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The family of Olu Jacobs announced his passing on September 16, 2026, describing it as the end of a life well lived and fought while referring to him as the Lion of Lufodo. In the statement shared on Instagram by his son Olusoji Jacobs, the family asked bloggers and social media influencers to respect their privacy during this period, according to reports from Daily Trust. Jacobs had been open about health challenges in recent years, with the announcement confirming the end of an acting journey that began in the 1970s.
Born Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs on July 11, 1942 in Kano to parents from Ogun State’s Egba Alake, he first encountered acting through a concert by Chief Hubert Ogunde that inspired him to pursue the craft professionally. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and took on early roles including The Boy in A Taste of Honey at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 1972, as detailed by Daily Trust. Jacobs appeared in British series such as The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part and The Professionals as well as international films including The Dogs of War and Pirates before returning to Nigeria.
Upon his return in 1990, Jacobs starred in the NTA detective series The Third Eye and went on to feature in more than 120 Nollywood productions, earning recognition as one of the industry’s godfathers alongside Pete Edochie according to industry profiles. He co-founded the Lufodo Group and the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts with his wife, actress Joke Silva, whom he married in 1989, to support talent development and performing arts education. The couple’s work extended to production and training initiatives that influenced subsequent generations of Nigerian actors.
Jacobs received the Africa Movie Academy Award for best actor in a leading role in 2007 and later collected the Industry Merit Award at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards along with a lifetime achievement honour from AMAA in 2016, Pulse Nigeria reported. Former President Goodluck Jonathan awarded him the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in 2011 for his contributions to the arts. These accolades reflected a body of work that connected Nigeria’s traditional theatre heritage with the commercial explosion of Nollywood.
In later years Jacobs lived with Lewy body dementia, a condition publicly disclosed by Joke Silva in a 2021 interview with Chude Jideonwo that followed his appearance at an Africa International Film Festival event where he received further recognition. False reports of his death had circulated in 2021 and 2024, prompting family members including his son to issue clarifications with evidence that he remained alive at the time, YEN.COM.GH noted. His final public tributes underscored a career that spanned repertoire theatre in Britain, work with the BBC, Walt Disney and the Royal Shakespeare Company before focusing on Nigerian cinema.
Jacobs’ efforts included advocacy for better welfare structures, intellectual property safeguards and industry standards within Nollywood, according to accounts from Tribune Online. The Lufodo Academy continued to train performers even as his on-screen appearances became less frequent due to health considerations. His passing marks the conclusion of a five-decade contribution that helped shape the identity and global reach of Nigerian film.
