Kate Henshaw: An Exceptional Actor, Still Going Strong!

Kate Henshaw...as King Omajuwa in The King must Dance Naked

Nollywood Actress, Kate Henshaw, is an exceptional actor - comfortable on screen and on stage. She recently took on the formidable role of King Omajuwa in Fred Agbeyegbe's THE KING MUST DANCE NAKED, for the Nollywood Legend, Fred Amata's 50th Birthday. Check out the picture above, Kate in full costume for the play.

Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw projects an on-screen braininess that is admirable. She is a talented actress, with an incredible resume to her credit. The Nigerian film industry has been critiqued for many of its below-par actors, but Henshaw is an inspiration to young thespians who wish to do it properly.

You can attempt an honest count of good actors in Nollywood, and Kate Henshaw would certainly make that list; it is a recognition she’s earned over the past twenty years. In 2008, she won the award for Best Actress in A Leading Role at the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), for the movie Stronger Than Pain, setting off a discussion about how far she’s travelled and her contribution to the development of Nollywood. An endorsement it was, many more agreed that she was without doubt, Africa’s finest at the time. Some other recognition has come through – for her – since.

Just how good is she? The proof is in the numbers, and in those productions that have been appreciated by a solid Henshaw fan base, and which has contributed in making her a delight to watch.  And then there is this all-important but usually downplayed feature that makes her fit for the big screens – her looks. Henshaw who had her break in 1993 with a lead role in the movie When the Sun Sets, turns 42 this year but boasts a stunning figure that is refreshingly young at heart and in physical traits.

 She is also a judge on the Nigeria’s Got Talent, which is taking after the popular Got Talent franchise owned by Simon Cowell’s production company Syco. These endorsements speak of her in broader terms, a sellable individual whose popularity goes beyond the confines of where her true passion lies – acting.

That aspect, however minute it is, has somewhat helped kept her appeal across board, very much in check. In Nollywood, and most particularly in the film world, how you look and just how beautiful you are in the eyes of viewers, decides what next script you are going to get. Which is why Nollywood just can’t have enough of Henshaw.

One unique quality most followers of Nollywood credit Kate with, is her ability to draw inspiration from scripts, adapt them and completely offer a make-over that moves viewers to fall in love with a title – even when it seems – on face value that she was dealing with a bad script. You can say she is her own actor/director – that wouldn’t be entirely out of place; she’s proven that on a number of productions she’s worked on.

The appeal she enjoys isn’t only limited to filmmaking, as she has over the years become a brand most corporate entities would want to associate themselves with. Henshaw, who abandoned the idea of a career in Medicine, worked with GLO, the Nigerian-owned African telecommunication’s giant as ambassador, and has for years been the face of the popular Nigerian food-seasoning product ONGA. She is currently the Brand Ambassador of Samsung.