The Lion of Lufodo has died at 84. His son, Olusoji Jacobs, announced the news on Instagram on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, asking the public to respect the family’s privacy at this time.
For most of us, Olu Jacobs was the voice of authority on screen: the king, the father, the elder whose frown could end an argument before it started. But that commanding presence was built over five decades, across Kano, London, Hollywood sets and the earliest days of Nollywood.
Born Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, on 11 July 1942 in Kano, Jacobs traced his roots to Egba Alake in Abeokuta, Ogun State. He grew up in the North and went to Holy Trinity School, where he joined the drama and debating clubs. Church and school plays gave him his first taste of the stage. The turning point came when he watched one of Hubert Ogunde’s concert parties at the Colonial Hotel in Kano. After that, acting stopped being a hobby and became the plan.
Jacobs moved to Britain and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, one of the most respected drama schools in the world. It set him up for a career that ran across theatre, television and film. He also worked with repertory theatres across Britain. One of his early roles was The Boy in A Taste of Honey at the then-new Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 1972, and in 1978 he played President Mageeba in Tom Stoppard’s Night and Day.
Long before Nollywood existed as we know it, Jacobs was appearing in UK shows including The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part, Barlow at Large, The Tomorrow People, Angels and The Professionals. His career went global as he appeared in international films including Ashanti (1979), The Dogs of War (1980), Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985) and Roman Polanski’s Pirates (1986).
After his years abroad, Jacobs returned to Nigeria and became one of the pioneers of the modern industry. Vanguard once named him one of Nollywood’s “godfathers,” alongside Pete Edochie. His Nigerian credits run past 120 titles, including Oloibiri, Dry, The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, Adesuwa and Heroes & Zeros. He was the go-to for roles about monarchs, patriarchs and politicians, but he moved between drama and comedy throughout his career, and his range was the reason directors kept calling.
In 2007, Jacobs took home the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Dancing Heart. He was made a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2011. In 2013, he received the Industry Merit Award for acting at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards. In 2016, he and his wife Joke Silva were jointly given the AMAA Lifetime Achievement Award in Port Harcourt, and AFRIFF honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
Jacobs was married to actress Joke Silva, herself a two-time AMAA winner. The couple founded Lufodo, which spans film production and distribution and the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts. Jacobs served as Executive Chairman. Through the group, they took theatre into schools and trained a new generation of performers. Between production, theatre and arts education, Jacobs spent decades opening doors for younger actors. As tributes poured in on Wednesday, stars from Funke Akindele and Ini Edo to Mr Macaroni and Broda Shaggi paid respect to a man many of them called Uncle.
