It’s Friday October 2 and today we celebrate beloved Nigerian actress/filmmaker Stephanie Okereke Linus as she clocks 38!
The star actress who has starred in more than a 100 films has received several awards and nominations for her outstanding work including; the Afro-Hollywood Awards, Film Makers USA Award for Excellence, Reel Awards for Best Actress and recently, the prestigious AMVCA 2016 Award for Best Overall Movie in Africa and AMAA Awards Best Nigerian Film for – DRY.
Linus who left the world of beauty pageantry for movies first emerged runner up for the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria beauty pageant of 2002.
The beauty made her directorial debut in ‘Through The Glass’, which makes history as the country’s first film to gross 10million naira in its first week.
In 2011, she was honoured by the Nigerian government with the covetedMember of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR title.
Beyond her work as an actress, she is passionate about women’s rights and strongly advocates against early child marriage. Through her foundation “Extended Hands”, she has done extensive work in the field of Vesico Vaginal Fistula. This earned her the Miriam Makeba Award for Excellence in 2007, and the Beyond the Tears Humanitarian Award for her work against rape and VVF. She is the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Regional Ambassador on Maternal and Reproductive Health for West and Central Africa and also National OPS-WASH Ambassador by the Honourable Minister of Water Resources
Linus studied at the University of Calabar, in Cross River State, where she graduated with a degree in English and Literary Studies.
Stephanie Linus recently shot her movie ‘Miracle In the Valley’ in Los Angeles.
Happy Birthday!
