Osas Ighodaro

Osariemen Martha Elizabeth Ighodaro (born 26 October 1990), better known as Osas Ighodaro, is a Nigerian-American actress, television host and philanthropist. She won the 2010 Miss Black USA Pageant and founded the Joyful Joy Foundation, a fundraising organization for malaria. Ighodaro emerged as the highest-grossing Nollywood actress of 2018 and was awarded Best Actress in a Drama consecutively at the 2022 and 2023 AMVCA for her roles in Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story and Man of God, respectively. Ighodaro was born on 26 October 1990 in Bronx, New York, United States, to Nigerian parents of Edo origin. She obtained her degree in Broadcast Journalism with dual minor degrees in Entrepreneurship and Theater from Pennsylvania State University. She further obtained her MA in Fine Arts from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and the founder of Imuetinyan Productions. Ighodaro began her acting career in New York after graduating college. She started with performing in theatre plays and indie films. In 2012, she moved to Nigeria where she played acting roles in Nollywood films including Adanna in Tinsel. Since then, she has starred in Cadillac Records, The Smart Money Woman and Gbomo Gbomo Express. Following her performance in Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story and Man of God (2022), she was awarded the Best Actress in a Drama' awards at the 2022 and 2023 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards respectively. Ighodaro co-hosted The Headies 2022, The Headies 2023, 2014 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards and the family show Maltina Dance All.