# Olu Jacobs
**Olu Jacobs** (Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, MFR; 1942 – 16 September 2026) was a Nigerian actor and theater practitioner who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, worked for more than a decade in British theater, television and international film, and became one of the most recognisable figures of Nigerian screen acting in the [Nollywood](https://www.edgepedia.org/nollywood) era.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs[1](https://fmino.gov.ng/art-minister-musawa-mourns-passing-of-nollywood-legend-olu-jacobs-at-84/) |
| Born / died | Born 1942 in Kano to parents from Egba Alake (Abeokuta, Ogun State); died 16 September 2026, aged 84[1](https://fmino.gov.ng/art-minister-musawa-mourns-passing-of-nollywood-legend-olu-jacobs-at-84/) • [2](https://radionigeria.frcn.gov.ng/news/remains-of-veteran-nollywood-actor-olu-jacobs-laid-to-rest) |
| Training | Travelled to Britain in 1964; trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London[3](https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/910186-obituary-olu-jacobs-the-kano-boy-who-conquered-british-stages-became-nollywood-royalty-falls-silent-at-84.html) |
| Signature Nigerian role | Inspector Best Idafa in the NTA detective series *The Third Eye*, from 1990[4](https://lawandsocietymagazine.com/olu-jacobs-the-life-craft-and-grace-of-a-nigerian-acting-giant/) |
| Output | Lufodo's official biography records about 50 years and more than 300 Nigerian films; other accounts put the total at more than 100, some at more than 120[5](https://ikejabird.com/olu-jacobs-life-career-legacy/) • [6](https://www.wajecky.com.ng/2026/09/16/olu-jacobs-the-life-times-and-legacy-of-a-nollywood-legend/) |
| Major honors | AMAA Best Actor in a Leading Role (2007); Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (2011); AMVCA Industry Merit Award (2013); AMAA Lifetime Achievement Award (2016, shared with Joke Silva)[7](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/global-star-profiles-olu-jacobs/) • [8](https://ejesgist.com/olu-jacobs-biography-age-cause-of-death-wife/) |
| Nickname | "Igwe of Nollywood", for the many kings and traditional rulers he played[7](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/global-star-profiles-olu-jacobs/) |
## Early life and inspiration
Jacobs was born in 1942 in Kano, in northern Nigeria, to parents from the Egba Alake community of Abeokuta, Ogun State[2](https://radionigeria.frcn.gov.ng/news/remains-of-veteran-nollywood-actor-olu-jacobs-laid-to-rest). He attended Holy Trinity School in Kano and joined its drama club, taking part in debating and drama societies[2](https://radionigeria.frcn.gov.ng/news/remains-of-veteran-nollywood-actor-olu-jacobs-laid-to-rest). The experience that turned acting from an interest into a vocation was watching a concert party by [Hubert Ogunde](https://www.edgepedia.org/hubert-ogunde), the theater pioneer widely regarded as a father of Nigerian theater, at Kano's Colonial Hotel[2](https://radionigeria.frcn.gov.ng/news/remains-of-veteran-nollywood-actor-olu-jacobs-laid-to-rest) • [9](https://www.pulse.com.gh/story/olu-jacobs-biography-life-career-and-death-of-a-nollywood-icon-2026091610004720902). His father, himself a drummer and entertainer, did not regard acting as a secure career, but Jacobs persisted[10](https://businessday.ng/life-arts/article/olu-jacobs-the-british-trained-actor-who-came-home-and-became-nollywood-royalty/). Before acting became his profession he worked at the UAC Market Research Company, conducting consumer research around Nigeria, particularly in the North[3](https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/910186-obituary-olu-jacobs-the-kano-boy-who-conquered-british-stages-became-nollywood-royalty-falls-silent-at-84.html).
## Training and career in Britain
In 1964 Jacobs traveled to Britain and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London[3](https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/910186-obituary-olu-jacobs-the-kano-boy-who-conquered-british-stages-became-nollywood-royalty-falls-silent-at-84.html). After his training he worked with repertory theater companies in Britain and Ireland[3](https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/910186-obituary-olu-jacobs-the-kano-boy-who-conquered-british-stages-became-nollywood-royalty-falls-silent-at-84.html).
**Stage roles.** In 1972 he appeared as The Boy in *A Taste of Honey* at the newly opened [Crucible Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/crucible-theatre) in [Sheffield](https://www.edgepedia.org/sheffield), and in 1978 he played President Mageeba in [Tom Stoppard](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-stoppard)'s *Night and Day*, a West End staging of the play[11](https://afrocritik.com/olu-jacobs-the-lion-leaves-the-frame/) • [9](https://www.pulse.com.gh/story/olu-jacobs-biography-life-career-and-death-of-a-nollywood-icon-2026091610004720902).
**Television and film.** Through the 1970s he became a familiar face on British television, appearing in programs including *The Goodies*, *Till Death Us Do Part*, *Barlow at Large*, *The Venturers*, *Angels*, *The Tomorrow People* and *The Professionals*[3](https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/910186-obituary-olu-jacobs-the-kano-boy-who-conquered-british-stages-became-nollywood-royalty-falls-silent-at-84.html). His international film credits included *The Dogs of War* (1980), in which he appeared opposite [Christopher Walken](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-walken) and [Tom Berenger](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-berenger) in John Irvin's adaptation of [Frederick Forsyth](https://www.edgepedia.org/frederick-forsyth)'s novel, playing a customs officer; *Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend* (1985); and Roman Polanski's *Pirates* (1986)[12](https://www.tvcnews.tv/olu-jacobs-30-notable-movies-that-defined-the-veteran-actors-career/) • [13](https://www.qed.ng/10-movies-that-made-olu-jacobs-an-icon/). He appeared in international films alongside actors such as Peter Ustinov, Michael Caine, Omar Sharif, Rex Harrison, and William Holden[4](https://lawandsocietymagazine.com/olu-jacobs-the-life-craft-and-grace-of-a-nigerian-acting-giant/).
## Return to Nigeria and the Nollywood years
Jacobs returned to Nigeria during the 1980s, when professional theater in Lagos was still a major part of the country's cultural life, and worked within a scene that included ventures such as Ajo Productions and the PEC Repertory Theatre[11](https://afrocritik.com/olu-jacobs-the-lion-leaves-the-frame/). In 1990 he took the lead role of Inspector Best Idafa in the NTA detective series *The Third Eye*, the part that made him a household name in Nigeria[4](https://lawandsocietymagazine.com/olu-jacobs-the-life-craft-and-grace-of-a-nigerian-acting-giant/) • [11](https://afrocritik.com/olu-jacobs-the-lion-leaves-the-frame/).
When Nigeria's home-video industry expanded dramatically in the 1990s and 2000s, Jacobs entered it with stage, television and film experience most emerging actors did not yet possess[6](https://www.wajecky.com.ng/2026/09/16/olu-jacobs-the-life-times-and-legacy-of-a-nollywood-legend/). He played traditional rulers, patriarchs, businessmen, politicians, professors and village elders, and his filmography eventually ran to well over a hundred Nigerian productions, with Lufodo's official biography recording more than 300[4](https://lawandsocietymagazine.com/olu-jacobs-the-life-craft-and-grace-of-a-nigerian-acting-giant/) • [5](https://ikejabird.com/olu-jacobs-life-career-legacy/). His portrayal of kings became so closely associated with his public image that he acquired the nickname "Igwe of Nollywood"; his royal roles included *The Kingmaker* (2003), *Royal Doom* (2006), *Royal Destiny* (2007), *Throne of Tears* (2008), *Royal Tears* (2009), *Palace Slave* (2010) and *Royal King* (2011)[7](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/global-star-profiles-olu-jacobs/).
His style rested on restraint rather than volume: a deep baritone voice, measured delivery, and the ability to convey authority through posture, pause and silence[14](https://insidesuccessghana.com/olu-jacobs-biography/). Filmmaker Tchidi Chikere, who worked with him over many years, recalled his professionalism and his ability to play characters from cultures different from his own, including Igbo traditional rulers[4](https://lawandsocietymagazine.com/olu-jacobs-the-life-craft-and-grace-of-a-nigerian-acting-giant/).
## Later work and recognition
Jacobs won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2007 for *Dancing Heart*, a comedy in which he played a writer who gets inspiration by sending his young wife out to flirt with men[7](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/global-star-profiles-olu-jacobs/). In 2011 he was conferred with the national honor of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR)[8](https://ejesgist.com/olu-jacobs-biography-age-cause-of-death-wife/). He received the Industry Merit Award at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards and, in 2016, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the [Africa Movie Academy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/africa-movie-academy-awards), shared with his wife[13](https://www.qed.ng/10-movies-that-made-olu-jacobs-an-icon/).
His later films moved away from the patriarch image. In *Oloibiri* (2015) he played Timipre in a drama about oil exploration in the [Niger Delta](https://www.edgepedia.org/niger-delta), earning a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2017 AMAA, and in *Dry* (2015), directed by Stephanie Linus, he appeared in a film about child marriage[13](https://www.qed.ng/10-movies-that-made-olu-jacobs-an-icon/) • [11](https://afrocritik.com/olu-jacobs-the-lion-leaves-the-frame/). His final film, *The Royal Hibiscus Hotel* (2017), a romantic comedy directed by Ishaya Bako in which he played Richard opposite Joke Silva's Rose, premiered at the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival)[13](https://www.qed.ng/10-movies-that-made-olu-jacobs-an-icon/) • [7](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/global-star-profiles-olu-jacobs/).
## Lufodo and institution-building
With Joke Silva, whom he married and with whom he had children, Jacobs co-founded the Lufodo Group, a media and performing arts company with interests in film production, distribution and performing arts education[15](https://businessday.ng/life-arts/article/the-life-and-times-of-veteran-nigerian-actor-olu-jacobs/). In 2009 he established the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts in Lagos, which offers a two-year conservatory program for aspiring actors[7](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/global-star-profiles-olu-jacobs/). The academy has trained hundreds of actors, directors and filmmakers now working in Nollywood[1](https://fmino.gov.ng/art-minister-musawa-mourns-passing-of-nollywood-legend-olu-jacobs-at-84/).
## Death and tributes
Jacobs died on 16 September 2026, at the age of 84[1](https://fmino.gov.ng/art-minister-musawa-mourns-passing-of-nollywood-legend-olu-jacobs-at-84/). His wife and their son announced the death on social media, describing him as "The Lion of Lufodo" and asking for the family's privacy[16](https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/909979-breaking-veteran-nollywood-actor-olu-jacobs-dies-at-84.html). For years before his death, false reports of his passing had circulated repeatedly; his family or industry bodies denied them in June 2020, October 2021, August 2022, and June 2024[17](https://thenollywoodreporter.com/film/olu-jacobs-life-legacy-nollywood/).
Tributes came from across Nigerian public life. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu described him as one of Nigeria's most distinguished actors and a giant of the creative industry[18](https://statehouse.gov.ng/president-tinubu-mourns-veteran-actor-olu-jacobs-at-84/), and the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, called him "a national institution"[1](https://fmino.gov.ng/art-minister-musawa-mourns-passing-of-nollywood-legend-olu-jacobs-at-84/). After a Night of Tributes at Glover Memorial Hall on Lagos Island, he was buried following a funeral service at This Present House Church, Lekki, Lagos, in October 2026[2](https://radionigeria.frcn.gov.ng/news/remains-of-veteran-nollywood-actor-olu-jacobs-laid-to-rest). Later that month the United States Consulate General in Lagos posthumously honored him with a Creative Industry Legend Award for his contributions to ties between Hollywood and Nollywood[19](https://thejournalnigeria.com/us-posthumously-honours-olu-jacobs-rmd-kunle-afolayan-five-others/).
## References
1. [Art Minister Musawa Mourns Passing of Nollywood Legend Olu Jacobs at 84, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation](https://fmino.gov.ng/art-minister-musawa-mourns-passing-of-nollywood-legend-olu-jacobs-at-84/)
2. [Remains of Veteran Nollywood Actor Olu Jacobs laid to Rest, Radio Nigeria – FRCN](https://radionigeria.frcn.gov.ng/news/remains-of-veteran-nollywood-actor-olu-jacobs-laid-to-rest)
3. [OBITUARY: Olu Jacobs, the Kano boy who conquered British stages, became Nollywood royalty, falls silent at 84, Premium Times](https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/910186-obituary-olu-jacobs-the-kano-boy-who-conquered-british-stages-became-nollywood-royalty-falls-silent-at-84.html)
4. [Olu Jacobs: The life, craft and grace of a Nigerian acting giant, Law and Society Magazine](https://lawandsocietymagazine.com/olu-jacobs-the-life-craft-and-grace-of-a-nigerian-acting-giant/)
5. [Olu Jacobs: Life, Career and Legacy, Ikeja Bird](https://ikejabird.com/olu-jacobs-life-career-legacy/)
6. [Olu Jacobs: The Life, Times and Legacy of a Nollywood Legend, Wajecky](https://www.wajecky.com.ng/2026/09/16/olu-jacobs-the-life-times-and-legacy-of-a-nollywood-legend/)
7. [Global Star Profiles: Olu Jacobs, Golden Globes](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/global-star-profiles-olu-jacobs/)
8. [Olu Jacobs Biography: Age, Cause of Death, Wife, & Legacy, Ejes Gist](https://ejesgist.com/olu-jacobs-biography-age-cause-of-death-wife/)
9. [Olu Jacobs Biography: Life, career & death of a Nollywood icon, Pulse Ghana](https://www.pulse.com.gh/story/olu-jacobs-biography-life-career-and-death-of-a-nollywood-icon-2026091610004720902)
10. [Olu Jacobs: The British-trained actor who came home and became Nollywood royalty, Businessday NG](https://businessday.ng/life-arts/article/olu-jacobs-the-british-trained-actor-who-came-home-and-became-nollywood-royalty/)
11. [Olu Jacobs: The Lion Leaves the Frame, Afrocritik](https://afrocritik.com/olu-jacobs-the-lion-leaves-the-frame/)
12. [Olu Jacobs: 30 Notable Movies That Defined the Veteran Actor's Career, TVC News](https://www.tvcnews.tv/olu-jacobs-30-notable-movies-that-defined-the-veteran-actors-career/)
13. [10 movies that made Olu Jacobs an icon, QED.NG](https://www.qed.ng/10-movies-that-made-olu-jacobs-an-icon/)
14. [Olu Jacobs: An Amazing Legend, Inside Success Ghana](https://insidesuccessghana.com/olu-jacobs-biography/)
15. [The life and times of veteran Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs, Businessday NG](https://businessday.ng/life-arts/article/the-life-and-times-of-veteran-nigerian-actor-olu-jacobs/)
16. [Veteran Nollywood actor Olu Jacobs dies at 84, Premium Times](https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/909979-breaking-veteran-nollywood-actor-olu-jacobs-dies-at-84.html)
17. [Olu Jacobs Leaves Behind a Life That Built Nollywood, Nollywood Reporter](https://thenollywoodreporter.com/film/olu-jacobs-life-legacy-nollywood/)
18. [President Tinubu Mourns Veteran Actor Olu Jacobs at 84, The State House, Abuja](https://statehouse.gov.ng/president-tinubu-mourns-veteran-actor-olu-jacobs-at-84/)
19. [US Posthumously Honours Olu Jacobs, RMD, Kunle Afolayan, Five Others, The Journal Nigeria](https://thejournalnigeria.com/us-posthumously-honours-olu-jacobs-rmd-kunle-afolayan-five-others/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of Africa and the Middle East*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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