He studied at St. Patrick's and St. James Primary School, Zaria, before attending St. John's College for his secondary education. He also studied at the School of Journalism and Television in England.
Career
Edochie appearing in a commercial for Wikipedia
Edochie's love for the performing arts started early enough while he was a student of St. John's College in Kaduna. He was just 15 years old in 1962 when he dramatized aspects of William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice". This early theatrical experience coincided with a period when English literature, including Shakespeare, was a standard component of secondary education in Nigeria's early post-independence era. In 1967 at the age of 20 Edochie went into broadcasting, joining Eastern Nigeria Broadcasting Service (ENBS), which would later become Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) as a junior programs assistant and subsequently, over the years, rose through the ranks, eventually being elevated to the level of a director. He was Director of Programs but doubled as Deputy Managing Director and occasionally acting as Managing Director. He quit Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) because the government decided to politicize the affairs of their FM station, thereby resulting in the entire management being asked to move out, including him. He was to be the immediate successor to the MD but had to leave and enroll into the movie industry. Prior to that, he had landed his first professional acting role in the television adaptation of Things Fall Apart, which aired on The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in 1987 as the main protagonist "Okonkwo". The BBC which had partnered with the NTA to produce the adaptation sent a delegation to interview him about his exceptional portrayal.
Edochie is married to Josephine Edochie. They have six children. He is a practicing Catholic.
In 2009, he was kidnapped and later released by his captors, unharmed.
In September 2017, Edochie endorsed the Wikimedia movement in Nigeria by appearing in a video to increase awareness and use of Wikipedia among the older generations.
Awards
Edochie was honoured with the African Film Legend award at the African Film Festival (TAFF) in 2020.
