Zainab Balogun
{{Short description|British-born Nigerian actress (born 1989)}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Zainab Balogun
| image = Interview Zainab Balogun-Nwachukwu NdaniTV April 2019 01.png
| caption = Zainab Balogun in 2019
| birthname = Zainab Balogun
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1989|10|10}}
| birth_place = London, England
| nationality = British
Nigerian
| education = LLB, University of Kent
| occupation = Actress, television personality, model
| spouse = Dikko Nwachukwu (m. 2018)
| years_active = 2006-present
}}
Zainab Balogun-Nwachukwu{{Audio|Yo-Zainab Balogun Nwachukwu.ogg|Listen|help=no}} {{Cite web |date=2022-01-04 |title=Doing business in Nigeria is horrible, actress Zainab Balogun laments |url=https://punchng.com/doing-business-in-nigeria-is-horrible-actress-zainab-balogun-laments/ |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US}}(born 10 October 1989) is a Nigerian actress, model and television presenter. She began modelling at an early age after being scouted at 16.Ade-Unuigbe, Adesola. "Fab Interview: 'I Have a Little Crush on D'Banj' Zanaib Balogun, Ebony Life TV Presenter Talks Life, Love & Work". Fab Magazine Online. February 7, 2014. December 5, 2014. [http://fabmagazineonline.com/fab-interview-little-crush-dbanj-exclusive-interview-tv-presener-zainab-balogun-talks-life-love-work] She has been featured in several international campaigns for different brands. She co-founded The J-ist TV, an online entertainment web-series that highlights African culture and a range of topical issues; the series features interviews involving some of Africa's top personalities.
Balogun works as a television presenter for EbonyLife TV, an entertainment television station for which she currently co-hosts and produces The Spot, the channel's leading talk show with Lamide Akintobi."Zainab Balogun's Interview with Zen". Zen Magazine Africa. 2013. December 5, 2014. [http://zenmagazineafrica.com/lifestyle/zainab-baloguns-interview-zen/] Balogun also appears as a presenter and associate producer on Jumia TV, a teleshopping show.
Early life and career
Balogun was born in London to Nigerian parents,Roosblad, Shomara. "Interview with Zainab Balogun". The Black Blog. Vogue.it. September 29, 2014. December 5, 2014. [http://www.vogue.it/en/vogue-black/the-black-blog/2014/09/intervista-a-zainab-balogun] where she was raised with a large extended family, predominantly in Clapham, a district of South West London. She is Yoruba from the Egba subgroup and claims descent from a family from Abeokuta, Ogun State.{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaL_zPZ1pLg |title=Secret lives of Baba segis wives author Lola shoneyin & the Trio discuss attitudes & their altitudes |website=YouTube |date=6 October 2015 |publisher=Ebonylife Television}} Due to the nature of her mother's work, she moved around a lot and spent most of her formative years growing up with relatives.
Her secondary school education was obtained at Sacred Heart RC Secondary School. Her interest in the arts began with her regularly taking part in talent shows and school plays. She studied music and eventually went on to join the school choir and later formed an R&B girl group with two friends called Regné (pronounced "reign"). She attended Christ the King Sixth Form College where she completed her A Levels in Law, Psychology, and English Language & Literature. She then attended the University of Kent in Medway where she received a Bachelor of Law degree (LLB).Igew, Miles. "StyleVitae Meets - Zainab Balogun". StyleVitae. April 28, 2014. December 5, 2014. [http://www.stylevitae.com/stylevitae-meets-zainab-balogun/][http://ourblogazine.com/tag/zainab-balogun "Zippy Zainab". Our Blogazine. October 24, 2013. December 5, 2014]
Balogun worked as a model after being scouted by Premier Models Management at the age of 16. After obtaining her law degree, she began to appear in shows such as BBC One's Material Girl, Bollywood movie Cocktail (2012) and The Charlatans by Ashley Waters. She soon found herself on set with legendary director Christopher Nolan in 2011 for the film The Dark Knight Rises, which she describes as an "unforgettable experience".
Balogun is now a television presenter, who produces and hosts shows for EbonyLife TV, an entertainment television network. She has also produced shows such as EL Now, a daily entertainment news show for the latest in fashion, music and arts. She is currently joined by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Lamide Akintobi on The Spot, a daily hang-out talk show.Ngomba, Joan. "EbonyLife TV's Zainab Balogun Spills Secrets Behind 'The Spot'". Pulse.ng. March 19, 2014. December 5, 2014. [http://pulse.ng/gist/pulse-chatville-ebonylife-tvs-zainab-balogun-spills-secrets-behind-the-spot-id2741537.html]
Personal life
In May 2018, Balogun married [https://9jaenthub.com.ng/dikko-nwachukwu-biography/ Dikko Nwachukwu], founder of Jetwest Airways. The pair were traditionally married on 13 May in Lagos, Nigeria.{{Cite web |date=2019-04-05 |title=Zainab Balogun Talks About Meeting Her Dikko Nwachukwu |url=https://guardian.ng/life/zainab-balogun-talks-about-meeting-her-dikko-nwachukwu/ |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News |language=en-US}}
Balogun splits her time between London, England and Lagos, Nigeria.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
Filmography
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2012
| The Charlatans | Natalia | |
| 2012
| host | |
| 2012–present
| EL Now | host, segment producer | |
| 2012–present
| The Spot | host | |
| 2013
| Knock Knock | Hawa | Webseries |
| 2014
| VHS: Music Artist Wannabe Skit | herself | webseries |
| 2014
| Verdict | Lavena Johnson | webseries |
| 2014–present
| Jumia TV | host, associate producer | |
| 2015–
| Fast Girl, Ekua | |
| TBA
| The Island | Teni Bowen Cole | |
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2011
| Dancer | Featured role |
| 2012
| Cocktail | Party Guest | Featured role |
| 2015
| Angela | Supporting |
| rowspan=2|2016
| Wonu | Supporting |
| Ojukokoro (Greed)
| Linda Linda | Supporting |
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| Wonu | Supporting |
| The Royal Hibiscus Hotel
| Ope | Lead |
| rowspan="3" | 2018
| Sylvia | Sylvia | Lead |
| Chief Daddy
| Ireti | Supporting |
| God Calling
| Sade | Lead |
| 2019
|Walking with Shadows |Ada |Directed by Aoife O'Kelly |
| rowspan="3" | 2021
| Temisan |Directed by Seyi Babatope |
| Collision
|Lagos City News Reporter |Directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters |
| Charge and Bail
|Boma Ossai |Directed by Uyoyou Adia |
| 2021
|Chief Daddy 2: Going for Broke | Ireti | Supporting | |
| 2022
|Kofa |Hauwa |Directed by Jude Idada | |
| 2024
|Last Call | |Directed by Shola Thomson-Adewale | |
| 2024
|On the Edge |Lola |Directed by Temitope Bolade | |
| 2024
|The Beads |Ranti |Directed by Moyinoluwa Ezekiel | |
Awards and nominations
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.zainabbalogun.com}}
- [http://www.ebonylifetv.com/programming/ebonylife-homegrown/talk/the-spot The Spot website]
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balogun, Zainab}}
Category:Nigerian female models
Category:21st-century Nigerian actresses
Category:Nigerian film actresses
Category:Nigerian television actresses
Category:English people of Nigerian descent
Category:English people of Yoruba descent
Category:Yoruba women television personalities
Category:Yoruba television personalities
Category:Alumni of the University of Kent
Category:Actresses from London
Category:21st-century English actresses
Category:People from Ogun State
Category:Actresses from Abeokuta
Category:British emigrants to Nigeria