Olu Jacobs was one of the greatest actors Nigeria has ever produced, a performer whose career stretched across British theatre and television, international film, Nigerian theatre and the rise of Nollywood. For more than five decades, he brought a combination of formal dramatic training, powerful diction, a commanding voice and remarkable screen presence to the characters he played, becoming particularly recognised for portraying kings, chiefs, patriarchs and other men of authority.
But the story of Olu Jacobs was much bigger than the imposing characters audiences came to associate with him. He was an actor, writer, stage director, producer and theatre practitioner who built a career across continents before returning to Nigeria and becoming part of the generation that helped shape the country’s modern film industry. With his wife, veteran actress Joke Silva, he also built institutions that extended their influence beyond acting into production and training.
His journey began in Kano, took him to one of Britain’s most respected drama schools, carried him onto British stages and television screens, and eventually brought him home to become one of the defining figures of Nigerian entertainment.
Olu Jacobs’ Early Life and Training in Britain
Born Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs on July 11, 1942, in Kano, Olu Jacobs grew up in the northern city although his family had roots in the Egba Alake community of Abeokuta, Ogun State. As a young boy, he became involved in drama and debating at school and developed an interest in performance.
One experience would have a lasting influence on him. Jacobs watched the legendary Nigerian theatre practitioner Hubert Ogunde perform at the Colonial Hotel in Kano. The experience strengthened his desire to become an actor and eventually pushed him towards pursuing professional training abroad.
His father did not initially support the idea of him pursuing drama, but Jacobs remained determined. In 1964, he travelled to Britain and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, beginning the formal training that would become one of the foundations of his remarkable career.
After RADA, Jacobs worked with repertory theatre companies in Britain and Ireland. His professional stage work included A Taste of Honey at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 1972, while he later appeared in productions including Tom Stoppard’s Night and Day. His work also connected him with major institutions and producers including the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, BBC, Pinewood Studios, Universal Pictures, MGM and Walt Disney.
British television became another important part of his early career. He appeared in productions including The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part, Barlow at Large, The Tomorrow People and The Professionals. He also appeared in international films including The Dogs of War, Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend and Roman Polanski’s Pirates.
By the time he eventually returned to Nigeria, Olu Jacobs was already an experienced international performer who had worked extensively across theatre, television, film and radio. His experience abroad would later become part of what he brought into Nigeria’s developing entertainment industry.
Olu Jacobs’ Return to Nigeria and Rise in Nollywood
Olu Jacobs eventually returned to Nigeria at a time when the country’s television and film industries were developing rapidly. His professional stage background, international experience and commanding performance style made him a natural fit for an industry that was beginning to reach much larger audiences.
He became a familiar face on Nigerian television and film, with his career eventually spanning more than 200 productions according to several accounts, while Lufodo’s official profile puts his Nigerian film work at more than 300 movies.
His performances helped create one of the most recognisable screen personas in Nigerian entertainment. With his deep voice, measured delivery and commanding physical presence, Jacobs often played kings, traditional rulers, chiefs, fathers, patriarchs, politicians, lawyers and other powerful figures. Yet his range extended far beyond those roles.
He became part of the generation of actors who helped establish Nollywood as a major Nigerian cultural force, appearing in films across different eras and genres. Among the productions associated with his career are Rattlesnake, Vigilante, Oloibiri, Dry and The Royal Hibiscus Hotel.
His work also earned significant recognition. In 2007, he won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Dancing Heart. He received the Industry Merit Award at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, and later received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2016. In 2011, the Nigerian government conferred on him the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
His influence, however, went beyond the number of films he appeared in. He represented a connection between Nigeria’s established theatre tradition and the rapidly expanding film industry, bringing the discipline and experience of professional theatre into an industry that was reaching millions of Nigerians.
Olu Jacobs, Joke Silva and Their Impact on Nigerian Entertainment
Away from the screen, one of the most important chapters of Olu Jacobs’ life was his partnership with fellow veteran actress Joke Silva.
The pair met in 1981 while working on Wole Soyinka’s Jero’s Metamorphosis at the National Theatre in Lagos. Their professional relationship eventually developed into a romantic relationship and marriage, creating one of Nigeria’s most recognisable partnerships in the performing arts.
Their relationship also extended into their professional lives. Together, Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva co-founded the Lufodo Group, a company involved in production, distribution, consultancy and performing arts training. The organisation later included the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA).
Through Lufodo and LAPA, the couple created opportunities to develop performers and other professionals within Nigeria’s entertainment industry. Their contribution therefore went beyond appearing in films. They were involved in the business, production and training sides of the industry, helping create a structure through which other people could build careers.
The partnership also became notable for the way Joke Silva maintained her own professional identity. After their marriage, Silva continued to work professionally under the name Joke Silva, and Jacobs supported that decision, recognising that she had already established herself professionally under that name.
In 2022, the Lagos State Government handed the management of the historic Glover Memorial Hall to the Lufodo Group, adding another chapter to the couple’s involvement in Nigeria’s performing arts space.
Their family was also connected to the entertainment business. They had three sons, with their first child, Dayo, dying as a child, while their sons Olusoji and Olugbenga survived them. Olusoji later became involved in the family business as Head of Productions and Business Development at Lufodo.
For decades, Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva represented more than two successful actors married to each other. Together, they built a professional partnership that connected performance, production, training and the wider development of Nigeria’s creative industry.
Olu Jacobs’ Later Years, Illness and Death
As Olu Jacobs grew older, he gradually stepped away from the screen and public life. The man who had spent decades commanding stages and film sets became increasingly private, particularly as his health declined.
In 2021, Joke Silva publicly disclosed that her husband had been living with dementia with Lewy bodies, a diagnosis that had affected the family for several years. She later spoke about the changes the condition brought to their marriage and their lives together.
His absence from public life also led to repeated false reports of his death. On several occasions, claims circulated online that the actor had died, only for his family to clarify that he was still alive. Those reports became a recurring part of the final years of a man whose career had made him one of the most recognisable faces in Nigerian entertainment.
In 2022, colleagues, friends and prominent Nigerians gathered to celebrate his 80th birthday, honouring a career that had already crossed five decades. By then, however, his health had significantly reduced his public appearances.
Olu Jacobs celebrated his 84th birthday on July 11, 2026. Two months later, on September 16, 2026, his family announced his death at the age of 84.
His wife, Joke Silva, and their son Olusoji shared the announcement, describing him as their husband, father, grandfather and uncle and referring to him as “The Lion of Lufodo.” The family also asked bloggers and social media influencers to respect their privacy as they mourned.
His death brought an end to a career that had travelled an extraordinary distance: from a young boy in Kano inspired by Hubert Ogunde, to a RADA-trained performer on British stages and television, an international film actor, and eventually one of the most respected figures in Nigerian theatre and Nollywood.
Olu Jacobs leaves behind a body of work that spans generations and a legacy that extends beyond the characters he played. He helped connect Nigerian theatre with international performance, contributed to the growth of Nollywood, built a creative institution with Joke Silva and helped create opportunities for younger performers.
For many Nigerians, Olu Jacobs was the commanding voice of a king, the stern patriarch at the centre of a family, the respected elder in a story or the powerful man whose arrival changed a scene. For the Nigerian entertainment industry, however, he was also a practitioner who spent more than five decades building, performing, teaching and contributing to the creative arts.
Olu Jacobs was 84.
Leave a Reply