Early Life

Olu Jacobs was born to Egba Alake parents and spent his childhood in Kano, Nigeria. He attended Holy Trinity School, where he joined the debating and drama societies. A performance by Chief Hubert Ogunde’s concert party at the Colonial Hotel in Kano inspired him to pursue acting. Soon after, he obtained a visa and traveled to England to study drama.

Career

Jacobs enrolled at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. In 1972, he performed as The Boy in A Taste of Honey at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Throughout the 1970s, he acted in British television shows including The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part, Barlow at Large, The Venturers, Angels, 1990, The Tomorrow People, and The Professionals. In 1978, he portrayed President Mageeba in the stage production of Night and Day by Sir Tom Stoppard.

During the 1980s, Jacobs appeared in international films such as The Dogs of War, Pirates (1986), and Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985). He also joined the cast of the television series The Witches and the Grinnygog. When he returned to Nigeria in 1990, he starred in the NTA detective series The Third Eye.

Olu Jacobs went on to act in over 120 Nollywood films, establishing himself as a leading figure in the Nigerian film industry. He also featured in television commercials for brands like Ribena and Binatone.

In 2007, he received the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He earned the Industry Merit Award at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards and the MAA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

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