Ace filmmaker Tunde Kelani has described the late veteran actor, Olu Jacobs, as a founding patriarch of modern Nigerian screen performance, recalling the lasting impression he made on him when they first met in 1978.
Jacobs’ death was announced by his son, Olusoji Jacobs, on Wednesday. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Kelani, in an emotional tribute posted on X, said he first met Jacobs while studying at the London Film School, where the actor agreed to lead a student production without demanding a professional fee.
According to him, he and other Nigerian students at the film school had come together for their final graduation project, adapting Amadu Maddy’s novel, No Past, No Present, No Future, into a diploma film titled Trying Times.
Kelani said Jacobs, who was then a prominent figure at the nearby Africa Centre in Covent Garden, accepted to lead the production on the condition that he would be provided meals during the three-day shoot.
“I first crossed paths with Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs—fondly known to many of us as Uncle Olu Jacobs—in 1978,” Kelani wrote.
“From that very first encounter, he left an indelible mark on me: a consummate, classically trained actor with a commanding presence, yet generous enough to lead our student production without asking for a fee—his only condition being that we provide him a meal across our three-day shoot.”
The filmmaker said he considered it a blessing to have captured Jacobs’ performance on 16mm film.
He also recalled the actor’s decision to abandon an established career in Britain and return to Nigeria, where he became an important figure in the emerging Nollywood industry.
“It took extraordinary courage and vision for Uncle Olu to walk away from a flourishing career abroad,” Kelani said.
“He had already established an enviable reputation across the British stage, television, and international cinema—working on productions like Pirates under Roman Polanski—yet he chose to return home.
“At a time when shooting on analogue video seemed absurd to conventional filmmakers, he embraced the nascent Nollywood movement.”
Kelani said Jacobs’ contribution to Nigerian cinema could not be measured by the accolades he received during his lifetime.
“Yet accolades alone cannot capture the magnitude of his legacy: Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs stands unequivocally as a founding patriarch of modern Nigerian screen performance,” he said.
He added that Jacobs’ career and commitment to acting demonstrated to generations of performers “what it truly means to serve the craft.”
Jacobs’ death has elicited tributes from Nigerians across different sectors, including President Bola Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who mourned the veteran actor on their social media platforms.
