Filming Olu Jacobs remains one of my career highlights

Legendary filmmaker, Tunde Kelani has paid a personal tribute to late Olu Jacobs, describing the experience of filming him as one of the treasured milestones of his career.

In a tribute titled “A Personal Tribute to Olu Jacobs (1942–2026)”, Kelani recalled first meeting Jacobs in 1978 at the London Film School.

At the time, Kelani and fellow Nigerian classmates including Adefolu, George and Femi Aloba were adapting Amadu Maddy’s novel No Past, No Present, No Future into their diploma film, Trying Times.

Jacobs, then a vibrant presence at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden, agreed to lead the student production without a fee, asking only for a meal during their three-day shoot.

Kelani recalled that the iconic actor’s performance helped the film earn a place in the Governors’ Screening.

“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,” the filmmaker stated.

Another highlight came years later through M-Net’s New Directions initiative, when Kelani served as director of photography on Twins of the Rainforest.

There he framed Jacobs alongside his wife, Joke Silva.

“Their on-screen chemistry as husband and wife was electrifying. The camera never forgets; it remains an unforgettable blessing in my life that I had the opportunity to capture that rare intensity on 16mm celluloid film,” he said.

Kelani praised Jacobs for leaving a flourishing career abroad – where he had built a strong reputation on the British stage, in television and in international cinema, including Pirates directed by Roman Polanski – to return home and embrace the nascent Nollywood industry despite its infrastructural limitations.

“They simply do not make them like him anymore. A proud son of the rock, hailing from the rolling hills of Egbaland in Abeokuta, Uncle Olu was honoured as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) alongside countless lifetime achievement awards. Yet accolades alone cannot capture the magnitude of his legacy: Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs stands unequivocally as a founding patriarch of modern Nigerian screen performance,” Kelani said.

Olu Jacobs, who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, died on Wednesday, aged 84.

His demise was announced by his son, Olusoji Jacobs, who described him as “The Lion of Lufodo”.