Olu Jacobs Biography: Early Life, Career, Awards, Death, Family & Legacy

Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, MFR (11 July 1942 – 16 September 2026), also known as Olu Jacobs, was a veteran Nigerian actor and film executive.

He began his career in various British television series and films worldwide. Vanguard referred to him as one of the “godfathers of Nollywood” with Pete Edochie.

Olu Jacobs, who studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in England, has performed with numerous repertory theatres in Britain and starred in a number of international films.

In 2007, Jacobs received the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

He got the Industry Merit Award for his acting achievements at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, as well as the MAA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

In 2011, he received the national honor of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic.

Olu Jacobs died at the age of 84, ending a career that spanned British television, international productions, and Nigeria’s modern film industry.

Jacobs’ death was revealed on Wednesday by his son, Olusoji Jacobs, via Instagram.

The family praised him as a husband, father, grandfather, and uncle, and dubbed him “The Lion of Lufodo,” referring to the entertainment firm he founded with his wife, legendary actress Joke Silva.

Olu Jacobs Biography

Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs was born to parents from Egba Alake. He spent his early youth in Kano and attended Holy Trinity School, where he participated in the debating and theatrical groups.

He was motivated to try acting after attending one of Chief Hubert Ogunde’s yearly concert celebrations at the Colonial Hotel in Kano. Later, he obtained a visa and traveled to England to study acting.

Career

Jacobs studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. One of his first theatrical performances was as The Boy in ‘A Taste of Honey’ at Sheffield’s newly opened Crucible Theater in 1972.

He later participated in a number of British television dramas and series during the 1970s, including The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part, Barlow at Large, The Venturers, Angels, 1990, The Tomorrow People, and The Professionals. In 1978, he played President Mageeba in Michael Codron’s production of Sir Tom Stoppard’s play Nite and Day.

In the 1980s, Jacobs starred in several foreign films, including John Irvin’s military drama The Dogs of War, Roman Polanski’s adventure comedy Pirates (1986), and the family adventure film Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985).

On television, he appeared in TVS’s The Witches and the Grinnygog.[16] Upon his return to Nigeria in 1990, he starred in the NTA detective series The Third Eye.

Jacobs has since acted in over 120 Nollywood films and is regarded as one of the best Nigerian Nollywood performers.

He has also appeared in television commercials for food business Ribena and electronics conglomerate Binatone.

Filmography

Olu Jacobs has participated in different television series, stage plays, and movies. Below are a few of them:

Stage Plays (Selected)

• Richard’s Cork Leg
• Black Man’s Country
• Julius Caesar
• Bar Beach Prelude and Transistor Radio
• A Kind of Marriage
• Old Movies
• Night and Day
• Murderous Angels: A Political Tragedy and Comedy in Black and White (play)
• Richard’s Cork Leg
• Back Man’s Country
• Julius Caesar
• Bar Beach Prelude and Transistor Radio
• A Kind of Marriage
• Old Movies
• Night and Day

Movies

• Ashanti
• The Dogs of War
• Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend
• Pirates Boomako
• Greatness
• Smoke & Mirrors
• League of Gentlemen
• Bent Arrows
• Sacred Lies
• White Chapel
• Adesuwa
• Potomanto
• The Antique
• Bloody Ring
• Oloibiri
• Dry
• One Fine Day
• The Royal Hibiscus Hotel
• Victims Baba Deolu
• Unveil

Television Series

• The Goodies
• Till Death Us Do Part
• Barlow at Large
• The Venturers Mbela
• Angels Musa Ladipo
• Alan Msawi
• The Tomorrow People
• The Professionals
• Squadron
• The Witches and the Grinnygog
• Rumpole of the Bailey
• Play for Today
• The Third Eye

Awards and Recognition

Rumors of Jacobs’ death surfaced in 2021, yet he visited Afriff in November 2021 and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

His wife Silva later disclosed in an interview with Chude Jideonwo that he suffers from Lewy body dementia.

In recognition of Jacobs’ long career in the film industry, Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan named him a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in 2011. He received the award during a ceremony that year.

Olu Jacobs received the Industry Merit Award for Outstanding Achievements in Acting at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.

The Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS) honored him with an icon award and a membership certificate in August 2022, alongside his wife.

Personal Life

Jacobs has been married to Joke Silva, a fellow Nollywood actor, since 1989. They have two children.

When asked why his wife still uses her maiden name, Jacobs responded, “She is her own individual.” When I met her, she was an actress named Joke Silva; why should marrying me deny her and her audience her name? She is Miss Joke Silva, also known as Mrs. Joke Jacobs. It is that simple. People began to say whatever they liked.

They’ve even written that we’re separated and all that. At work, she is Joke Silva, while at home, she is Mrs. Joke Jacobs.

The pair formed and runs the Lufodo Group, a media company that includes film production, distribution assets, and the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts.

Olu Jacobs Death

Olu Jacobs died at the age of 84. Jacobs’ death was revealed by his son, Olusoji Jacobs, in an Instagram post on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

The family announced his death with a memorial referring to him as “The Lion of Lufodo” and asked bloggers and social media influencers to respect their privacy throughout the grief time.

Legacy

For Nigerian fans, Jacobs represented more than just longevity on screen.

His career mirrored the progression of professional acting in Nigeria, from theater and television to the large-scale commercial film industry that grew around Nollywood.

His collaboration with Silva also became one of the most significant professional connections in Nigerian entertainment, as the two combined acting careers with work in theater and film production.

Jacobs’ death thus brings to an end a chapter in the history of an industry created by actors who worked on stage, television, and in film as Nigeria’s entertainment sector grew into a major cultural export.

Olu Jacobs Net Worth

As at the time of his death, Olu Jacobs’ net worth is believed to be $2 million to $3.5 million.

Social Media

Instagram: @_olujacobs