Veteran Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs, whose career stretched across theatre, British television and Nollywood, has died at 84.
His wife, actress Joke Silva, announced his death in a statement shared by their son, Olusoji Jacobs.
Silva described Jacobs as “The Lion of Lufodo” and said his life was “well lived and fought”.
“We call on all bloggers and social media influencers to respect our family’s privacy at this time,” Silva said.
Olusoji Jacobs, in a post on Instagram, also described his father’s life as “a life well lived and fought”.
Jacobs was born on July 11, 1942, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. His early career included appearances in British television productions and international films before he became a major figure in Nigeria’s growing film industry.
He appeared in numerous Nigerian productions and was widely regarded as one of the father figures of Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry.
Among his notable films were My Kingdom, Covert Operation and One Fine Day.
Across more than five decades in the industry, Jacobs received several major honours, including the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and lifetime achievement awards.
In 2011, he was awarded the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, or MFR, for his contribution to Nigerian film.
Jacobs and Silva also established the Lufodo Group and Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts. The ventures supported film and television production as well as the training of performing artists in Nigeria.
Jacobs had largely remained away from the public spotlight in recent years because of ill-health.
In 2021, Silva revealed that he had been diagnosed with Dementia with Lewy bodies.
“It’s a degenerative disease that affects the brain and it’s almost like a Parkinson-type of disease – it affects the brain and affects the person,” she said during an interview with Nigerian broadcaster Chude Jideonwo.
His health had previously been the subject of repeated speculation, including several false reports of his death.
The latest came in June 2024, when his eldest son, Soji, appeared on television and said his father was still alive.
Tributes followed the announcement of his death, including one from former Nigerian vice president and presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.
“Nigeria has lost far more than a great actor; we have lost an institution, a cultural icon and one of the finest ambassadors of our creative spirit,” Atiku wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Jacobs leaves behind a career that coincided with the expansion of Nollywood into one of the world’s largest film industries. Nigeria produces about 2,000 films annually, second only to India’s Bollywood in output.
