Who is Uzor Arukwe?
You probably know him as Odogwu Paranra. Uzor Arukwe is a popular Nigerian actor and entertainer.
Uche’s social media popularity spiked in 2025 after he starred as Obiora (a.k.a Odogwu Parara) in Omoni Oboli’s YouTube movie, ‘Love In Every Word’. The movie generated lots of conversations about love as Odogwu tried everything to impress his love interest, Chioma (a.k.a Achalugo), a role played by Bam Bam (Bamike Olawunmi).
How old is Uzor Arukwe?
Uzor Arukwe was born on August 6, 1983. He is currently 41 years old and will be 42 years old by August 6, 2025.
Birth (zodiac) sign
His birth (zodiac) sign is Leo. Individuals with this zodiac sign have a pleasant and good-tempered personality. They are always looking for ways to express themselves, and this often attracts them to careers in creativity and art.
Height
Uzor is 5’ 11”.
Tribe and state of origin
Where is Uzor Arukwe from?
Uzor is from Nkwerre, Imo State, in the southeastern region of Nigeria.
Who is Uzo Arukwe’s father?
Although some people believe Uzo is from Abia state, he revealed in an interview that he is actually from Imo state. His father, Mr Arukwe, according to Uzo in an interview, is polygamous; he has two wives. Uzor’s stepmother has one child, while his mother has two; hence, his father has three children?this includes Uzor’s brother, Ebuka Arukwe.
Family: Wife and children
Is Uzor Arukwe married?
Yes, Uzor Arukwa is married to Barbara Boyd-Arukwe. The couple has done well to keep there marriage and family life off social media. However, some photos available online suggests they might have been married for nearly a decade.
Education
He attended the Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Port Harcourt, for his secondary school education. Uzor would later proceed to the Abia State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 2007.
He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. After completing his National Youth Service Corps programme, Uzor attended the University of Calabar, where he obtained a Master’s in Business Administration degree in 2009.
Career
Uzor Arukwe, a trained stage actor, made his debut in Nollywood in 2000 when he co-starred in a sitcom, My Flatmate. After disappearing from the industry, he would later resurface in 2014 when he acted in “Unspoken Truth” movie.
However, he started gaining public recognition in 2017 when he landed the Inspector Sam role on “Sergeant Tutu”.
Before venturing into acting full-time, Uzor Arukwe, worked in the telecommunications industry. In 2012, Uzor was heading a department at Etisalat (now 9mobile) and gunning for a promotion from specialist to manager after tears with the telco firm. Unfortunately, instead of a promotion, he got sacked in November 2012 due to something that happened in the department he was leading at the time. He claimed in an interview that he “had to take the fall as the leader”.
Uzor will remain unemployed for a year after this incident. It was during this period he tried to get back into acting but this does not work out well for him. According to him; “the only gig I got between 2012 and 2013 when I got my second job was some stage drama. Seyi Babatope got me the gig. That was the only gig I got between November 2012 when I was fired till December 2013. I was at home for one year and had no job. Nobody was calling me for films. It was terrible.”
“I was like I think I should go back. I dusted my certificate again. And somehow I got a job again. There then for another five years”. He resigned in 2018 to focus fully on his acting career.
“I was like I think I am done. I think I have tried. I left my company in April 2018 and got my first gig with Iroko on August 28, 2018. At this time, I was broke, busted down, and had no money. It was so bad that I was saying prayers at noon.”
Movies
Some of the popular movies Uzor Arukwe has starred in include:
- Unspoken Truth (2014) – Martins
- Fine Girl (2015) – Gregory
- Sergeant Tutu (2017) – Inspector Sam
- Smash (2018)
- Sugar Rush (2018) – Knight
- Hire a Woman (2019) – Jide
- Tanwa Savage (2020) – Jola
- Prophetess (2021) – Eze-Ego
- Chief Daddy 2: Going for Broke (2021) – Prince Sonny
- A Tribe Called Judah (2023) – Chigozie Onuaha
- Malaika (2023)
- House Arrest (2024) – Chudi
- Love in Every Word (2025) – Obiora
Awards and recognition
- He was nominated twice as the Best Actor in a Comedy or Movie in 2020 at the African Magic Viewers’ Choice Award for his roles in “Smash” and “Size 12”.
- In 2021, he was nominated for the Best Actor category at the Best Nollywood Awards for his role in “Yours Regardless”.
- Uzor is one of the nominees for the African Magic Viewers Award (AMVCA) 2025 Best Supporting Actor category for his role in the movie “Suspicion”.
Hobbies
Uzor likes watching television a lot; it is his favourite way to relax. Sometimes, he spices up his leisure by drinking and listening to good music.
Although he has not played basketball for a while, it is his favourite sport.
Preferred dressing style
While many might think the Odogwu Paranra will love dressing in full Igbo regalia all day, he prefers to wear a T-shirt and jeans.
Net worth
There is no publicly available verifiable data to estimate Uzor’s net worth. However, as at 2012 when he was being punched by unemployment, he was earning as little as N2,000 from his acting roles.
His net worth has appreciated significantly since then, despite working corporate jobs for about 10 years of his life; Uzor today is making more money than he ever did when he was working in the corporate world.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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