Olu Jacobs Remembered: The London-Trained Actor Who Became a Father Figure of Nollywood

Olu Jacobs, one of the best-known actors in Nigerian film, died on 16th September 2026 at the age of 84. His family has reportedly set 30th September and 2nd October for his farewell, and the tributes since his death have traced a career that began on London stages in the 1970s and ran through more than 120 Nollywood films. This piece sets out what is known about the burial rites and what he leaves behind.

What Is Known About the Burial Rites

The family announced on Sunday that the burial rites will be held on 30th September and 2nd October, The Eagle Online reports. It cites an obituary announcement posted by the celebrity journalist Seun Oloketuyi, which lists a night of tributes at Glover Memorial Hall in Marina, Lagos, at 4pm on Wednesday, 30th September, and a funeral service at This Present House in Lekki at 10am on Friday, 2nd October. PINCHED could not find a second outlet confirming the schedule at the time of writing, so readers should check the family's own channels before making plans.

Before that announcement, Channels Television reported that no funeral arrangements had been made public. The family's original statement, shared on Instagram by his son Olusoji Jacobs, described him as a husband, father, grandfather and uncle, called him "The Lion of Lufodo" and asked bloggers and social media influencers to respect the family's privacy.

From Kano to RADA and the London Stage

Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs was born on 11th July 1942 to Yoruba parents from Egba Alake and spent his early childhood in Kano, according to The Conversation. A concert party staged by Hubert Ogunde in Kano convinced him to pursue acting, and in 1964 he travelled to Britain to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. His early stage work included the role of The Boy in A Taste of Honey at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 1972, and he appeared in Tom Stoppard's Night and Day in London in 1978, according to Wikipedia's account of his career.

On British television in the 1970s he took parts in The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part, Barlow at Large, Angels, The Tomorrow People and The Professionals, and his film credits include The Dogs of War in 1980 and Roman Polanski's Pirates in 1986. TANTV described him as a bridge between British and Nigerian cinema across six decades.

How He Became a Father Figure of Nollywood

Back in Nigeria, he took the lead in The Third Eye, an NTA detective series, and went on to act in more than 120 Nollywood films, The Conversation counts, among them Oloibiri in 2015 and The Royal Hibiscus Hotel in 2017. Leadership newspaper, as summarised by Streamlinefeed, credited him with defining the regal "Igwe" archetype that became shorthand for authority in Nollywood and described him as a father figure and mentor to generations of African actors.

Channels Television lists his honours as the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2007, Nigeria's national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in 2011, the Industry Merit Award at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, and The Conversation says the 2007 award was for Dancing Heart.

The Oloibiri poster

Oloibiri and the Roles That Carried Weight

In Oloibiri, Jacobs played Timipre Dobrat, an elder in a Niger Delta village devastated by oil exploration. Françoise Ugochukwu wrote in The Conversation that it was one of his most defining performances, and that at a 2016 screening in Abuja, the environment minister said the film shows violence has never succeeded in replacing diplomacy in answering such problems.

Lufodo and the Training Behind the Name

With his wife, the actress Joke Silva, whom he married in 1989, Jacobs co-founded the Lufodo Group, Channels Television reports, a media company that covers film production, distribution assets and the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts. The Conversation says the group, which it dates to 1985, trains practitioners in acting, producing, directing, script-writing and photography. That combination of training, production and distribution touches questions PINCHED has covered before, including how access rights, not the box office, keep Nollywood producers solvent and how the Nollywood Next platform launched at TIFF wants to close the industry's financing gap.

The "Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts" logo. Source: @lufodoacademy on Instagram

His Final Years and the Family's Request

Joke Silva disclosed in 2021 that her husband was living with dementia with Lewy bodies, and Telegraph Nigeria reports that he largely withdrew from public life afterwards. False reports of his death circulated in 2021, 2022 and June 2024, and his family and wife dismissed each one, Pulse reports, though this time the family confirmed the news itself.

How Nigeria Has Responded

President Bola Tinubu and former vice president Atiku Abubakar were among those who mourned him, according to Telegraph Nigeria. West Africa Weekly reports that Atiku called him an institution and a cultural icon, that Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo described him as a consummate professional, and that the actress Mercy Johnson-Okojie recalled working with him on set amid laughter and "plenty of corrections". Channels Television reports that Funke Akindele called him a kind and gracious man who supported and uplifted young talent. Streamlinefeed adds that Atiku said Jacobs was carrying Nigeria's name abroad long before Nollywood became a global name.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Did Olu Jacobs Die?

Olu Jacobs died on 16th September 2026 at the age of 84, according to a statement from his family shared by his son Olusoji Jacobs.

When Is Olu Jacobs's Burial?

The Eagle Online reports that a night of tributes will be held on 30th September at Glover Memorial Hall in Marina, Lagos, and a funeral service on 2nd October at This Present House in Lekki. PINCHED could not find a second outlet confirming the schedule.

Who Was Olu Jacobs Married To?

Olu Jacobs was married to the actress Joke Silva from 1989 until his death. They co-founded the Lufodo Group.

What Is Olu Jacobs Best Known For?

He is known for the NTA detective series The Third Eye, the films Oloibiri and The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, his 1970s British television work and his 2007 Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

What Is the Lufodo Group?

The Lufodo Group is a media company that Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva co-founded. It covers film production, distribution assets and the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts.