Nollywood pays tribute to Olu Jacobs, a giant of Nigerian cinema, during an evening in Lagos

The cream of the Nigerian film industry gathered on October 1, 2026, starting at 4 p.m. at Glover Memorial Hall on Lagos Island for an evening of tributes to Olu Jacobs, who died on September 16, 2026, at the age of 84. His widow, actress and director Joke Silva, and their two sons were in attendance, reports Premium Times.

Richard Mofe-Damijo, Sola Sobowale, Kate Henshaw, Funke Akindele, Jide Kosoko, Adebayo Salami, and Desmond Elliot spoke alongside the Nigerian Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa. A religious ceremony was scheduled for October 2 in Lekki, followed by a private family burial.

From RADA to the Lagos sets

Born Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs on July 11, 1942, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. The 1970s saw him acting in British series and on stage, before taking roles in "The Dogs of War" (1980) and Roman Polanski's "Pirates" (1986).

He then chose Nigeria and became one of the founding faces of Nollywood, with more than 120 films to his credit according to his biography. He earned the nickname "the lion of Lufodo," reports PressAfrik, and accumulated numerous awards: Best Actor at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2007, a Merit Award at the AMVCA in 2013, Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in 2011, and an AFRIFF Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.

A legacy built, not just performed

With Joke Silva, whom he married in 1989, he founded the Lufodo Group: a production company and a training academy for young actors. It is this choice—to build structures in Nigeria rather than pursue a career in London—that explains the emotion behind the testimonies.

Richard Mofe-Damijo cited a lesson he received from him: "There are no small actors, nor small lines." Actor Norbert Young, his co-star in the series "Third Eye," said he became the actor he is today "by listening to him," according to Leadership. Sola Sobowale recounted how a single sentence from Jacobs—"She is a great actress"—had changed her self-confidence.

His son Soji described him as a "magnetic and sincere" man, concerned with protecting his family's privacy. In 2021, Joke Silva had revealed that he was living with Lewy body dementia, a neurodegenerative disease, recalls PressAfrik.

Upon his death, President Bola Tinubu spoke of "an immense loss for Nigeria" and for African cinema. The evening of October 1 served above all to recall a truth too rarely stated: Nollywood, the most prolific film industry on the continent, was built on artisans like him.