Nollywood actor and comedian Charles Inojie has regarded his late senior colleague, Sam Loco-Efe,as the smartest Nollywood actor to have ever lived.
During a recent conversation with well-known media personality Chude Jideonwo, the veteran actor praised Sam Loco and reflected on his remarkable career when he was still alive.
Sam Loco-Efe, whose career lasted three decades, passed away on August 7, 2011. When he passed away, he was 65 years old.
The late actor, according to Inojie, was from another planet since, unlike other actors, he just has to read the script once to memorise the lines. Sadly, he added, the renowned actor passed away without receiving a national honour.
Charles said;
“Uncle Sam (Sam Loco-Efe) was perhaps the most intelligent Nollywood actor that ever lived. He can be here smoking cigarette, and people are rehearsing that way, you won’t know that his subconscious mind is where they are rehearsing. He would be correcting you from afar, you won’t even know he is talking to you.
If you have a scene to play with him, Uncle Sam would only read with you once. He would ask the others to rehearse their lines. He would read that scene just once. He would say his lines, and when you missed yours, he would tell you your lines. Since I’ve been meeting people, I haven’t seen that type before. Uncle Sam was from another planet.
But the country we live in, how can anyone imagine that Uncle Sam died without a national honour? In a country where national honours are being given to neophytes, greenhorns. Uncle Sam died without a national honour.
One of Nigeria’s entries to FESTAC 1977, I think that was ‘Lambodo’ where uncle Sam played the lead role. He got a special mention from the Queen as the best actor in Africa. That kind of human being, even in death, he deserves posthumous awards.”
