Olu jacobs buried in lagos
Veteran Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs has been laid to rest in Lagos following a funeral service held on Friday.
Jacobs, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated actors, died in September at the age of 82.
The funeral, held at the Freedom Center in Lekki, Lagos, attracted Nollywood actors, family members, dignitaries, friends and colleagues who gathered to pay their final respects.
Among those who attended were Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of Lagos State, and Ibikunle Amosun, former governor of Ogun State.
Also present were Shaffy Bello, Keppy Ekpeyong, Stan Nze, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, Ireti Doyle, Lala Akindoju, Kate Henshaw, OC Ukeje, Patrick Doyle, Stephanie Okereke and Ernest Obi.
A night of tributes and a service of songs was held on Wednesday in honour of the late actor.
Born in 1942 to parents from Egba Alake, Jacobs grew up in Kano, where he attended Holy Trinity School and participated in the debating and drama societies.
His interest in acting was sparked by a performance by Hubert Ogunde’s concert party at the Colonial Hotel in Kano, prompting him to travel to England for formal training.
He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. One of his earliest stage roles came in 1972 when he played The Boy in A Taste of Honey at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Jacobs later appeared in several British television shows and series in the 1970s, including The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part and Barlow at Large.
In 1978, he played President Mageeba in Michael Codron’s presentation of Sir Tom Stoppard’s play Night and Day.
Jacobs returned to Nigeria in 1990 and starred in the NTA detective series The Third Eye. He subsequently featured in hundreds of Nollywood films, establishing himself as one of the industry’s most distinguished talents.
He received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Africa International Film Festival and was presented with an Icon Award by the Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria in 2022.
At the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, Jacobs was also honoured with the Industry Merit Award for his outstanding achievements in acting.
