Daniel Etim Effiong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Daniel Etim Effiong June 24, 1988 Jaji, Kaduna State, Nigeria |
| Alma mater | Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria • AFDA Film School, South Africa |
| Occupations | Chemical engineer, actor, scriptwriter, film director |
| Known for | Plan B (2019) |
| Spouse | Toyosi Phillips (m. 2017) |
Daniel Etim Effiong, also Daniel Etim-Effiong [1] is a Nigerian Nollywood actor and film director. [2]
He was born in Jaji in Kaduna State, Nigeria. In his youth he lived in Benin City, Edo State; Lagos State and Abuja. His father, former Lt. Col. Moses Effiong, was sentenced to life imprisonment after being falsely implicated in the 1985 Mamman Vatsa Coup during the Ibrahim Babangida regime. He was sent to prison when Etim Effiong was one year old. His mother died when he was four years old on her way to visit her husband in jail. [3] Etim Effiong senior was released in 1993 and granted a full presidential pardon by president Muhammadu Buhari in 2020. [4] [5] [6]
He attended St. Mary's Private School in Lagos Island, Lagos State, followed by Government College, in Ikorodu, also in Lagos State, for his secondary education. He obtained a degree in chemical engineering at the Federal University of Technology in Minna, Niger State. After a brief stint working as an engineer in the oil and gas industry, he went on to study filmmaking, screenwriting and directing at AFDA Film School in South Africa. [4]
After quitting his oil and gas job, he became a content producer for NdaniTV. [7]
Starting in the early 2010s, Etim Effiong took on roles in a string of web and TV series that included Goddammit It's Monday (2012), Gidi Up (2013), Assistant Madams, Castle and Castle (2018) and The Men's Club (2018).
In 2017, he directed a five-minute skit titled Prey featuring Tope Tedela and Odenike Odetola. [8]
In 2018 he made his feature film acting debut in the comedy drama New Money. His breakthrough came the following year in the Kenyan comedy movie, Plan B, starring opposite Sarah Hassan and Catherine Kamau Karanja and playing a Nigerian CEO of a Nairobi-based company. [9] [10] [11] [12] He won Best Actor in a Comedy at the 7th AMVCA awards 2020 for his role. [7]
In 2020, he made his directorial debut with Fish Bone, a short film that tackled the issue of drug counterfeiting, and starred alongside Shaffy Bello and Moshood Fattah [13] That same year he appeared in Storm, another short starring Ike Onyema and Atteh 'SirDee' Daniel and directed by Michael 'AMA Psalmist' Akinrogunde. [14] [15] 2020 also saw the release of his first feature film, the Netflix documentary Skin, which explored the issue of colorism in Nigeria. It featured and was produced by Beverly Naya. [16] [17] [18]
In 2021, he starred in Collision Course, a Bolanle Austen-Peters film inspired by the #EndSars movement. That same year, he reprised his role in the second season of the Netflix legal drama series, Castle and Castle. [19]
2022 was a notable year for the actor. His role in Kofa won him the Best Actor award at the Africa International Film Festival that year and a nomination for Best Actor at the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards. He received a Africa Movie Academy Awards nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Jolly Roger, a Netflix crime drama. He appeared in Blood Sisters , a thriller and Netflix's first original Nigerian series that hit the top 10 in 30 countries. [20] Selina, a made-for-YouTube release, was notable for being an early example of the financial viability of the streaming platform for Nollywood filmmakers. Starring Etim Effion and Bunmi Akingbola as two lovers from vastly different background was a big hit with audiences and was followed by Selena 2 and Selena 3 in the same year. [21] [22]
In 2023 he starred in a series of films. These included A Weekend To Forget, one of Nollywood's top box office draws of the year; [23] the Niyi Akinmolayan film Mikolo, a live action and computer-animated family fantasy film; Different Strokes, a romantic drama by Biodun Stephen; [24] and Selina's Wedding, the fourth installment of the Selina movie series. [25] He also starred in A Young Time Ago [26] and Lily of the Valley, a YouTube release co-starring Nancy Isime.
In 2024 he starred in Òlòtūré: The Journey, another Netflix limited series and sequel to the Mo Abudu produced drama Òlòtūré (2019).
In 2025 he directed and starred in The Herd, a thriller that follows the kidnapping of a group of people by gunmen posing as herdsmen. Released in cinemas in October, it dropped on Netflix on November 21 and took the number one spot on the streamer's Nigeria charts. [27]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Assistant Madams | 1 episode | ||
| 2019 | Castle and Castle | Mike Amenechi | [28] | |
| 2018– | The Men's Club | Lanre | [29] | |
| 2013 | Gidi Up | Folarin | [29] | |
| 2012 | Goddammit It's Monday | Womilee | 2 episodes | |
| 2021 | Castle & Castle | Mike Amenechi | 15 episodes | [30] |
| 2022 | Blood Sisters | Akin | 4 episodes | |
| 2024 | Oloture: The Journey | Tony | 3 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Aso Ebi Diaries | Directed by Biodun Stephen | [31] | |
| 2023 | Barage | Mide | Directed by Emmanuel Akaemeh | |
| Selina's Wedding | Reuben | with Bimbo Ademoye, Oluwaseun Ayinde | ||
| A Young Time Ago | Older Tayo | with Sophie Alakija, Omobola Akinde | ||
| A Weekend To Forget | Shima | Directed by Damola Ademola | ||
| Lily of the Valley | Bily | with Nancy Isime, Olaye Benjamin | ||
| Mikolo | Maleek (father) | Directed by Niyi Akinmolayan | [32] | |
| Different Strokes | Khalid | With Lateef Adedimeji, Shaffy Bello | ||
| 2022 | Kofa | Wale | Earned AFRIFF award and AMVCA nomination | [33] |
| Selina | Reuben | With Bimbo Ademoye, Ivy Antiev | ||
| Jolly Roger | Brume | Earned Africa Movie Academy Award nomination | [34] | |
| 2021 | Still Falling | Captain Lagi | Alongside Sharon Ooja | [35] |
| 2020 | Skin | Director | Documentary Featuring Eku Edewor and Beverly Naya | [36] |
| Storm | Storm | Short film alongside Diane Russet | [37] | |
| Fish Bone | Inspector | Shortfilm alongside Shafy Bello and Moshood Fattah | [38] | |
| 2019 | Òlòtūré | Tony | Alongside Beverly Osu, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Ada Ameh | [39] |
| Makate Must Sell | Gbenro | Alongside Igwe 2pac, Toyin Abraham, Diipo Adeusi | ||
| Plan B | Dele Coker | Lead role | [40] | |
| 2018 | New Money | Ganiyu Osamede | Alongside Dakore Akande | [41] |
| 2017 | Prey | Director | Short skit | [38] |
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Africa Movie Academy Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Jolly Roger | Nominated | [42] |
| 2022 | Africa International Film Festival | Best Actor in a Drama, Movie Or TV Series | Kofa | Won | [33] |
| 2023 | Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards | Best Actor in a Comedy Drama, Movie Or TV Series | Nominated | [43] [44] |
Effiong has been married to Toyosi Etim-Effiong since 4 November 2017. They first met in August 2016 while processing a project. [45] [46] The couple welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in January 2019. [47]
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