Femi Jacobs is a Nigerian actor, gospel singer, and motivational speaker whose late entry into acting has not stopped him from becoming one of Nollywood’s most respected and award-winning leading men.

Born Oluwafemisola Jacobs on May 8, 1980, in Ile-Ife, Osun State, into a large polygamous family of nine children, he left his parents’ home at the age of eight to live with his uncle, an early experience of independence that shaped his resilience. He attended Fakunle Comprehensive High School in Osogbo before earning a degree in Mass Communication from Lagos State University.

Before Nollywood, Jacobs built a career in gospel music, teaching himself piano after his church’s pianist left and eventually becoming his church’s music director, releasing three albums as a music director along the way. He entered acting later in life, first through faith-based productions and television, landing the role of Eddie Edoma in the popular soap opera Tinsel in 2009.

His breakout film role came in 2012 as Makinde Esho in the romantic comedy The Meeting, produced by Rita Dominic and Mildred Okwo, a performance that earned him a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards. He went on to win Best Actor in a Comedy at the 2015 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, building a filmography that includes Taxi Driver: Oko Ashewo and, more recently, the 2024 film Freedom Way.

Beyond acting, Jacobs is a published author, having released the book Rise, and continues to work as a motivational speaker, drawing on his own journey from a modest, unconventional upbringing to becoming one of Nollywood’s most consistently praised performers.