LAGOS, Nigeria — Filmmaker Tunde Kelani described the late veteran actor Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popular as Olu Jacobs, as a founding patriarch of modern Nigerian screen performance in a statement released on Friday, September 18, 2026.
Okay News reports that Olusoji Jacobs, the son of the veteran actor, announced the death of his father on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, without disclosing the cause of death.
Kelani recalled meeting Jacobs in 1978 while studying at the London Film School, where Jacobs agreed to lead a diploma film production titled Trying Times without charging a professional fee.
The student project was an adaptation of Amadu Maddy‘s novel, No Past, No Present, No Future, produced alongside other Nigerian students at the institution.
Kelani noted that Jacobs, who was affiliated with the Africa Centre in Covent Garden, requested only meals during the three-day shoot on 16mm film.
The filmmaker highlighted Jacobs‘ decision to return to Nigeria after building a career across British stage, television, and international cinema, including Roman Polanski‘s film Pirates.
Political figures, including Nigeria‘s President, Bola Tinubu, and former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, also issued statements mourning the actor.
