Francis Agu

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Francis Agu (February 18, 1965 - March 20, 2007) is a Nollywood actor. He is best known for his role on the long running Nigerian television series Checkmate.

1 Early life
2 Career

[edit] Early life

Francis Okechukwu Agu was born in Lagos on the 18th of February 1965 to the Catholic family of Fidelis and Virginia Agu from Enugu-Ngwo, Enugu state and was the seventh child of eight siblings. His name, Okechukwu, meant "God´s portion".^[1] Francis, who was a very quiet and intelligent youth, was at one time a member of the Alter Boys and a Lector at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos.He started his formal education at Ladi-Lak Institute Alagomeji, Ebute-Metta, Lagos. His other siblings are: Patrick, Charles, Veronica, Joseph, Vincent, Francesca and Aloysius.Francis had his High School education at the prestigious St. Finbarr’s College Lagos where his early life was groomed by the missionary founder of the school – Rev. Fr. Dennis Joseph Slattery whom he was close to. He also attended the University of Lagos, where he studied Mass Communication.

[edit] Career

His journey into the world of Performing Arts started in Yodrac Playhouse at St. Dominic’s Church, at which time he was already working in Nigeria Arab Bank, Lagos. Yodrac, founded by George Eboka, boasts of having groomed Nollywood stars and notable professionals in the entertainment industry such as: Toyin Oshinaike, Kevin Ushi, Kris Ubani-Roberts, Williams Ekpo, Gregory Odutayo, Jude Orhorha, Tunji Otun, and Neye Adebulugbe. Francis Agu’s talent was immediately spotted by the then director of Yodrac – Isaac John. And in the words of his contemporary, school mate and a founding member of Yodrac – “The very day Francis stepped onto the stage, his voice, his acting talent and his stage presence made him stand out and we knew he was bound to be a star someday”.

His very first play ever was “This is Our Chance” written by James Ene Henshaw and directed by Isaac John. He played lead role, King Damba. The rest include: “The Gods Are Not to Blame” written by Late Prof. Ola Rotimi, “Trials of Brother Jero” by Wole Soyinka and several others.

However, like the proverbial golden fish, there was no hiding place from the professional acting world. First was Segun Ojewuyi who directed him in an ironical play titled “The Man Who Never Died” at the National Theater, Lagos. This was followed by an array of productions with different theater gurus such as Chuck Mike. He also had a stint in singing with the Steve Rhodes Voices, directed by Elder Steve Rhodes himself.

He went further to feature in “Checkmate” a TV soap opera of the 90’s where he played the character Benny. He also starred as Ichie Million in the first Nigerian Home Video – “Living in Bondage”, which brought him to national fame. Francis produced his first film “Jezebel” in 1994 and went on to produce and direct many others, which include: “ In the Name of the Father”, “A Divine Call”, “The Boy is Mine”, “Body and Soul”, “Love and Pride”, “A Dance in the Forest”, and “Take Me to Jesus”.

Francis became ill in October, 2006, complaining of minor cough. The undisclosed illness became severe and took him to several hospitals, including the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), where he eventually died on March 20, 2007. He is fondly remembered by members of his family, colleagues, friends and well wishers.