Chinedu Ikedieze
Chinedu Ikedieze, MFR (born 12 December, 1977) is a Nigerian actor, entrepreneur and serial investor. He is best known for playing alongside Osita Iheme in majority of the movies after their breakthrough as duo in the 2002 film "Aki na Ukwa". He has featured in over 150 films in a career spanning over 20 years. He has acted in the role of a kid in most of his films during his early career due to his stature and physical appearance. He is known as Aki for his performance in the film "Aki na Ukwa". In 2011, he married  fashion designer Nneoma Nwaijah and the couple had their first child in 2012. Career. Chinedu pursued his primary and secondary education in Aba, Abia State. After completing his secondary education he pursued a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Theatre Arts and a degree in Mass communication from the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu (IMT). After completing his studies at IMT, he initially wanted to become a lawyer but pursued his career in film acting in 1998 and initially featured in small roles. He first acted in a minor role in the 1998 film "Evil Men". He enrolled in the  prestigious New York Film Academy in 2004. Chemistry with Osita Iheme. He entered Nollywood industry in 2000 and rose to prominence in 2002 film "Aki na Ukwa" where he played the breakthrough role of Aki alongside another little person actor Osita Iheme. The duo were popularly called as "Aki Paw Paw" since the release of the film and they featured together in several films in the lead roles. Both Chinedu and Osita have been maintaining onscreen and offscreen chemistry which is widely praised by the Nollywood fraternity. Honour. In 2007, Ikedieze received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the African Movie  Academy Awards. He was also honoured with the Order of the Federal Republic which was given by the then Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan for his contributions to Nollywood and to the economic growth of the country. In 2018, he was honored in Miami, Florida in the United States of America as a distinguished visitor to the city of Miami, Florida. In appreciation he said “From the bottom of my heart I say thank you to Miami-Dade, country office of the Mayor and the county commissioners for honouring me as a distinguished visitor to the city of Miami, Florida. You  have just given me a key to more success in life. He therefore encouraged all to believe if themselves if the world believes in them. Legacy. His performance alongside fellow little person actor Osita Iheme in the 2002 film "Aki na Ukwa" is still widely spoken of and the duo especially Osita's character has been trending through memes since 2019 in Twitter and other social media platforms globally. Osita is listed as one of the richest actors in Nigeria.