By By Habeeb Ibrahim
The death of veteran Nigerian actor Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs, has brought renewed attention to a career that began long before the emergence of Nollywood as a global film industry.
Jacobs died on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at the age of 84. His family announced his death in a statement shared by his son, Olusoji Jacobs, describing him as “The Lion of Lufodo” and asking bloggers and social media influencers to respect the family’s privacy.
While Jacobs is widely remembered for his roles in Nigerian films, his career began decades before the industry became known as Nollywood.
Here are 10 lesser-known facts about the actor.
1. Hubert Ogunde helped spark his interest in acting
Jacobs’ interest in acting can be traced to his childhood in Kano.
According to an interview published by The Guardian, Jacobs was about seven years old when he encountered the travelling theatre group of Hubert Ogunde, one of Nigeria’s early theatre pioneers.
He became fascinated by the performances and reportedly made a habit of watching the group whenever they came to Kano.
That early exposure would eventually influence his decision to pursue acting professionally.
2. His father wanted him to study Law
Acting was not the career his father had initially envisioned for him.
When Jacobs travelled to Britain, his father expected him to study Law. Jacobs initially allowed his father to believe that was what he was doing.
He later wrote to his father to disclose that he had instead enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London to study acting.
The decision marked the beginning of his formal professional training.
3. He trained at one of Britain’s major drama schools
Jacobs was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, commonly known as RADA.
The London institution has produced generations of prominent actors, making Jacobs’ training part of the British theatrical tradition long before he became a familiar face in Nigerian cinema.
His training also helped shape the stage career that preceded his work in Nollywood.
4. His acting career started in Britain
Jacobs had already built a professional acting career in Britain before returning to Nigeria.
His documented television credits include The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part, The Professionals, The Tomorrow People and The Witches and the Grinnygog.
He also worked with institutions including the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
This means his professional career was already established internationally before the Nigerian home-video industry began its rapid expansion.
5. He acted alongside Walter Matthau
Jacobs was part of the cast of Roman Polanski’s 1986 film Pirates, which starred American actor Walter Matthau.
The production was one of his international film appearances before he became particularly associated with Nigerian cinema.
His international credits also included Disney’s Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend and other British and American productions.
6. He appeared in a Tom Stoppard production
Jacobs’ theatre career included Night and Day, a play written by British playwright Tom Stoppard.
In the 1978 production, Jacobs played President Mageeba alongside actors Diana Rigg and John Thaw.
According to his official Lufodo biography, the production ran for 18 months.
His involvement in such productions placed him within Britain’s professional theatre circuit before his eventual return to Nigeria.
7. He had training beyond acting
Jacobs’ professional education was not limited to drama.
His official biography by Lufodo states that he also obtained a diploma in Marketing and Sales Management.
The qualification added a business component to a career that would later extend beyond performing into production, distribution, consulting and training.
8. His work covered radio as well as stage, film and television
Jacobs’ career was broader than his best-known film appearances suggest.
Lufodo’s official biography describes his work as spanning stage, film, television and radio over approximately five decades.
That range made him part of several phases of Nigeria’s entertainment industry rather than solely the film sector.
9. His work later extended to the preservation of Glover Memorial Hall
Jacobs’ contribution to the Nigerian creative industry also extended beyond performance.
Lufodo Group, the company he co-founded with his wife, actress Joke Silva, took over the management of Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos in 2022 after the Lagos State Government awarded the organisation a concession to manage the historic facility.
The building, established in the 19th century, has a long association with Nigeria’s cultural and theatrical history.
10. He and Joke Silva built a training institution for performers
Jacobs and Silva also established the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts.
The academy provides professional training in the performing arts, extending the couple’s involvement in the industry from acting and production into developing new performers.
Lufodo’s activities have included training programmes and collaborations aimed at developing talent for the Nigerian creative industry.
Jacobs’ career therefore stretches from childhood exposure to Hubert Ogunde’s theatre in Kano, through formal training in London and professional work in British theatre and international productions, to his later role in Nigerian film, theatre production and creative-sector training.
His family announced his death on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Jacobs was born on July 11, 1942.
