Mercy Aigbe is a 46-year-old Nigerian actress, producer, entrepreneur, brand influencer, fashionista, and scriptwriter. She ventured into acting at the age of 28 and is mostly known for her roles in Yoruba movies, for which she has become a household name in Nollywood.
The actress rose to prominence after starring in the 2006 movie Ara. Though some of her films are of the Yoruba language, she also features in English language films.
Besides her acting career, Mercy Aigbe has diversified her career path to include working behind the camera in filmmaking, scriptwriting, and production. She has produced many movies in the Yoruba and English languages, with her first as Date Night, released in 2017. Mercy is also an entrepreneur, founder of Mercy Aigbe Gentry School of drama, and a brand influencer. For her excellent contributions, the actress has recorded many awards in her name.
Mercy Aigbe’s Profile Summary
- Full Name: Mercy Aigbe
- Date Of Birth: January 1, 1978
- Age: 46 years old
- Place Of Birth: Edo State, Nigeria
- State Of Origin: Edo State
- Ethnicity: Benin
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Education: The Polytechnic Of Ibadan, Oyo State; University Of Lagos State
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Spouse: Lanre Gentry (Ex-husband)
- Children: Juwon Gentry and Michelle Aigbe
- Parents: Pa Aigbe (father) and Abisola Grace Owodunni (mother)
- Occupation: Actress, Producer, Brand Influencer, Scriptwriter, Entrepreneur
- Active Years: 2006 to date
Mercy Aigbe Was Born In Edo State, Nigeria, 46 Years Ago
Born on January 1, 1978, Mercy Aigbe is 46 years old. The Yoruba movie actress was born Mercy Aigbe but changed her last name to Gentry after marriage to Mr. Lanre Gentry on December 19, 2013. However, they are now separated. As much as her parent’s occupations are unknown, her father has been identified as Pa Aigbe, while her mother is Abisola Grace Owodunni. Though the movie star speaks Yoruba fluently, her father is a native of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria.
Mercy had a memorable childhood with her four siblings- Pat Aigbe, her elder sister and the first child of the Aigbes, is a medical doctor by profession. Her elder sister, Joy Aigbe, died due to sickle cell anemia, and one of her younger sisters, Elizabeth Orobosa Ajayi, was lost to the cold hands of death in 2020 due to a heart ailment. Information about her other sibling is unknown. The actress is currently the second child of the Aigbe’s and the most famous, as none of her siblings has ventured into the entertainment industry.
The Actress Obtained Her Bachelor’s Degree at The Age of 23
Growing up in Lagos State, young Mercy Aigbe attended St. Francis Primary School and proceeded to Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School in Ikeja, where she obtained her Senior Secondary School Certificate. She was active in the drama group in her secondary school and participated in various presentations organized by her school.
The actress has a good knowledge of mathematics and enrolled in The Polytechnic Of Ibadan, Oyo State, where she acquired an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Financial Studies. Having nursed a passion for acting in her early years, she proceeded to the University Of Lagos State. There, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from the university, graduating in 2001 at 23.
Mercy Aigbe’s Big Break In The Movie Industry Was In 2006
Mercy Aigbe developed a passion for acting since her early years in school, where she took part in school drama, which helped improve her acting skills. She stepped into acting despite having a good-paying banking job and featured in soap operas. However, her professional acting debut was made in the Yoruba movie Ara in 2006 when she was 28 years old.
Her exceptional skills and perfect interpretation of the movie roles brought her to the limelight and paved the way for other prominent roles in the Yoruba and English movie industry. Since her movie debut, Mercy has continued to wow her fans through the numerous movies she has starred in.
List of Mercy Aigbe’s Movies
Below is a list of movies that she has starred in so far:
- Ara: 2006
- Satanic
- Afefe Ife: 2008
- Okanjua: 2008
- Atunida Leyi: 2009
- Igberaga: 2009
- Ihamo: 2009
- Ìpèsè: 2009
- Iró Funfun: 2009
- Mafisere: 2009
- Oju Ife: 2009
- Omoge Osas: 2012
- Ile Oko Mii: 2014
- Victims: 2015
- Kabiosi: 2015
- The Screenplay: 2017
- Date Night: 2017
- Little Drops of Happy: 2017
- 200 Million: 2018
- Happy Father’s Day: 2018
- Lagos Real Fake Life: 2018
- Second Acts: 2019
- The Reunion: 2019
- Big Fat Lie: 2019
- Omo Ghetto: 2020
- Swallow: 2021
She Produced Her First Movie In 2017
Mercy Aigbe has proven her capability when it comes to the entertainment industry. She produced her first movie, Date Night, in 2017. The actress also featured in the movie as Joyce alongside some top actors like Lateef Adedimeji, Uche Jumbo, Bolanle Ninalowo, Kenneth Okolie, and many more. Mercy Aigbe’s other movie production credits include the following:
- Hunted Pleasures
- Shekeshheke
- Agbeke Ayoba
- ETE
- Jaguda Baba Ole J.B.O.
- Kini Igbeyawo
- Dara
- 77 Bullets
Besides Acting, Mercy Aigbe is also a Businesswoman
When the word illustrious and fashion pop up, Mercy is undoubtedly a full definition as she is always serving it hot with her unique fashion sense. The actress took advantage of her unique fashion sense and ventured into the fashion world. She launched her boutique known as the Mag Diva Boutique in November 2014. The actress has also extended her boutique to Ibadan which many actors graced the opening ceremony.
More so, Mercy has a skincare line called Flawless by Mercy. The skincare line deals in bleaching organic products, which treat stretch marks, knuckles, spots, and other skin problems. She, however, revealed that requests from her fans made her join the business.
With a passion for acting, the actress founded the Mercy Aigbe Gentry School of Drama in 2016. The drama school offers four-month training in scriptwriting, acting, stage management, movie making, and many more. The students are provided with well-trained and experienced personnel that will help structure and develop their skills to meet the Nollywood standard.
She Bagged Her First Endorsement Deal At The Age of 36
Mercy Aigbe has inked many endorsement deals following her fame in the movie industry. She is not only an entertainment figure but also a market-boosting figure. In 2014, she signed her first endorsement deal, thus becoming the brand ambassador of Elephant Gold Rice. The following year, she signed a one-year brand ambassadorial contract with Prestige Cosmetics. In July 2016, she signed another deal as the brand ambassador of Edalaf Brother Limited, a company involved in IT solutions. In October that same year, she became the brand ambassador of a fitness company that produces slimming coffee, Shape You.
2017 saw her signing endorsing BK Unique Hair. She moved on to become the brand ambassador for the transportation company Naija Taxi in September 2018. She is also the brand ambassador of various companies like Realvest, a real estate investment platform, G Text, Mummy Glee, and Mary Make, a cosmetic company. In 2021, she bagged an ambassadorial deal with Leisure Court, a real estate company in Abuja, and HNK Interiors, which deals in interior house decorations.
- Elephant Gold Rice
- Prestige Cosmetic
- Edalaf Brother Limited
- Shape You
- BK Unique Hair
- Naija Taxi
- Realvest
- G Text
- Mummy Glee
- Mary Make
- Leisure Court
- HNK Interiors
Mercy Aigbe Won Her First Award in 2010
Mercy Aigbe has been highly noticed as she has bagged awards for her roles in the Yoruba movie industry and her excellent fashion sense. The brand influencer got heads turning with her dressing at the Africa Magic Viewers Award in 2016. This made fashion stakeholders recognize her, and she became the trending figure on social media platforms.
Below is a list of all the accolades and awards that she has received so far:
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Yoruba)- 2010
- She was nominated as the Best Actress in an Indigenous Movie (non-English speaking language)- 2012
- Mercy won the Award of Excellence at the Global Leadership Awards for Excellence (GLADE)- 2012
- Best Indigenous Language (Yoruba)- 2014
- 2013 Woman of Style at the MoreKlue All Youths Awards- 2014
- City People Entertainment Yoruba Movie Personality of the year- 2015.
- Fashion Entrepreneur of The Year Awarded by Links and Glitz World Awards- 2015
- City People Movie Award nominee for Best Actress of the Year (Yoruba)- 2016
- Role Model Awards at the All Youths Tush Awards- 2017
- Greenview Awards nominates Mercy Aigbe for Best Supporting Actress- 2018
- Nominee for Most Searched Actress at the NET Honours- 2018
- Most Popular Actress nominee at the NET Honours- 2018
- Nominated for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Yoruba) at the Best of Nollywood Awards (BON)- 2018
- Mercy Aigbe won the Award for Most Popular Actress at the NET Honours- 2019
- She also won the Emperor Awards for the Best Actress in Leading Roles in 2019.
- She was nominated as the Best Actress In a Leading Role in the 2021 BON Awards.
- Best Actress in Yoruba award at the City People Awards held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.