Kemi Afolabi is a Nigerian actress, director, producer, and trained lawyer who has built a prolific and unconventional career in Yoruba Nollywood, blending legal training with a body of work spanning acting, scriptwriting, and film production.

Born Oluwakemisola Anotallahi Ajike Afolabi on either April 8 or April 28, 1978, in Lagos to parents from Ogun State, she is the eldest of three children. Afolabi attended Tunwase Nursery and Primary School in Ikeja before completing secondary education at Our Lady of Apostles School and A-Z International School, going on to earn an LLB Honours degree in Law from the University of Lagos.

Her path into acting began unexpectedly during her final year at university, when students from the Department of Creative Arts invited her to join a theatre production. The experience redirected her focus, and she made her Nollywood debut in the 2004 Yoruba film Obinrin, followed by a role in Alagba, before taking a near five-year hiatus from the industry between 2008 and 2013 to focus on her marriage and family.

Upon her return, Afolabi dedicated herself fully to filmmaking, building a filmography including Oreke Mulero, Omo Pupa, and Wedding Planner, while also establishing her own production outfit, Kaas and Dee Entertainment, focused on quality Yoruba-language storytelling. Her contributions have earned her the Best Yoruba Actress of the Year and Yoruba Movie Producer of the Year honours at the City People Awards, alongside recognition as the Most Prominent Actress at the 2016 Odua Image Awards.

Afolabi is married to engineer and building contractor Wale Adesipe, and the couple have a daughter, Darasimi. She has continued acting and producing in recent years, remaining one of Yoruba Nollywood’s most respected multi-hyphenate figures.