Stephen Alajemba, also known as Uwaezuoke, is one of the Nollywood comedy actors who can make you laugh and forget your worries.

In this post, you will see Stephen Alajemba’s biography, his age, state of origin, girlfriend, family, and other hidden facts you probably didn’t know about him.

Stephen Alajemba’s Biography

Actor Stephen Alajemba, popularly known as Uwaezuoke or Nwaude, is a Nigerian comedy actor. He is well-known for his funny looks, sturdiness, stubbornness, and love for Akpu, alias Fufu. Just seeing Uwaezuoke’s face alone is enough to make you laugh.

Stephen Alajemba’s Age

Anajemba is currently 66 years old. He was born on the 18th of July 1957 in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Stephen Alajemba is from which state?

He hails from Eziawa Orsu Local Government of Imo State, south-east Nigeria, and is from the Igbo tribe.

Stephen Alajemba’s Height

Uwaezuoke is 1.3 meters tall. He jokingly said that anybody taller than him doesn’t have sense because his height is the height of men of wisdom.

Education

In an interview, Stephen Alajemba revealed that he came from a very poor family and couldn’t acquire an education because his father died when he was very young in 1970. This marked the beginning of his struggles. Stephen isn’t very fluent in English; thus, he speaks Igbo and pidgin English in movies.

Career

Uwaezuoke started his acting career in Nollywood in 1987 with the movie Akaraka Adamma. He has spent over 20 years in the Nigerian film industry and has acted in over 100 movies.

Before becoming famous as an actor, he worked as a labourer and took on various menial jobs in Anambra State. He went through apprenticeships, learning a trade from four different masters at four different locations. Unfortunately, none of them paid him anything for his work.

In Igbo culture, an Igba boy serves a master to learn a trade and is supposed to receive payment at the end of the apprenticeship. However, in an interview on Ugwumba TV, Uwaezuoke shared that he didn’t succeed or get paid because he often slapped his masters back whenever they slapped him and would argue with them strongly.

Afterwards, he travelled to Akure, the capital of Ondo State, to become an Okada rider (motorcycle taxi driver) and earn money.

Later, he returned to Anambra State and worked as a wheelbarrow pusher (known as onye buru buru) at Onitsha Head Bridge, which is a major motor park. During his time there, drivers, passengers, conductors, and everyone around would always enjoy and laugh whenever he spoke.

How Stephen Alajemba Became Popular

One day, Ezeokoli, the owner of the shop where Uwaezuoke would go to change his clothes, noticed his unique sense of humour and told him that his comedy talent shouldn’t be wasted.

Ezeokoli then took Uwaezuoke to the late Solomon Eze, also known as Mike Oriihedimna, who was the first Nollywood producer to make Igbo films. At that time, Mike was filming a movie in Onitsha.

When they arrived, Mike auditioned Uwaezuoke and asked him to act as a debtor. To everyone’s surprise, Uwaezuoke performed so well that people around him started spraying him with money.

Mike was impressed and said that Uwaezuoke would perform even better with proper training. He then enrolled him.

After that, Stephen starred in the movie Uwaezuoke, which earned him his popular nickname, Uwawezuoke. Since then, he has received many movie roles.

Mike, who was from Ihitenase in the Orlu East Council area of Imo State—the same state as Uwaezuoke—was the first producer in Nollywood to produce a film in the Igbo language.

Stephen Alajemba’s Movies

Uwaezuoke’s popular movies include, but are not limited to:

• Akidi,
• Nurse Eliza,
• Uwaezuoke Togo,
• Akonauche,
• Ghana Banku,
• Shege Banza and many more.

Uwaezuoke starred in Shege Banza alongside Destiny Etiko, and you can watch it on Destiny Etiko TV.

Stephen Alajemba has mentioned that despite acting in many movies, he doesn’t engage in kissing or going to bed with women on set. He primarily acts in Igbo and pidgin English, as some rumours suggest that he isn’t fluent in English.

Many people believe that if he spoke English fluently, he might have become bigger than actors like Mr. Ibu and Nkem Owoh.

In his movies, Uwaezuoke often plays the role of a poor man and has never portrayed a rich character. Though he was said to have retired from acting,  there are rumours that he is still involved in the Nigerian movie industry, possibly as a director and producer.

Stephen Alajemba’s Wife And Children

Stephen Anajemba is married with children but does not flaunt them on social media. He revealed that he has banned his children from choosing acting as a career. According to him, while acting can bring fame, it doesn’t always guarantee financial success, and he doesn’t want his children to face the same challenges he did.

Networth

Uwaezuoke has an estimated net worth of $1.8 million. He has spent over two decades in Nollywood.

Stephen Anajemba’s Girlfriend

Shirley Ann, a Nollywood female producer based in New York, reportedly took Stephen Alajemba to court after an incident on her movie set. Allegedly, she had paid Stephen to be the lead actor in her film, but he showed up with his girlfriend, who wasn’t part of the cast or crew. This caused problems, as she became an additional burden to the welfare officers.

Rumours suggested that Stephen’s girlfriend behaved inappropriately, entering other actors’ rooms and acting like a bodyguard to protect Stephen from possible harm, including fears of someone poisoning him. The situation escalated to the point where Shirley Ann had to ask the girlfriend to leave, but she refused and even threatened to fight Shirley. Security had to step in to resolve the situation.

In addition, Uwaezuoke demanded that Shirley Ann upgrade his hotel room to a suite with double queen beds instead of the single room originally booked for him, despite only staying for a 5-day shoot. He also asked for food for his girlfriend, even at 2 a.m. Due to these issues, he left the set after the third day and threatened to delay production.

Stephen Alajemba And Shirley Ann’s Police Case

It seems like Stephen Alajemba’s time on Shirley Ann’s movie set became quite a drama-filled situation. After the police were called to intervene, Stephen returned with the same girlfriend to continue with the production.

Shirley Ann expressed concern over how his girlfriend seemed to have a strong influence over him, claiming that Stephen acts and even eats according to her commands. This led her to reach out to Stephen’s children, asking them to step in and help bring their father back to order.

All these issues caused significant delays in the movie production, which ended up leading to additional financial problems for Shirley Ann, the producer.

Despite Stephen’s reputation for humour and his earlier statement about not engaging in kissing or intimate scenes on set, his actions on this particular set contradict that claim, as he brought his girlfriend along.

In one of his movies, Stephen humorously said that now that he had money, women started calling him a “yellow man.” His funny, often playful remarks, combined with the drama surrounding his personal life, have made him both a beloved and controversial figure in Nollywood.

What do you love or hate about the Uwaezuoke?

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