In movie industries across the world, not many actors can boast of coming from a lineage of accomplished movie makers. The actors in the Amata family can.
From John Amata to Jeta Amata, the Isoko, Delta State family is arguably the most quintessential and most famous family in Nollywood. The only other family names that come close are the Afolayans, Adebayos, Kosokos, and even the Njamahs.
The Amata family’s love for acting is not surprising, as the patron of the family, late John Ifoghale Amata was a famous Nigerian playwright and actor before he died in 1997. John Amata is credited as the first African to have shot a Celluloid film (Freedom) in 1957, and his wife, Joy, who died in September 2011 at the age of 81, also acted in a small capacity in the past.
It was John and Joy’s children – Zack, Ruke, Fred – that would then rule the TV screens in Nigerian households in the 80s to early 2000s with their diverse skills in acting, directing, cinematography, and production.
Zack Amata
Zack doesn’t like to take credit as one of the pioneers of Nollywood, but he acted in a lot of TV dramas in the early days. He became popular for his role as Papa Efe in the series, Behind The Clouds in the 80s. Before he became a household name for his strict role as Mr. Okonzua in Beyond The Clouds, Zack had done some shows with Emma Eleanya in Aba when he was serving in Owerri, and some with Laolu Ogunniyi in Ibadan.
Zack was rather shocked that the same role that made him popular in Beyond The Clouds turned him into a villain. “It was not that I was a villain in Behind The Clouds but a lot of people were afraid of me. Mr. Okonzua was a no-nonsense strict disciplinarian which quite a lot of people say I look like. It is the way my father is in the drama. A lot of people identified with me as a father through the role of Mr. Okonzua. It was a nice time I had playing that role,” he said in a 2010 interview.
Zack would go on to lecture in Benue State University, where his son, Jeta was a student. In 2002, Zack had the honour of creating public enlightenment dramas in Hausa for then President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar. He has gone on to act in over 30 movies and TV dramas including After The Storm, Onome, The Amazing Grace, and other films produced by his son, Jeta, like Queen Amina, Mary Slessor, and Black November.
Zack is now the Chairman board of trustee, Centre for Change and Community Development, an association which uses film and television production to promote peace and to fight ignorance and poverty.
Fred Amata
One the most accomplished actors in the family, Fred’s boyish looks earned him admiration from millions of Nigerians in the mid-80s to late 90s. After obtaining a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Jos, Fred had his youth service at the NTA, and shot into limelight in 1986 for his role in a film titled Legacy. He soon became a respected actor, producer and director, and went on to produce the drama successful drama series, Ripples from 1987 to 1994. Ripples has been hailed as the longest soap opera that ran consistently in Nigeria without failure.
Fred said of his decision to act in a 2010 interview, “Since my dad was popular, the other kids liked me. By the time I was in the University, my elder brother, Zack, had done a stage play called Lamgbodo, which was presented for FESTAC 1977. The most interesting part that concerned me and acting was that Zack’s picture was taken. He was just as the Oba of Benin and he became the official FESTAC 77’s postcard. So everybody was sending my brother’s picture around, and I thought I wanted to be like that.”
Fred later starred in the popular romantic drama, Mortal Inheritance in 1996, alongside Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde. The actor has featured in over 30 films and TV dramas, including Dangerous Desire, A Kiss From Rose, Hand of God and Anini.
In February 2016, Fred was appointed as the President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria.
Ruke Amata
Ruke is a brother to Zack and Fred. He also joined in the family business in the 90s, mainly contributing his quota to the movie industry as a director, producer, editor, and Director of Photography. Ruke’s popular works include Emotional Hazard, The Past Came Calling, and Shameful Deceit.
Jeta Amata
Jeta, Zack’s son, was born on August 21, 1974. He was also one of his father’s students in the Theatre Arts department at Benue State University. Jeta produced and directed his first film at the age of 21. His film making abilities and documentation of stories inherent in the African culture have earned him international successes, particularly for his work The Amazing Grace and Black November. Black November which, like many of his movies, stars his father and ex-wife, premiered at the United Nations during the General Assembly in 2012 and was also screened at the Kennedy Center as well as the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The Amazing Grace, which won the Best West African Film Award in the 2006 Screen Nations Awards UK, holds the honor of being the first Nigerian film to be screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
Jeta’s other works include Inale, Queen Amina, Mutanda, and Mary Slessor.
Mbong Amata
Though Mbong only became a member of the Amata family through her marriage to Jeta, she has also been an important part of the household name in Nollywood. The former beauty queen (she won the ‘Most Beautiful Girl’ Akwa Ibom in 2003, and was the 2nd runner up in the 2004 Miss Nigeria) has acted in several films including her ex-husband’s Black November, Mary Slessor, Wheel of Change, Inale, and Forgetting June. In 2013, Jeta separated from Mbong, who he met in 2001 at an audition in Calabar.
Other members of the Amata family who have contributed their quota to the family’s legacy in Nollywood in moderate capacities are Alex, Erumena, and Elomai. The family has remained a close unit, ideating and executing new projects together, while laying a blueprint for younger family members.