Veteran Nollywood actor Olu Jacobs has been laid to rest in Lagos following a funeral service held on Friday.
Jacobs, one of Nigeria’s most respected and celebrated actors, died in September at the age of 82.
The funeral service, held at the Freedom Center in Lekki, Lagos, attracted members of the Nollywood community, family, friends, colleagues and dignitaries who gathered to honour the late actor.
Among those who attended were Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat and former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
Other notable attendees included Joke Silva, Jacobs’ wife, as well as 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 service of songs and night of tributes held on Wednesday, where colleagues and friends celebrated Jacobs’ life and contributions to Nigerian theatre and film.
Born in 1942 to parents from Egba Alake, Jacobs grew up in Kano, where he attended Holy Trinity School and participated in debating and drama societies. His passion for acting was reportedly inspired by a Hubert Ogunde concert party performance at the Colonial Hotel in Kano.
He later travelled to England to pursue formal training in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London.
Jacobs began his professional stage career in the 1970s, appearing in productions including A Taste of Honey at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 1972. He subsequently featured in several British television productions, including The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part and Barlow at Large.
He returned to Nigeria in 1990 and featured in the NTA detective series The Third Eye, before becoming one of the most recognisable faces in Nollywood.
Across his career, Jacobs appeared in hundreds of films and television productions, earning widespread recognition for his commanding performances.
His contributions to the industry earned him several honours, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), an Icon Award from the Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria in 2022, and the Industry Merit Award at the 2023 AMVCA.
His burial marks the final farewell to a towering figure whose career spanned stage, television and Nigerian cinema.