Joseph Benjamin (actor)
Nigerian actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Benjamin ⓘ (born 9 November 1977) is a Nigerian actor, model, singer, Voice-over Artist and television presenter[1] mainly known for co-hosting MTN's Project Fame,[2] a talent reality show, and starring in the movies Tango With Me, Mr. and Mrs., and Murder at Prime Suites.[3][4] He won the African Actor of the Year award at the 2012 African Film Awards.[5] He won "Best Lead Actor in an English film" for his role on Married but Living Single at the 2012 Best of Nollywood Awards.
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Joseph Benjamin | |
|---|---|
Joseph Benjamin in 2008 | |
| Born | 9 November 1977 Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Occupations | Actor, model, TV presenter, voice-over artist, singer |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Known for | Co-hosting MTN's Project Fame |
| Notable work | Tango with Me |
| Awards | 2012 Best of Nollywood Awards for Best Lead Actor |
Personal life
Joseph was born on 9 November 1977, to a Kogi State indigene father and an Anambra State mother. Joseph Benjamin completed his primary school education in Benue State in the north-central part of Nigeria. He obtained his First School Leaving Certificate, after which he completed his secondary school education in Lagos State in the south-western part of Nigeria and obtained his West African Senior School Certificate.[6] Joseph relocated to the United States in 2016, where he currently resides.[7] He identifies as a born-again Christian.[8][9]
Career
Early career
Joseph made his movie debut in Crossroads, in 1995 (alongside Ramsey Nouah and Sandra Achums); however, his screen debut was earlier, when he appeared at age 12 in the television program Tales by Moonlight on NTA.[10]
Nolly breakthrough and TV personality
Since his on-screen debut in Tales by Moonlight, Benjamin has starred in several television series, including Edge of Paradise, in which he was being "crushed on" by his neighbor's daughter, and Super Story. His definite breakthrough in film came in the early 2010s, with roles in romantic-themed films such as Kiss and Tell, Tango With Me, which was nominated for five Africa Movie Awards, and Married but Living Single. He broke typecasting in 2013 by playing a detective in the crime thriller Murder at Prime Suites (MAPS), which was inspired by an actual murder case in Lagos, in which a woman first met her killer on Facebook.[4][11][12] Shortly after completing MAPS, Benjamin joined the cast of Desperate Housewives Africa, the Nigerian remake of the American hit series, playing the role of Chuka Obi(Carlos Solis), alongside Kehinde Bankole.[13] He co-hosted, with Adaora Oleh, MTN Project Fame West Africa between 2009 and 2016, and has appeared in TV and radio commercials.
Singer
Having sung in a choir since his early twenties, Joseph launched a career in professional singing in 2012, collaborating with singer Sabina on the album Merry Christmas that year.[14] A devout Christian, he has since specialized in the gospel and inspirational genre with the singles Joy in 2016[15] and I Pour My Love in 2020. He has stated that he considers himself a musician first and foremost.[16] He recently dropped single, and he is working on releasing an EP in 2022.[9]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Cross Roads | ||
| 2003 | Deadly Misson | Dotun | |
| 2009 | Jungle Ride | Akin | |
| 2009 | Spellbound | ||
| 2010 | Kiss and Tell | Iyke | with Monalisa Chinda, Desmond Elliot & Nse Ikpe Etim |
| 2010 | Kidnap | ||
| 2010 | Tango with Me | Uzo | |
| 2011 | Mr. and Mrs. | Ken Abbah | with Nse Ikpe Etim & Barbara Soky |
| 2011 | Courier | ||
| 2012 | Married but Living Single | Mike | with Funke Akindele & Joke Silva |
| 2012 | Stripped | Coco Simba | With Ramsey Nouah, Beverly Naya, |
| 2012 | Torn | With Julius Agwu, Monalisa Chinda | |
| 2012 | Unfair | ||
| 2012 | Darkside | ||
| 2012 | Faith | ||
| 2012 | Contract | Kuuku | With Doris Ansah, Jasmine Baroudi, Katouchka Addaquay |
| 2013 | Murder at Prime Suites | Agent Ted | |
| 2013 | First Cut | Kunle Lewis | alongside Lisa Omorodion and Monalisa Chinda |
| 2014 | Mum, Dad, meet Sam | Josiah Abiola | With Daniella Down, Tino Orsini |
| 2014 | Few good Men | Fred | With Boma Adukeh, Otas Bazuaye |
| 2014 | Blind Promise | ||
| 2014 | Secret Box | ||
| 2014 | Iyore | Prince Eweka – Azuwa | |
| 2014 | Folly | ||
| 2014 | A Few Good Men | Wale | Feature Film directed by Ejiro Onobrakpor and featuring Deyemi Okanlawon |
| 2015 | The Grave Dust | Jordan | with Ramsey Nouah & Joke Silva |
| 2015 | Omoge Ofege[17] | with Femi Adebayo & Ireti Osayemi | |
| 2016 | Rebecca | Clifford | |
| 2017 | Isoken | Osaze | |
| 2017 | Affairs of the Heart | Eric | |
| 2020 | Special Jollof | with Uche Jumbo | |
| 2020 | The Love Between Us | Desmond | with Raz Ayer, Ikenna Alily, Carl Allen Jr. |
| 2021 | Back to Kinship | with Stanley Enow | |
| 2022 | Stay | Tega | with Theo Bray |
| 2023 | The Bargain | Steve | with Greg Agalaba, Sira Bah |
| 2025 | Baby Farm | with Rita Dominic and Genoveva Umeh |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Deadly Mission | ||
| 2005 | Just Me | Kayode | |
| 2005 | Travails of Faith | Sam | |
| 2005–2006 | Edge of Paradise | Michael | 1 episode |
| 2005–2006 | Young, Single and free | ||
| 2007 | Super story | ||
| 2007 | Bachelors | ||
| 2007 | 168 A love Story | ||
| 2008–2013 | Tinsel | Tega | 212 episodes |
| 2015 | Desperate Housewives Africa | Chuka Obi | 20 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Losing Control | Kunle | 39 episodes |
| 2017 | Claws | Relative | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Greenleaf | Joseph Obi | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Last Call | Charles O Marley | 1 episode |
| 2022 | Atlanta (TV series) | Black Male Actor | Work Ethic! |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Nollywood Movies Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role (Kiss and Tell) | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role (Tango with Me) | Won | |||
| 2014 | Africa Movie Academy Award | Best Actor in a Leading Role (Murder at Prime Suites) | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Golden Movie Awards | Golden Actor | Nominated | [18][19][20] |
| 2017 | Best of Nollywood Awards | Best Actor in a Lead role – English (Dance to My Beat) | Nominated | [21] |