Mary Lazarus

Mary Lazarus (born 5 May)^[1] is a Nigerian actress ^[2] and movie producer who won the City People Movie Award for Most Promising Actress of the Year (English) at the City People Entertainment Awards in 2018^[3] and was nominated for Best Actress in a leading role in the same year at the Best of Nollywood Awards.^[4] She also won the award for Most Peaceful Actress of the Year.^[5]

Lazarus hails from Abia State in Nigeria, a southeastern geographical location of Nigeria predominantly occupied by the Igbo people of Nigeria. Lazarus is specifically from Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State and was born into a family of nine consisting of a mother, a father and six siblings of which she is a twin and one of the last born children of the family alongside her twin brother named Joseph.^[6] Lazarus, upon receiving both primary and secondary education and obtaining her First School Leaving Certificate and the West African Senior School Certificate respectively, applied to University of Ibadan in a bid to obtain a university degree. She was accepted and granted admission to study Geography in the institution where she eventually graduated with a 4.4 cumulative grade point average with a B.Sc. degree in Geography.^[7][8]

Lazarus, who is popularly known for her roles in diverse Nollywood movies debuted first as a model in 2002 before venturing into the Nigerian movie industry in 2009 with a movie titled “Waiting Years”. She secured a role in the movie through the help of Gbenro Ajibade who introduced her to John Njamah, the director of the movie who eventually assigned her a role.^[9] Lazarus made her directorial debut with a movie titled “Dance To My Beat” of which she also produced in 2017.

Lazarus as a model has made appearances in commercials by Airtel and MTN.^[10][11]

Lazarus, in an interview with the Vanguard print media, named Nollywood veteran actresses Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and Joke Silva as her role models in the Nigerian movie industry.^[12] Lazarus in another interview with The Punch print media named American actress Kimberly Elise as one who she admires because of her extensive body of work.^[9]

Lazarus comes from a family of nine and is one of the lastborn children of her parents alongside her twin brother. In an interview with The Punch print media she described herself as a fun-loving person.^[9]

• Iron Bar (2024) as Asari
• Saving Onome (2024) as Oreoluwa
• Reversed Game (2023) as Faith
• Bridges of Trust (2023) as Sarah
• Blood Ties (2022) as Karen
• Tainted (2022) as Mara
• Perfect Neighbour (2021) as Amaka
• It takes Two (2021) as Elise
• When Life Happens (2020) as Cindy | with Lota Chukwu, Jimmy Odukoya, Wole Ojo
• My Woman (2019) as Zara | with Seun Akinyele, Ujams C'briel
• Accidental Affair (2019) as Kristen
• Clustered Colours (2019)
• Broken Pieces (2018)
• Homely: What Men Want (2018) as Keji
• Dance To My Beat (2017)
• The Road Not Taken II (2017)
• Love Lost (2017) as Rena
• Girls Are Not Smiling (2016)
• What Makes You Tick (2016) as Ann Okojie
• Okafor's Law (2016) as Kamsi
• Better Than The Beginning (2015)
• Bad Drop (2015)
• Losing Control (2015) as Uche
• Second Chances (2014) as Justina
• Desperate Housegirls (2013)
• Married but Living Single (2012) as Binta
• Waiting Years (2010)

• Mary Lazarus at IMDb