On Sunday, veteran Nollywood actress Joke Silva dismissed yet another rumour making rounds on social media that her husband, Olu Jacobs, is dead.
This is the second time such rumours about the ace Nigerian actor and film executive, whose real name is Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, have circulated on social media. Speaking with TheNEWS and PMNEWS, his wife, Joke Silva, debunked the rumour, saying, “My husband is alive and doing just fine.”
In August 2022, similar rumours claimed that Olu Jacobs was dead. Reacting to the news, Silva took to her Instagram Story to debunk the reports, assuring that her husband is hale and hearty. She further threatened legal action against the peddlers of fake news regarding her husband’s death. Olu Jacobs took a break from the movie and public scenes due to his deteriorating health. The actor is battling with Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), also known as Lewy body dementia, one of the most common types of dementia, according to the UK NHS.
Fondly called Uncle Olu by his colleagues and teeming admirers, Olu Jacobs has made his mark in Nigeria’s movie industry. With more than 40 years of acting experience, Jacobs is seen as a bridge between the old and new breed of actors. Trained at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, England, Jacobs remains one of Africa’s creative gifts to the world, having worked with various repertoire theatres in Britain and starred in several international movies.
Born on July 11, 1942, Olu Jacobs has starred in numerous British television series and international films, as detailed in many biographical sources, including Wikipedia. He has been hailed by many as one of the greatest and most widely respected African actors of his generation. Alongside Pete Edochie, Justus Esiri, Enebeli Elebuwa, and Sam Loco Efe, he is considered by several media, film commentators, critics, and other actors to be one of the most influential African actors of all time and is widely regarded as a cultural icon.
In 2007, he won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Olu Jacobs has distinguished himself as a godfather in Nollywood, paving a successful path for many emerging actors and actresses in the industry. His love for acting was inspired by the late legendary filmmaker Hubert Ogunde’s annual concert party held at Colonial Hotel in Kano. Thereafter, he travelled to England, where he studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He has been described as ‘one of Nollywood’s finest actors, best role interpreter and the best manipulator of words.’
For his dedication to his acting career spanning over five decades, he was honoured with the Industry Merit Award for outstanding achievements in acting at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards. Additionally, the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) conferred its Lifetime Achievement Award on him in 2016.
Olu Jacobs is married to veteran actress Joke Silva. The couple founded and operate the Lufodo Group, a media corporation that consists of film production and distribution assets and the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts.
In England, he trained at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He starred in various British television shows and series in the 1970s (e.g., The Goodies, Till Death Do Us Part, Barlow at Large, The Venturers, Angels, 1990, The Tomorrow People, The Professionals). In 1978, he played the role of President Mageeba in Michael Codron’s presentation of Sir Tom Stoppard’s play Night and Day.
In the 1980s, Jacobs starred in several international films, including John Irvin’s war film The Dogs of War, Roman Polanski’s adventure-comedy Pirates (1986), and the family-adventure film Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985). On television, he was a cast member in TVS’s The Witches and the Grinnygog. Jacobs has subsequently starred in over 120 Nollywood films and is considered one of the top Nigerian Nollywood actors.
