Anayo Modestus Onyekwere (born 1 March 1962), known professionally as Kanayo O. Kanayo , is a Nigerian actor and lawyer. In 2006, he won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Family Battle.
Kanayo was born on 1 March 1962. He is a native of Nru Umueze Oboama Ezinihitte in Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Kanayo was raised in Aba, Abia State, where he attended St. Joseph Primary School and later Secondary Technical School. He obtained diplomas in mass communication and law, as well as a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Lagos. He earned a master's degree in political science. In 2018, he obtained a Law degree from the University of Abuja and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2020.
Kanayo began his acting career in 1982 with productions by the Nigerian Television Authority, appearing in the 1987 television series Things Fall Apart and Checkmate. He made his film debut in 1992 with Living in Bondage. He has starred in over 100 films, including Across the Niger, Lionheart, Up North, ', and the sitcom Professor Johnbull. He is known for portraying villainous characters, particularly in occult-themed films.
He has also been a president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria.
In 2011, Kanayo contested the seat for the Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency of Imo State in the Nigerian House of Representatives under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), but was unsuccessful.
In 2013, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan appointed him to the board of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Studies.
On 7 June 2018, he again declared his intention to run for the same seat in the House of Representatives in the 2019 elections, also under APGA, but did not win.
In 2022, Kanayo announced that he would not contest for any political office, stating that his decision was to "work for a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction."
Kanayo married Nneka Onyekwere in 1999. They have four children: Oloaku Valerie, Clinton (also known as Onye Eze Mbaise), Einstein, and Kassochukwu Montell.
In 2006, Kanayo won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Family Battle. Two years later, he was nominated in the same category for his performance in Across the Niger.
He was conferred with the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), and was among the Nigerians honoured by the government in 2014 during the country's centenary celebration.