Olu Jacobs, iconic actor and film executive, dies at 84
After nearly two decades of acting in Britain, the late Olu Jacobs returned to Nigeria in 1990 to an emerging local film industry with something it badly needed: the professionalism of a trained actor. It was a quality that stood him in good stead in the Nollywood industry where he played king and chief, father and patriarch, politician and businessman, villain and other men of authority. He was until his death a great thespian with one of the most impressive resumes on the continent. Yet, to get there, Jacobs trod a rather unusual route: he worked on repertory stages, appeared on British television and taken roles in international films. His return to Nigeria coincided with the rapid growth of the home-video industry, where his training and experience stood him out. Alongside such industry figures as Pete Edochie, Jacobs was regarded as one of its “godfathers”.
After receiving his professional training from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Jacobs started his career in the United Kingdom. Among his early-stage appearances was a 1971 performance at the Dublin Theatre Festival in Conor Cruise O’Brien’s ‘Murderous Angels: A Political Tragedy’ and ‘Comedy in Black and White’. Other theatre appearances included ‘Cork Leg’ at the Royal Court, ‘Black Man’s Country’ at the Gate Theatre and ‘Julius Caesar’ at the Royal National Theatre in 1977. A year later, Jacobs played President Mageeba in Michael Codron’s production of Tom Stoppard’s ‘Night and Day’ at the Phoenix Theatre in London.
During the 1970s, Jacobs appeared in various British television shows and series, including ‘The Goodies’, ‘The Tomorrow People’, ‘The Professionals’, ‘Till Death Us Do Part’ and many others. He also appeared in several international films, including ‘The Dogs of War’, ‘Pirates’ and ‘Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend,’ etc. In 1990, Jacobs appeared in the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) detective series ‘The Third Eye’’. Although the industry was still finding its feet at the time as home-video production gathered momentum, Jacobs had arrived the country with years of stage and screen experience behind him. His voice, for instance, did much of the work, not merely delivering dialogue but establishing character. This was particularly useful in an industry whose productions were often made quickly and under considerable commercial pressure.
Recognition came with the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2007. In 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan conferred on Jacobs the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), for his contribution to the Nigerian film industry. He also received the Industry Merit Award for outstanding achievements in acting at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards and the MAA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Jacobs’ professional life was closely intertwined with that of Joke Silva, whom he married in 1989. They had two children and together founded the Lufodo Group, with interests in film production and distribution, as well as the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts. His later years were marked by fewer public appearances. In 2021, rumours of his death circulated on social media. They proved false, and in November that year Jacobs appeared at the Africa International Film Festival, where he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award. His wife later revealed that he had been living with Lewy body dementia.
The career of Jacobs encompassed several distinct periods in Nigerian and British entertainment: the stage, British television, international cinema, Nigerian television and the rise of Nollywood. He experienced, and in his own way contributed to, the change from one era to another. For Nigerian audiences, however, the roles he played are likely to count for more than the chronology of his career. May God comfort the family he left behind.