A Closer Look at Sharon Ooja’s Age and Detailed Biography

Sharon Ooja (born 6th April, 1991) is a 32-year-old Nigerian actress who came into the limelight for her role as Shalewa in Skinny Girl in Transit (SGIT).

Sharon Ooja played the supporting role “Shalewa,” in SGIT, which brought her to the limelight as her stellar performance in the web series stole the heart of everyone. She got all wowed with her cheerful disposition, infectious smile, and amazing personality. The actress is one of Nollywood’s sweethearts who’s been gracing our screen lately.

Profile Summary of Sharon Ooja

  • Full name: Sharon Ooja
  • Date of birth: 6th April, 1991
  • Age: 32 years old
  • Education: Kings and Queens School Jos, Regina Pacis Secondary School, Garki II, Abuja, St. Louis Girls’ College, Jos and Houdegbe North American University in Cotonou, Benin Republic
  • Occupation: Acting, Modeling, Even Host

Sharon Ooja was Born in the ’90s in Kaduna State, North-Central Nigeria

Sharon Ooja was born on the 6th of April, 1991, in Kaduna State into a family of six. She grew up in Jos, where she had her primary education at Kings and Queens School. The screen diva proceeded to study at all-girls boarding schools – Regina Pacis Secondary School, Garki II, Abuja, and St. Louis Girls’ College, Jos for her secondary education. Sharon also acquired a degree in mass communication from the Houdegbe North American University in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

The actress had an exciting childhood as she and her siblings had cordial relationships with one another. She was pretty stubborn as a child; hence, she got lots of beatings from her mum. The fast-rising star identifies as a “complete northern girl,” but has been able to blend with various parts of the country, hence her ability to take diverse roles as an actress.

Growing up, the Nollywood actress wanted to be a doctor, but fate had better things in store for her. Her parents have been instrumental to her career goals. The beautiful thespian once mentioned in an interview that her mum is in the entertainment industry. She stated that her dad is her cheerleader, who often records her TV interviews and calls her to commend her good works. He made watching her shows a ritual and usually tells his friends about them.

With support from her parents, she’s been able to thrive in the movie industry. Sharon’s mum advises and offers her acting tips. She gushes a lot about her family, stating she has enough love to give since she’s surrounded by love from her mum and siblings. It’s pretty glaring that the Oojas family is a close-knit one. Not much is known about her dad’s or siblings’ profession. For now, no one can tell their names, source of livelihood, and how famous they are.

She Started Acting when She was 22 Years Old

The Oloture star had a brief stint at a real estate firm before making her acting debut in Gidi Up. Sharon kick-started her acting career on relocation to Lagos in 2013. The delectable actress once stated that she bumped into acting. She had a photoshoot for a store, and NdaniTV was handling the behind-the-scenes session. Her delivery at the job got her an interview invite the following week for a television show, which didn’t see the light of day.

Sometime later, she was summoned to feature in the television series Gidi Up, which she performed well in. Afterward, she starred in Skinny Girl in Transit, playing the character “Shalewa.” She rose to stardom after featuring in the comedy series. The Benue indigene described her acting journey as having been an enjoyable experience. Her first time on set was quite thrilling as she had fun acting.

While SGIT brought her to prominence, she describes the role in Oloture as her breakthrough character because she wasn’t stereotyped. Furthermore, she divulged that after featuring in SGIT, she’s always been given stereotypical roles, but Oloture gave her career an uplift.

The screen goddess has gone ahead to star in numerous movies, including:

  • Still Falling
  • Moms at War
  • From Lagos with Love
  • King of Boys
  • The Men’s Club
  • Flat Mates
  • Jenifa’s Diary
  • The Bling Lagosians
  • Kambili: The whole 30 yards
  • Who’s the Boss?
  • Coming from Insanity
  • Lara and the Beat

Skinny Girl in Transit is recorded as one of her milestones in acting since the web series brought her fame. She also mentioned Oloture as her most significant achievement as she was the leading actor and didn’t take up the usual stereotypical roles. Sharon cited Funke Akindele, Gabrielle Union, Shaggy Bello, Keira Knightley, Mo Abudu, Ngozi Nwosu, and Funke Kuti as sources of inspiration.

The budding actress also expressed her love and admiration for Mercy Johnson because she prioritizes every aspect of her life, ranging from family to acting career and business. As a TV personality, she’s had embarrassing moments; Sharon revealed that she once slept at a movie shooting, where she was supposed to act sleepy in a particular scene. She truly began sleeping and snoring on the set. However, she was so fast asleep that they had to wake her.

Sharon Ooja Earned Her First Award Nomination at 27

Sharon has been nominated for several awards in the course of her acting career. With 6 best actress nominations in 2019 alone, Sharon Ooja is on a roll and will soon be earning awards for her excellent acting performance. The nominations include:

  • Best New Actress of the Year (English) at the City People Movie Award (2018)
  • The Future Awards Africa Prize for Acting (2019)
  • Most Featured Actress In Cinema Movies at the City People Movie Award
  • The SGIT star was listed as one of the top female celebrities of 2020, and she was also named one of the Nollywood actresses to watch out for in 2021.
  • Special Recognition Awards at Eko Star Film & TV Awards (2021)

Other Interesting Facts About Sharon Ooja

Aside from expertly playing various characters on film sets, here are other interesting things you should know about Sharon Ooja:

She is a Humanitarian

The renowned actress doubles as a humanitarian. She’s quite passionate about the uneducated girl child and strives to make a change by advocating for the education of the girl child and enlightening the public on the importance of girls having skillsets so they can contribute immensely to society.

Sharon is a Model and Event Host

Besides acting, she’s also into modeling and event hosting. The on-screen diva has modeled for brands and hosted red carpet shows. She co-hosted the 2017 GTBank Fashion Weekend Red Carpet Show alongside Timini Egbuson.

She had Imposter Syndrome

The multi-talented artist who once battled imposter syndrome doubted her abilities as an actress even when people praised her for how good she acts. She shared how getting lead roles in Oloture and Who’s the Boss enabled her to overcome the imposter syndrome.

Sharon Ooja is Still Single

Due to the chemistry between her and fellow actor Timini Egbuson in SGIT, many presume they’re an item. Both of them have come out to debunk the rumors. While still single, the sultry actress has described who her type of man is; Sharon mentioned that intelligence is a turn-on for her, and she’s attracted to intelligent guys. She stated that she’s pretty disappointed with the guys that approached her. Many misconstrue her to be materialistic.

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