Veteran Nollywood actor and film executive, Oludotun Baiyewun Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs, has been laid to rest in Lagos, bringing to a close a series of funeral ceremonies held in honour of one of Nigeria’s most distinguished acting legends.
Jacobs was buried on Friday, October 2, 2026, following a funeral service at This Present House Church, Freedom Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. Family members, friends, colleagues, dignitaries and prominent personalities from Nigeria’s entertainment industry gathered to bid the celebrated actor a final farewell.
The funeral service was attended by Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, and several leading figures in Nollywood. Among the actors and entertainers 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.
Entertainment entrepreneur and singer, Dare Art Alade, also featured prominently during the ceremony, performing his song, “Pray for Me”, which he recorded with Jacobs and his wife, veteran actress Joke Silva. Jacobs’ son, Olugbenga Jacobs, presented his father’s biography as guests reflected on the life, career and enduring influence of the late actor.
The burial followed a Night of Tributes and Service of Songs held on Wednesday at Glover Memorial Hall on Lagos Island. The event attracted several prominent Nollywood personalities, who gathered to celebrate Jacobs’ remarkable contributions to theatre, television and Nigerian cinema.
Born in 1942 to parents from Egba Alake, Jacobs grew up in Kano, where his early exposure to drama and the performing arts helped shape his passion for acting. He later travelled to England and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, beginning a professional journey that would take him from British theatre and television to the Nigerian film industry.
His international acting career included appearances in British television productions such as The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part and Barlow at Large. He also performed on stage, including a 1972 appearance as The Boy in A Taste of Honey at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, and later portrayed President Mageeba in a 1978 production of Sir Tom Stoppard’s Night and Day.
After returning to Nigeria in 1990, Jacobs featured in the NTA detective series The Third Eye before becoming a prominent figure in the emerging Nollywood industry. Over the course of a career spanning more than five decades, he appeared in hundreds of productions and became renowned for his commanding voice, versatility, stage presence and ability to portray complex characters.
His contributions to the creative industry earned him numerous honours, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Africa International Film Festival, an Icon Award from the Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria in 2022, and the Industry Merit Award at the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards. He was also a recipient of the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MOR.
Jacobs died on September 16, 2026, at the age of 84. His death prompted an outpouring of tributes from colleagues, filmmakers, public officials and admirers across Nigeria, many of whom acknowledged his profound contribution to the development and international recognition of Nigerian theatre and film.
With his burial, the Nigerian entertainment industry has formally said farewell to a performer whose career crossed generations and whose body of work remains an enduring part of the country’s cultural heritage.