Veteran Nigerian actor and film executive Olu Jacobs has died at the age of 84, his family announced on Wednesday, 16 September.
Born Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs on 11 July 1942, Jacobs was one of the most recognisable figures in Nigerian entertainment, with a career spanning British theatre and television, international cinema and Nollywood.
His family described him as “The Lion of Lufodo” and asked bloggers and social media influencers to respect their privacy as they mourned his death.
Jacobs grew up in Kano in northern Nigeria, although his family came from the Egba Alake community in present-day Ogun State. His interest in acting was sparked after he attended an annual concert performance by Nigerian theatre pioneer Hubert Ogunde at the Colonial Hotel in Kano.
He later moved to Britain and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Jacobs went on to work with British theatre companies and appear in television productions during the 1970s, including “The Goodies”, “Till Death Us Do Part”, “Barlow at Large” and “The Professionals”.
He also appeared in international films such as “The Dogs of War”, “Pirates” and “Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend”.
After returning to Nigeria, Jacobs became a major figure in the country’s growing film industry. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he appeared in more than 100 films and became particularly known for authoritative, complex and commanding roles. His work helped connect Nigeria’s established theatre tradition with the emerging Nollywood industry.
His contribution to the arts earned him several major honours. He won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2007, received the Industry Merit Award at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards and was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
In 2011, he was conferred with Nigeria’s national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
Away from acting, Jacobs and his wife, fellow veteran actress Joke Silva, co-founded the Lufodo Group and the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts. The couple married in 1989 and worked together across acting, production and arts education.
Jacobs gradually withdrew from public life in his later years. In 2021, Silva revealed that he had been diagnosed with dementia with Lewy bodies, a condition that had affected him and the family for several years.
His health also became the subject of repeated false reports about his death, including claims circulated in 2021 and 2024 that the family later denied.
This time, however, the announcement came directly from his family. The statement confirmed that Jacobs died on 16 September and said he is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.
Jacobs leaves behind a legacy that stretches from British stages and television screens to the development of modern Nigerian cinema.
His career and contribution to the country’s performing arts made him one of the defining figures of Nollywood.
