The “bigger-than-life” presence of Shaquille O’Neal has never been too far from the public eye, even since he retired from playing professional basketball in 2011. Considered to be one of the NBA’s greatest players of all time, Shaq has built as prolific a life for himself off the court.Among the endeavors that he has taken on include a part-time career as a sheriff's deputy, investment and partnerships with various business brands, as well as a keen interest in MMA and DJ’ing. Shaq has consequently managed to amass an impressive net worth of $400 million, a huge chunk of which has in fact been earned post-retirement.Among the other facets of Shaq’s life that never seems to stay on the downlow is his love life. He was of course once married — to TV personality and former film marketer Shaunie Nelson — in 2oo2. They had four children together, before separating in 2007 and eventually getting officially divorced about four years later.Shaq started dating reality TV star Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander in 2010, but they split in 2012, adding her to a list of people the former athlete has kicked out of his inner circle. He is currently said to be seeing Nigerian-American actor Annette “Annie” Ilonzeh. If her face looks familiar, it is likely because of her work acting on TV.
Annie Ilonzeh Starred In General Hospital
Annie Ilonzeh’s professional acting career kicked off in the late 2000s, with brief appearances in He’s Not That Into You and Miss March. She also made cameos in single episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Do Not Disturb on Fox. In 2009 she joined the cast of The CW’s Melrose Place in a recurring capacity, as a character known as Natasha. She played the role for a total of three episodes until 2010.
In the same year, she landed the first major role of her career, when she was cast as Maya Ward in the long-running ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital .
The show follows the lives of the residents of the fictional town of Port Charles, New York, and has been known for its dramatic storylines and iconic characters.
Ilonzeh’s character Maya is a medical intern, and holds 6.5% of voting stock in Edward Louis Quartermaine (ELQ) International, a multinational conglomerate founded by her great-grandfather. She is the daughter of Faith Ward (portrayed by Faith Collins between 1995 and 1996) and the granddaughter of The Reverend Dr. Bradley Ward (Aaron Seville).
Annie Ilonzeh Is Also Known For Chicago Fire
Annie Ilonzeh played Maya Ward in General Hospital over the course of 78 episodes between 2010 and 2011. This makes the role the longest of her career, so far. A respectable second place goes to her portrayal of the character Emily Foster in the procedural drama Chicago Fire on NBC.
Chicago Fire follows the lives of the firefighters, paramedics, and officers of the Chicago Fire Department at the fictional Firehouse 51. The show has been praised for its intense action sequences, compelling characters and realistic portrayal of the daily life of first responders. The show premiered on NBC in October 2012. As of January 2023, 11 seasons and 229 episodes of the series have aired.
Ilonzeh became part of the main cast in Season 7, which kicked off in September 2018.
Her Emily Foster is a paramedic, who comes in to replace Gabriela Dawson (Monica Raymund), after the latter moves to Puerto Rico at the end of Season 6.
Emily’s character is depicted as a strong and independent woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. She is respected by her colleagues and becomes a valuable member of the team.
Where Else Might You Have Seen Annie Ilonzeh?
Annie Ilonzeh has appeared in a movie every now and then, including Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, 'Til Death Do Us Part, Peppermint, Agent Game and the Tupac biopic All Eyez On Me. Most of her roles have been on television, however, with credits in more than two dozen shows to her name.
Between 2012 and 2013, she featured in eight episodes of ABC Family’s Switched at Birth. Her character was a woman called Lana, who “had a one-night stand with Angelo Sorrento (Gilles Marini), and gave birth to a baby girl, Angelo’s second biological daughter, and Bay Kennish (Vanessa Marano) and Daphne’s (Katie Leclerc) paternal half-sister.
Ilonzeh’s spell in the series lasted through two episodes of Season 1, and six of the second. You might have also seen the actress as Joanna De La Vega in DC’s Arrow, Beth Bowman in Beauty and the Beast, Courtney Gallo from Graceland or Harper Rose in Person of Interest. She also reprised her character Emily Foster in four episodes of Chicago P.D.
In 2016, Ilonzeh featured in the musical drama series Empire on Fox. She played the role of a reporter called Harper Scott from an outlet by the name Q&A News.
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