among the original cast of Checkmate, playing lecherous university lecturer Monday Edem in the pilot episode, but the role was recast after production moved from Enugu to Lagos. His first movie was Blood of the Orphan, which earned him acclamation and recognition. In 2004, he also starred in Living Abroad, directed by Elvis Chuks and also starring Ernest Asuzu, Emeka Enyiocha, and Anne Njemanze.[10] In 2019, Adigwe featured as Pascal Nworie in Living in Bondage: Breaking Free.[11][12][7]

Movies

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  • 45 Minutes
  • My Only Love
  • Gods of Liberation 1 & 2
  • After Dawn 1 & 2
  • Divided Heart 1 & 2
  • My Promise 1 & 2
  • Bigger Boys 1 & 2
  • Blood Diamonds 1 & 2
  • The Face of a Liar 1 & 2
  • Issakaba
  • Issakaba 2
  • Living in Bondage: Breaking Free
  • The Kingmaker
  • Endtime 1 & 2
  • Last Ofalla
  • City of Kings 1 & 2
  • The Grandmasters 1 & 2
  • The Kingmaker°
  • Unforgettable 1 & 2
  • Top Secret
  • Living Abroad[13]

Death

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Adigwe died on 23 April 2024.[14]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Director Notes
2019 Living in Bondage: Breaking Free Pascal Nworie Ramsey Nouah [11]
45 Minutes Actor Alvin Mic Master [15]
2018 Feast of Love Kensteve Anuka
2015 The Powerful Baby Udemme Nonso Emekaekwue
2006 The Grandmasters 1 & 2 Guru
My Promise 1 & 2
City of Kings 1 & 2 Bernards
Divided Heart 1 & 2
2005 Bigger Boys 1 & 2 Actor
After Dawn 1 & 2
Gods of Liberation 1 & 2
2004 Living Abroad Actor Elvis Chuks [10]
2003 Blood Diamonds 1 & 2 Actor Teco Benson [16]
Top Secret
Unforgetable 1 & 2 Osita Okoli
The Kingmaker
My Only Love Fr. Nwachukwu
2000 Issakaba 2 Actor Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen
1999 Issakaba
Endtime 1 & 2
Face of a Liar 1 & 2
Last Ofalla

Television

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Year Title Role Director Notes
1988-1990 Basi and Company "Mr B"
1991 Checkmate Professor Monday Edem #1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Legends of Nollywood Awards berth in Benin". Vanguard News. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  2. ^ Husseini, Shaibu (14 July 2018). "Sola Fosudo: And the rank of academics in Nollywood swells". Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  3. ^ "5 90's movies only true Nollywood fans would remember". Pulse Nigeria. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ^ Aanu, Damilare (16 June 2018). "Nollywood actor Nelson Gold slumps, dies, few days after celebrating birthday". Within Nigeria. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b Ngene, Christina. "Active Years of Top Nollywood Actors Not Dead – Olu Jacobs, Others". Nollymania. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  6. ^ Ngene, Christina (29 September 2018). "Flashback: Nigerian TV Series and Movies from the 80s". NollyMania. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b "EST-CE QUE 'LIVING IN BONDAGE: BREAKING FREE' EST DISPONIBLE SUR NETFLIX EN AMÉRIQUE?" (in French). Urban Fusions. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  8. ^ a b How Ken Saro-Wiwa Changed My Life
  9. ^ "Where Are They Now?". This Day Live. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Ernest Asuzu biography: Nollywood actor Ernest Asuzu popular movies before death" (in Nigerian Pidgin). BBC News. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  11. ^ a b Nwabuikwu, Onoshe (14 June 2020). "Between the old and new". Punch. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  12. ^ Kenechukwu, Stephen. "'Citation', 'Oloture', 'The Milkmaid'… most talked-about films of 2020". TheCable. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  13. ^ Nworie, Gift (21 January 2024). "Zulu Adigwe Biography: Age, Net Worth, Films, Wife, Parents, Children, Height". TheCityCeleb. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  14. ^ Nseyen, Nsikak (24 April 2024). "Nollywood actor, Zulu Adigwe is dead". Daily Post. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  15. ^ Omoniyi, Tosin (27 October 2019). "New movie, '45 minutes,' premieres in Abuja". Premium Times. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Blood Diamonds (2004)". IMDb. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
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