Veteran Nollywood actor, Olu Jacobs, has been laid to rest in Lagos following a funeral service held on Friday.
The service took place at the Freedom Centre in Lekki, where family members, friends, colleagues, dignitaries and leading figures in the Nigerian film industry gathered to pay their final respects to the late actor.
Jacobs, who died in September at the age of 82, was celebrated for his decades-long career and significant contribution to Nigerian theatre, television and film.
Among those present at the funeral were Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, and former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun.
Nollywood personalities who attended included Shaffy Bello, Keppy Ekpeyong, Stan Nze, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, Ireti Doyle, Lala Akindoju, Kate Henshaw, OC Ukeje, Patrick Doyle, Stephanie Okereke and Ernest Obi.
The funeral followed a night of tributes and a service of songs held on Wednesday in honour of the late actor and his contributions to the Nigerian entertainment industry.
Born in 1942 to parents from Egba Alake, Jacobs spent his early years in Kano, where he attended Holy Trinity School.
His interest in acting developed after watching a performance by the Hubert Ogunde Concert Party at the Colonial Hotel in Kano. He later moved to England, where he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Jacobs began his professional stage career in the 1970s, featuring in productions including A Taste of Honey at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 1972.
He also appeared in several British television productions, including The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part and Barlow at Large, before playing President Mageeba in the 1978 production of Sir Tom Stoppard’s Night and Day.
After returning to Nigeria in 1990, Jacobs featured in the NTA detective series The Third Eye and later became one of the most recognisable faces of the emerging Nollywood industry.
He went on to feature in hundreds of films, earning widespread recognition for his versatility and contribution to Nigerian cinema.
His achievements included the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Africa International Film Festival, an Icon Award from the Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria in 2022, and the Industry Merit Award at the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.
Olu Jacobs’ career, spanning theatre, television and film, established him as one of Nigeria’s most celebrated actors, with his influence extending across generations of performers.
May His Soul Rest In Peace.
