| Mary Lazarus | |
| Birth Name: | Mary Lazarus |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Birth Place: | Lagos State, Hails from Abia State Nigeria |
| Alma Mater: | University of Ibadan |
| Years Active: | 2002–Present |
| Awards: | City People Movie Award for Most Promising Actress of the Year (English) at the City People Entertainment Awards in 2018. City People Movie Awards, 2018 City People Movie Awards |
Mary Lazarus (born 5 May)[1] is a Nigerian actress [2] and movie producer who won the City People Movie Award for Most Promising Actress of the Year (English) at the City People Entertainment Awards in 2018[3] and was nominated for Best Actress in a leading role in the same year at the Best of Nollywood Awards.[4] She also won the award for Most Peaceful Actress of the Year.[5]
Lazarus hails from Abia State in Nigeria, a southeastern geographical location of Nigeria predominantly occupied by the Igbo people of Nigeria. Lazarus is specifically from Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State and was born into a family of nine consisting of a mother, a father and six siblings of which she is a twin and one of the last born children of the family alongside her twin brother named Joseph.[6] Lazarus, upon receiving both primary and secondary education and obtaining her First School Leaving Certificate and the West African Senior School Certificate respectively, applied to University of Ibadan in a bid to obtain a university degree. She was accepted and granted admission to study Geography in the institution where she eventually graduated with a 4.4 cumulative grade point average with a B.Sc. degree in Geography.[7] [8]
Lazarus, who is popularly known for her roles in diverse Nollywood movies debuted first as a model in 2002 before venturing into the Nigerian movie industry in 2009 with a movie titled “Waiting Years”. She secured a role in the movie through the help of Gbenro Ajibade who introduced her to John Njamah, the director of the movie who eventually assigned her a role.[9] Lazarus made her directorial debut with a movie titled “Dance To My Beat” of which she also produced in 2017.
Lazarus as a model has made appearances in commercials by Airtel and MTN.[10] [11]
Lazarus, in an interview with the Vanguard print media, named Nollywood veteran actresses Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and Joke Silva as her role models in the Nigerian movie industry.[12] Lazarus in another interview with The Punch print media named American actress Kimberly Elise as one who she admires because of her extensive body of work.
| Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Result | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | City People Movie Awards | Most Promising Actress of the Year (English) | |||
| Best of Nollywood Awards | Best Actress in a Lead Role - English | ||||
| 2020 | 2020 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or TV Series - Size 12 | [13] |
Lazarus comes from a family of nine and is one of the lastborn children of her parents alongside her twin brother. In an interview with The Punch print media she described herself as a fun-loving person.