Born on 19 April 1982 in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, Ini Edo is from the Ibibio tribe. Her mother was a teacher, and her father a church elder.
She had a strict upbringing, the second of four children, three girls, one boy. She attended Cornelius Connely College in Calabar for her secondary school.
She graduated from the University of Uyo where she got a Diploma in Theatre Arts. She also completed her bachelor’s degree program at the University of Calabar where she studied English.
Ini Edo was awarded a scholarship in 2014 to study Law at the National Open University of Nigeria.
She started her acting career in 2003 with her debut in Thick Madam after she was discovered by a producer at the audition she attended. Her breakthrough, however, came in 2004 when she acted in World Apart.
Till date, she has appeared in over 150 films and is regarded as one of the highest-profile actresses in Nigeria and Africa in general.