Junior Pope: Biography, Early Life, Career, Net Worth, and Death

With over a decade of experience on the big screen, Junior Pope is a sensation that will not be quickly forgotten. 

The veteran actor has over 20 movies to his name and was active in the industry until his death in April 2024.

Junior Pope’s death has more than recently shocked the movie industry, with many pouring in condolences to the family. 

In this post, we take a closer look at the life of Junior Pope while answering the pertinent question: who is Junior Pope?

 Early Life of Junior Pope

Junior Pope was born Pope Obumneme Odonwodo on May 7, 1984, to both parents of Enugu State origin. He hails from Ukehe in Enugu State, Nigeria, but was born in Bamenda, Cameroon. 

Junior Pope had his early life and primary and secondary education at Bamenda in Cameroon with his parents before moving to Nigeria to undertake a degree in accounting from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. 

He was the sixth of eight children born to his parents and was the only son.

Junior Pope’s parents fled Enugu to Bamenda in Cameroon during the civil war to escape death, and ever since the end of the war, they have remained and settled in Cameroon. Junior Pope returned to Nigeria sometime in the early 2000s for university education.

 Junior Pope’s Career

Junior Pope started his acting career in 2006 while at the University of Nigeria. He joined the movie industry and acted in a series of short stories before moving to the big screen as a major actor. 

Junior Pope had his major break in Tchidi Chikere’s 2007 blockbuster Secret Adventure, where he played the major role in the cast.

Junior Pope has since then been cast in movies with Gentle Jack, Jim Iyke, and a host of others. 

Some of Junior Pope’s cinematography includes Amazon Prime’s “No Way Through," “Honey Money," "Sin," “Dark Love," “Sisters at War,” and a host of others.

The Nollywood star played the role of a villain in most of his shoots before his passing.

 Junior Pope’s Family

In 2014, Junior Pope married Jennifer Okpuno Awele in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria. 

Jennifer, Junior Pope’s wife, acts as a professional events planner in Delta State, having done events for big stars in the movie industry, including Regina Daniels, Ruth Kadiri, and others.

In a 2023 interview, Junior Pope revealed that he met his wife through a Facebook post where he commented. Ever since then, they have courted, married, and been blessed with three children: Jason, Jamon, and Jaden Odonwodo. Before his death, Junior Pope resided in Asaba, Delta State, with his wife and children.

 Social Media Handle of Junior Pope

The question asked most of the time is: What is Junior Pope’s social media handle? 

Just so you know, Junior Pope lived a very classy and celebrity-filled life, with most of it being shown on his Instagram page. 

He currently has over two million followers on Instagram and is known to be very active. 

His Instagram handle is @jnrpope

 Junior Pope’s Net worth

Junior Pope is believed to be worth over $200,000.00 (two hundred thousand US dollars) as of 2024. In 2021, Junior Pope’s home was gutted by fire in Asaba. 

Nonetheless, he made headlines in 2023 after rebuilding his Asaba home with an even more befitting edifice.

Junior Pope owns a Lexus SUV and a Toyota Venza. Aside from those, he is rumored to own other fleets of cars that are driven by his wife and some family members.

The veteran actor also owns a plethora of clothes, some of which are argued to be of expensive quality. This sense of dressing has earned him a top fashion guru amongst his peers in the movie industry.

 Junior Pope’s Death

On April 10, 2024, while shooting a movie at Asaba, Junior Pope and other colleagues crossed the Niger River to a shoot location using a high-speed, fragile canoe converted boat. 

The boat capsized a few hours after leaving shore, and Junior Pope and two colleagues in the industry drowned in the boat accident.

After alerting the neighbouring communities, a search was undertaken, and the body of Junior Pope was found. 

Assuming him to be dead, the locals of the community took Junior Pope's body to the nearest mortuary, where he was declared to still be alive by the attendant on duty.

Junior Pope was rushed from the mortuary to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead by the doctors in Asaba. 

He died at age 39.