A good student of the Nigerian film industry would recognize Amaechi Muonagor as an Old Nollywood star and veteran known for his charismatic personality in filmic roles ranging from father to community elder/king, a spiritually fortified being and a comic. Though not known to take the spotlight as the main character in films, he bodied his supporting roles and brought to life certain characters in iconic films such as Igodo (1999), Karishika (1998), Aki Na Ukwa (2002) and Issakaba (2001). Before his death, he moved on from the home video era of Nollywood and had a decent run in the modern cinema, starring in Code of Silence (2015), Meet the In-Laws (2017), and Netflix films My Village People (2021) and Aki and Pawpaw (2021).
Amaechi Muonagor died at 61 on Sunday March 24, 2024 after suffering from kidney failure. A week before his death, he begged for financial help to get a kidney transplant abroad in a viral video. His demise follows the passing away of the popular comic actor, John Okafor (Mr Ibu), an industry legend who was also in distress and solicited financial assistance.
Muonagor’s filmography is defined by his decades of involvement in the Nigerian film industry during which he acted alongside veterans like himself such as Pete Edochie, Bob Manuel-Udokwu, Osita Iheme, Chinedu Ikedieze, Chiwetalu Agu and Steve Eboh. The Anambra-born titan, who is a graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), was nominated for the 2017 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards as Best Actor in a Comedy for his performance in Meet the In-Laws.
As the Nollywood legend embraces eternal rest, we recall some of his acts that define him as a creative who knew his onions.
Amaechi as An Embattled King (Igodo: The Land of The Living Dead)
Igodo is an epic adventure film that is about a lurking evil curse and the quest of a group of young men into the evil forest for a magic knife to cut down a bewitched tree and save the village from more perils. The film also stars Pete Edochie, Norbert Young, Sam Dede, Charles Okafor and Chidi Mokeme, among popular other Nollywood actors. Here Amaechi takes on the character of a king whose kingdom is in distress as he consults a dibia for solution to constant deaths of indigenes of the community at home and abroad.
Amaechi as A Demonic Prophet (Karishika)
Karishika, a Nollywood horror classic, stars Amaechi as Jonathan, a demonic prophet who works with Karishika, an otherworldly, transmorphic being on an earthly mission to win souls for Lucifer. Featuring alongside Becky Okorie, Bob Manuel Udokwu and Sandra Achums in the film, Amaechi plays a less prominent role in the film yet maintains the demeanor of a deceptively evil being.
Amaechi as A Justice-seeking Traditional Ruler (Issakaba)
In this classic action thriller based on the Bakassi boys, Amaechi plays the role of Igwe who presides over the council of elders in a town. When armed robbers constantly besiege the town, killing and plundering at will, the Igwe summons the Issakaba, an inter-community vigilante group, for their local anti-robbery operations. The Igwe is not only a custodian of traditional values but proves to be an astute leader and a defender of justice. Even when his son is guilty of armed robbery, the Igwe refuses to use his authority to obstruct justice.
Amaechi as Mazi Mbakwe the Lover and Disciplinarian Father (Aki Na Ukwa)
Aki Na Ukwa launched the careers of the duo Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme who played the lead roles of Aki and Pawpaw respectively. But for Amaechi, it further propelled a career that was already in motion since 1998. The comedy film is about two brothers Aki and Pawpaw who become notorious for their tricks and mischief in the villages. Amaechi plays the role of their father, Mazi Mbakwe, who tries futilely to keep the boys in check. When Mazi Mbakwe falls in love with Gladys (Oby Kechere), a school teacher to his children, the boys come up with different tricks to frustrate their romantic journey. Throughout the story, Amaechi’s character juggles between an oft-hilarious, helpless romantic and a father who would not condone any impish behavior from his sons.
Amaechi as Papa Ify the Tribalist (Meet the In-Laws)
In this comedy directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, Amaechi plays the character of Papa Ify, an overprotective father and Igbo tribalist who does not want his daughter to marry a man outside the Igbo ethnic group. When he meets his prospective in-laws for the first time, a lurking grudge threatens the relationship. Meet the In-Laws explores the family tensions that arise when Dapo and Ifeoma have a hard time in getting their parents’ consent to their inter-ethnic marriage. This film marks Amaechi’s biggest moment in New Nollywood, fetching him an AMVCA nomination in 2017.
Amaechi as Mazi Mbakwe the Loving Father and Peacemaker (Aki and Pawpaw)
Chinedu and Osita reprise their iconic characters in the 2021 comedy Aki and Pawpaw which serves as a sequel to the Old Nollywood classic. In the Biodun Stephen-directed Netflix feature, Aki and Pawpaw have become teenagers who try to survive in Lagos until they are suddenly catapulted into a life of luxury and stardom, bringing glory to their village and loved ones. Amaechi resurfaces as their father, who seems to be advanced in age and wisdom. Mbakwe is no longer the energetic and vociferous character presented in the prequel . He welcomes his boys with gusto, relishing their newfound fame when they visit him in Umueze village, and then he tries to mediate when conflicts arise between them.
Amaechi as Ndio the Witch (My Village People)
My Village People follows the story of Prince (Bovi Ugboma), a womanizer who becomes the center of attraction, with a coven of witches and a group of water mermaids desperately fighting for him. In the fantasy comedy drama, Amaechi is Ndio, the malevolent head of the coven of witches and father to an unwilling witch Haggai (Theresa Edem) who is in love with Prince. Ndio sets his daughter on a do-or-die mission to lure Prince into the coven for initiation, one which ends in futility. Depicted as a mystic, powerful, unforgiving being, Ndio with his colleagues are eventually neutralized and conquered as the story ends on a sweet note for the much troubled protagonist.