Desmond Elliot Biography & Net Worth: Family, Wife, State Of Birth & History Of Actor Turned Politician

Desmond Elliot Biography & Net Worth: Family, Wife, State Of Birth & History Of Actor Turned Politician

Nollywood actor Desmond Elliott whose full name is Desmond Oluwashola Elliot is a  Nigerian entertainer, politician and philantropist that has his origin in Olowogbowo located at the famous island of Lagos State. The actor is an individual of inter-ethnic origin as his mother is from Warri Delta State. Desmond Elliott father was a man that believed in polygamy and so the actor had a stepmother and overall 10 siblings.

Although the actor has his origin in Lagos State he spent most of his childhood days living in the middle belt region of Nigeria, Jos in Pleateau State. Desmond Elliot had his primary education  at the government owned Air Force primary school before proceeding to have his secondary education at the St. John’s College. In contrast to the experience of many of his colleagues in which they had passion for acting and sought a career in it, Desmond Elliott never planned to enter the entertainment industry. After he was done with his secondary school education he decided to follow a more professional career path in the hopes of making it into the corporate world.

He enrolled in Lagos State University (LASU) to study Economics and after a series of ups and downs in the tertiary institution he graduated with a bachelors degree in Economics in the year 2003.

The actor has claimed on various interviews that it was never his intention to enter into the entertainment industry and it was under the influence of his close friend that he decided to give it a trial. Desmond Elliott decided to start going for auditions and apparently he had the required skills and good looks needed to make it in the industry. Also, having grown up among inter-ethnic parents the actor was able to adapt to the different types of genres in the industry, although the actor has claimed before on an interview that he hid his Yoruba Identity at the beginning of his career because most of the directors and other people he worked with were of Eastern origin, nonetheless Desmond Elliott managed to make his mark in the industry and today he is one of the greatest stars in Nigerian movie industry Nollywood.

Desmond Elliott started his career in the late 1990s by taking roles in different soap operas that existed at that time. Some of them are Saint and Sinners, One Too Much and the once public favorite soap opera ‘Everyday People’. The Everyday People was a comedy soap opera directed by Tajudeen Adepetu, the project was a very successful one and it enjoyed lots of public appeal. Desmond Elliott along with colleagues such as Sam Loco Efe and Segun Soremi were casts on the soap opera and it subsequently brought the actor into the spotlight and set him up for success.

The actor did not fail to make efficient use of this opportunity and found fame, he entered fully into the movie industry and has since then gone to feature in over 200 movies in both the Yoruba and Igbo genre of Nollywood, sometimes making appearances in movies made by neighbouring country Ghana.

Desmond Elliott had his first professional movie role in a movie titled ‘Jesu Mushin’ in 2002. The movie was directed by famous director Fidelis Duker and it featured many of Nollywood’s brightest stars of that time such as Funso Adeolu, Zack Orji, veteran actress Idowu Phillips popularly known as Iya Rainbow and a host of other. At this time Desmond Elliott who never planned to become an actor had seen that there was amazing prospects in the industry and thus devoted his full strength and time towards it.

Over the years Desmond Elliott has featured in many blockbuster movies such as Tunnel of Love (2003), Shackles of Death (2005), Too Late to Claim (2006), I’ll Take My Chances (2011), box office record breaker ‘30 days in Atlanta’ (2014) and the famous movie in which he played lead role ‘Black Val’.

After the actor enjoyed a successful stint in front of the camera he decided it was time to take things to the next level and thus went on to also become a producer and director. One of the most prominent movies in which he directed is titled Reloaded and the movie went to become a very successful project. Reloaded peaked an outstanding feat of receiving 3 nominations at the 2009 edition of African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).

Desmond Elliott has had a very successful career in the entertainment industry and thus has a few grass root awards to his name. He has also been bestowed in the past with honours such as being nominated  for the award of Best Actor at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards in 2009.

Desmond Elliott has managed to avoid most of the controversies and relationship problems associated with individuals in the entertainment industry, this is as a result of him marrying early while he was just starting his career. The actor is married to his childhood friend named Victoria and the couple tied the knot in 2003 at his wife’s state of origin Akwa Ibom State.

It is believed that the actor and his wife met while they were student in the tertiary institution. Desmond Elliott attended Lagos State University (LASU) while his wife Victoria attended the prestigious University of Jos. The actor has claimed on various interviews that it took a lot to woo Victoria but after much work she eventually gave in and they got married, although it is believed the the couple had been courting for over 8 years.

Desmond and Victoria Elliott’s union gave birth to two pair of twins, 2 boys at first named Denzel Elliott and Desmond Elliott after his father, followed by a boy and a girl with the boy named Donald Elliot and the girl named Dawn Elliot.

Well, it seems the Elliot family have a thing for the letter ‘D’ and it is quite awesome.

The news of the decision of the actor to enter into the world of politics came as a shock to his fans and the public in 2014. He made an announcement that year that he was interested in representing his people in government and thus sought to occupy the public office of being one of the lawmakers at the state level. Even though Desmond Elliot had no prior experience in politics he managed to secure a victory under the newly formed All Progressive Congress in 2015. Many people attribute his victory in his district ‘Surulere’ to his popularity achieved because of his status as one of the biggest stars in Nigeria.

Desmond Elliot has claimed on various interviews that his colleagues in the state House of assembly are fond of calling him ‘filmboy’, a nickname he earned as a result of his time on our screens.

The actors presence on our TV screens has dropped tremendously when compared to previous times and this is as a result of his new position as a public office holder in Lagos State. He also has some other business investments to his name such as being the owner of one of the biggest production companies in Nigeria named Denzoit Productions. His businesses are managed by both him and his wife and they have achieved tremendous success over the years.

It is not sure whether the actor  will seek to progress in his career as a politician or come back to work under the camera, nonetheless Desmond Elliott is an icon that has always serves his fans and people to the best of his capacity.