Francis Agu (18 February 1965 – 20 March 2007)

He was a Nigerian TV and film actor. He was best known for his role on the long-running Nigerian television series Checkmate. Born into a Catholic family, he was at one time a member of the Altar Boys and a Lector at St. Dominic's Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos. He attended the University of Lagos, where he studied Mass Communication. His first acting appearance was in the play This is Our Chance by James Ene Henshaw, directed by Isaac John. He played the lead role, King Damba. Other plays he has featured in include The Gods Are Not to Blame by Ola Rotimi, and Trials of Brother Jero by Wole Soyinka. Agu hit the limelight with a role in Checkmate, a 1990s TV soap opera, in which he played the character Benny. He went on to starred in the first Nigerian Home Video, Living in Bondage (1992) playing the role of Ichie Million. Other movies he featured in include: Living in Bondage - 1992, Blood Brothers, Blood Brothers 2, A Minute to Midnite, Untouchable, Circle of Doom - 1993. From acting he went on to produce his first film Jezebel in 1994 and went on to produce and direct many others, including In the Name of the Father, A Divine Call, The Boy is Mine, Body and Soul, Love and Pride, A Dance in the Forest, and Take Me to Jesus. Francis Agu became ill in October 2006, and died on 20 March 2007.

SOURCE: www.dambela.com