Born Sam Loco Efeeimwonkiyeke on 25th December 1945 in Enugu coal city of Enugu State in the south eastern part of Nigeria.
Sam Loco Efe is originally from Benin City, Edo State in the south southern part of Nigeria but was born and bred in Enugu and Abakaliki respectively both in the south eastern part of Nigeria. He lost his father at a very tender age and had to struggle to help his mother in her trade in order to earn income for the family. His mother was a petty trader who sold akara.
Sam Loco Efe completed both his primary and secondary school education in Abakaliki and Enugu respectively.
His first experience with acting was at his primary school when a theatre group came to stage a play called “The Doctor”. In elementary school, he played the role of Julius Caesar in a Shakespearean play which earned him a scholarship.
After the Nigerian civil war ended, in 1972, Sam Loco traveled to Lagos in search of greener pasture and to explore a possible career in football.
In Lagos, he worked with Michelin tyre for a while before joining Dunlop. While at Dunlop Tyre, Sam was casted in the popular NTA series, 'The Gods Are Not To Blame' an adaptation of the book of the same title by award winning play writer, Ola Rotimi.
He later left his sales job and ventured fully and professionally into acting, joining Nollywood in 1992. He auditioned and got the lead role in a movie titled “Langbodo”.
That seemed to have given him his desired break and Sam Loco would go on to feature in over 130 movies including:
Tom and Jerry, Final World Cup, My Love, Ukwa, Osuofia in London, Atinga, Our Uncles, Drunken Master, Association Of Village Men, Evil Son, Second Tenure, Hypertension, Slow Motion, Things Fall Apart, Alice My First Lady, Daddy Must Obey, Old School, A Fool At Fourty.
And as a director, good Sam have Osuofia And The Wise Men both 1&2 to his credit.
The Nollywood comic actor, television personality and a comedian who always features in comedy movies is known for his use of heavy grammatical word.
He is unarguably reputed as one of the best comic actors in Nigeria and also one of the best performing actor of all time and was one of the most sought after in the profession till his sudden demise.
He has won several awards which include Best Comic Actor in Nigeria at the Africa Movie Academy Awards, Most Promising Actor in Nigeria at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards and Best Actor in a Comedy at the City People Entertainment Awards.
As at the time of his death, in 2011, the legendary actor had an estimated net worth of over $400,000 which leaves him one of the richest and most influential comic actor in Nigeria.
To cap his effort more, he was in 2009, awarded a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) which remains the highest honor and award given to a celebrity who has contributed immensely to the economy growth and development of the country through entertainment.
The comic actor was actually a strict person, so strict that not even his children dared talk about his heavy smoking habit.
He died on 7th August 2011 in his hotel room in Owerri while on a business trip.
He is survived by six kids, which comprise three daughters and three sons.
Enwerem Chukwuka
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