Nollywood Stars Who Disappeared From The Screen

Since the advent of what is today known as Nollywood in the early 2000s, actors have come and gone but their presence is sorely missed in the industry.

One needs not argue the fact that the growth of the industry has translated into the discovery and projections of emerging talents whose startling performances further give credence to their worth.

But at the same time, we must also acknowledge some of the notable faces who made waves at a very auspicious time in the industry and later descended into oblivion.

Below are some of the evergreen actors who once graced our screens but seem to have disappeared.

1. Ego Boyo

 
More than a decade ago, Ego Boyo used to be one of the leading actresses in Nollywood.

She featured in so many soap operas and a few home videos. The role she played in the now-shelved soap, Checkmate, and later Amaka Igwe's Violated is still fresh in the minds of those that watched it in the 2000s.

But this charming princess quietly disappeared from the scene after she got married. Today, not only is her face almost entirely forgotten, she has transformed into a movie producer.

2. Pat Attah

Playboy actor Pat Attah is one of the pioneers of the Nigerian Movie Industry.

Currently based in Hamburg Germany, he also doubles as a model and a musician. He has been absent from the movie landscape for more than a decade now.

He burst into the movie scene in the early 90s after he played the lead character in the popular soap Mega Fortunes.

He was also the star of Glamour Girl, the first-ever Nollywood English Movie. He acted in more than forty movies before disappearing.

3. Saint Obi

Obinna Nwafor, popularly known as Saint Obi, is one of the biggest Nollywood stars to rock the screens of Nigerian television. He joined the movie industry in 1995.

He became famous after featuring in the NTA Peugeot commercial in 1996 and has featured in over 250 Nollywood movies.

A few years ago, Obi quit acting to focus more on movie production and other businesses. He claims his reason for quitting acting was not because jobs were not coming, as purported.

He also explained that being a star is not about the number of movies one features in but how well one acts.

4. Regina Askia-Williams

Former beauty queen and model Regina Askia broke into Nollywood in 1993 when she played the gold-digging Tokunbo Johnson in the soap Mega Fortunes, a role which earned her critical acclaim. 

The charming actress produced several television shows and films to her credit before she finally disappeared from the screen.

She did win Best Actress in Nigeria by AfroHollywood London in 2000 and many more award nominations. Her stepping out of the spotlight in Nigeria has left a permanent vacuum.

5. Charles Okafor

Mention five actors who really made a name for themselves in the early days of Nollywood and you won't get to number three on that list before Charles Okafor's name comes to mind.

The actor gained prominence as a constant controversial figure in most of his movies. But suddenly, this Anambra-born actor disappeared from the screen.

As a thespian, he gave wonderful and excellent performances, and many industry operators referred to him as Nollywood's Bad Boy before the likes of Hanks Anuku, Pat Attah, Chidi Mokeme, Jim Iyke, and many others.