10 Unforgettable Films That Showcase The Extraordinary Career Of Olu Jacobs

The acting career of veteran Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs spanned British theatre, international cinema and the development of modern Nollywood, establishing him as one of the country’s most celebrated actors whose performances reached audiences beyond Nigeria.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Jacobs, whose full name was Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, died on September 16, 2026, at the age of 84. Following his death, attention has turned to the remarkable body of work he accumulated over more than five decades in the entertainment industry.

Jacobs trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London before working extensively in British theatre and television. His early screen credits included international productions such as Ashanti, released in 1979, in which he played Commissioner Batak alongside actors including Michael Caine, Peter Ustinov and Kabir Bedi.

In 1980, Jacobs appeared in The Dogs of War, a film adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s novel directed by John Irvin. He played a Customs Officer in the production, which starred Christopher Walken.

His international career continued with Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend in 1985, where he portrayed Colonel Nsogbu in the adventure film produced by Touchstone Pictures. A year later, he featured in Roman Polanski’s Pirates, playing Boomako alongside Walter Matthau.

As his career progressed, Jacobs became increasingly prominent in Nigerian and African cinema. In 2012, he appeared in the historical drama Adesuwa, directed by Lancelot Imasuen, portraying Ezomo in a story rooted in the history and traditional setting of the Benin Kingdom. The film received several Africa Movie Academy Award nominations and won three awards, including Best Nigerian Film.

Jacobs also featured in the 2013 Ghanaian-Nigerian thriller Potomanto, directed by Shirley Frimpong-Manso. He played Bankole in the film, which centres on an investigation into a criminal operation involving organ trafficking.

In 2014, he took on the role of Oba Akpen in The Antique, a Nigerian drama-adventure centred on a young woman tasked with retrieving a sacred antique from a forbidden location in a mission connected to the survival of a royal heir.

Jacobs later appeared in Stephanie Linus’ 2015 film Dry, which examined the consequences of child marriage and its associated social and health challenges. He played a Speaker in the production, which went on to win Best Overall Movie (Africa) at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.

The veteran actor also featured in Oloibiri, a 2016 film directed by Curtis Graham that explored the effects of oil exploration on communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta through a fictionalised account connected to Oloibiri. Jacobs played the character Timipre alongside actors including Richard Mofe-Damijo, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and Daniel K. Daniel.

One of Jacobs’ later notable appearances came in the 2017 romantic comedy The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, directed by Ishaya Bako. He played Richard in the film, which follows a Nigerian chef who returns home and becomes involved with her family’s struggling hotel. He appeared alongside his wife, actress Joke Silva, as well as Zainab Balogun and Kenneth Okolie. The movie was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Across these productions, Olu Jacobs demonstrated his versatility by moving between international adventure films, historical dramas, social-issue productions, thrillers and romantic comedies.

From his early appearances in international cinema to his decades of influential work in Nigerian film, Jacobs built a diverse body of work that reflected the breadth of his talent and helped establish his enduring place in the history of African cinema.