| Kelvin Ikeduba | |
| Birth Name: | Kelvin Ngozi Ikeduba |
| Birth Date: | 1976 8, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Ebute-Meta, Lagos State |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 2000–present |
Kelvin Ngozi Ikeduba[1] (born 21 August 1976) is a Nigerian actor who, in 2014, won the award for Best Cross Over Actor at the Yoruba Movie Academy Awards (YMAA).[2] He is predominantly known for his diversity in the Nigerian movie industry as he has been featured in Nollywood movies where the English language is commonly used in their productions and also has been featured in diverse Yoruba only speaking movies produced by the Yoruba movie industry of Nigeria.[3] [4]
Ikeduba, although being a native of Delta State, Nigeria was born in Ebute-Meta in Lagos State a south-western geopolitical zone of Nigeria predominantly occupied by the Yoruba-speaking people of Nigeria. He is from a family of six - four children, two males, two females, a mother, and a father - of which he is the first born child. Ikeduba was raised from a tender age into adulthood in Lagos state, precisely in Olokodana Street in Ebute-Metta.
Ikeduba received both primary and secondary school education in Lagos State but in bid to obtain a university degree he relocated to the Benin city, a south-south geopolitical zone of Nigeria where he applied to the University of Benin to study Economics. Ikeduba was accepted and eventually graduated from there with a B.Sc. degree in Economics.[5] [6]
In an interview with Vanguard, a Nigerian print media press, Ikeduba stated that he debuted in the Nigerian movie industry in the year 2000. He described his venture into the Nigerian movie industry as a coincidence as he initially only wanted to accompany a friend to an audition for actors but on reaching their destination he decided to audition also and was successful in it as he was called back and given a movie role. Ikeduba’s ability to understand and communicate in all three major languages in Nigeria has been pivotal to his career, he acknowledges this fact and speaks publicly about it.[7] Ikeduba debuted his acting career into the English language only conventional and mainstream Nigerian movie industry known commonly as Nollywood but eventually crossed over to the Yoruba movie industry[8] [9] [10] in Nigeria with the help of Femi Ogedengbe who introduced him to Saheed Balogun who gave him a movie role in a Yoruba movie he was producing titled Omo Alhaja.
Ikeduba has been stereotyped in the Nigerian movie industry as a “Bad Boy” which he attributed to his appearance, hence in almost all the movies he has featured in, he was always the antagonist or as the Nigerian media puts it “The Bad Boy”.[11] [12] [13]
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Yoruba Movie Academy Awards (YMAA) | Best Cross Over Actor | [14] | |||
| 2020 | Best of Nollywood Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Yoruba) | Lucifer | [15] |
Ikeduba is multilingual as he can speak the Yoruba language, the Hausa Language the Igbo language as well as the English language, which is the official language of communication in Nigeria.[16]