Searching For Nollywood Stars Of Yesteryears
SOME movie stars of yesteryears reached stardom like a bolt from the blues. Fans celebrated and held them in high esteem because of their acting prowess. They had a field day in Nigeria’s movie industry, popularly called Nollywood.
They became household names in Nigeria and beyond. They became rich in every sense of the word. Some of them managed their fame and wealth well, while others were caught in a web of scandals that nearly ruined their career.
Today, however, not many of them are seen or heard in the Nollywood industry that brought them to limelight. Some of them are now film producers and directors, while others have exited the industry completely and are now engaged in other pastimes.
They have somewhat taken the back seat and there is growing concern about their whereabouts. We went in search of these screen stars… once reputed as one of the ‘hottest’ actresses in Nollywood.
A single mother, who talks fondly about her son, Joshua, Alex was born Alexandra Lopez to Mr. and Mrs. Ronnie Lopez. The actress who shot into limelight with her nohold bare interpretation of a lesbian’s role in the movie sequel to the commercially successful flick ‘Domitila’ had her early education at Zazunguru Primary School, Bauchi and Girls Secondary School, Obosi,
Anambra State.
She had a stint as a model and was encouraged early in her career to try her hands on beauty pageant. She did and emerged second runner-up in the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) pageant organised by the Silverbird Group. This was in 1993. But prior to the pageant, Alex, whose screen credits include a role in Scavengers, which was actually her debut, Karishika, Echoes, Picaddily,domitilapart2,scouts, Moving Train,sistersontherun,junglejustice, Neverever,supremeladies,thegood,the Badandtheterrible,fullmoon2,haunted and Adure, had taken a shot in the movie but it was shortly after the pageant that she gave the movie her soul as it were.
She reigned uproariously as soon as she got in and was the face on every movie poster for as long as she was available to take up a role. Fans of the once busy actress want her back on screen and can’t wait to see her chew roles as she always does. that encounter that ignited her passion for the make believe world.
It was with that passion and zeal, which germinated after her early school days that drove her into the A-list of the industry’s unofficial top 10 actresses. Indeed, since then, Benita, who has so far shot three international movies, two in France and the other in Abidjan apart from her many home movie credits has not looked back. She has risen to become one of the popular faces in the Nigerian home movie turf.