Garlands have continued to pour in for the veteran and deep actor Oludotun Bayeiwu Jacobs, aka Olu Jacobs, who clocked 82 on July 11. Before cock crowed on July 11, colleagues, both junior and senior, fans and admirers had flooded the social media timelines of his adorable wife, Ajoke Jacobs, with kind birthday wishes for the octogenarian iconic actor, who has had many accomplishments in his over five decades of active engagement on stage, screen and in showbiz generally.
An actor of innumerable credit whose skills and stage craft has lifted him to the enviable status of a world-class actor, there were over 4000 messages and on Ajoke Jacobs Instagram handle minutes after she shared the birthday post of the legendary actor whom she fondly calls ‘Sir J’ and whom younger colleagues simply call ‘Uncle Olu Jacobs’.
An elated ‘Auntie Joke’ as younger colleagues call her took to her Instagram handle next day to thank all those who sent birthday wishes. She wrote: “You fans, family and friends of Sir J… Mr. Oludotun Bayeiwu Jacobs (MFR) know how to love him. Wow. Over 4000 messages and still counting. How does one say thank you in such a way that it is commensurate to the gift for which one is appreciative.
In a broken world reaching out with compassion appreciation and joy… wishing people well… confirms that our shared humanity is not lost. On behalf of the Jacobs clan, thank you and a resounding amen to all the prayers.
Born Oludotun Jacobs to Josiah Jacobs and Juliana Akoke Jacobs, both of whom are late now, Uncle Olu hails from Abeokuta in Ogun State. The fifth child in a family of eight, Oludotun grew up in Kano, where he became a visible member of the Boys Scout and a member of the Anglican Church Choir. In fact, he revealed that he started his Christian life as an altar boy.
Regarded as one of the few black men to have been well received in England, acting wise, Jacobs had his formal education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in England.
On completion of his training at the Academy, Jacobs worked with a number of repertoire theatre companies in Great Britain. He also worked extensively on television and on stage and returned after about a decade and half to join in the effort to develop the Nigerian theatre industry.
An actor’s actor of immense rating and an acting ‘uncle’ to a lot of young actors, Jacobs never had difficulties deciding on a career path. All he wanted to do as a child was to act and ‘just entertain’ as he stressed. He got the kick to step up when he encountered the late dramatist and doyen of Nigerian Theatre Chief Hubert Adedeji Ogunde and his band of entertainers during one of their tours to Kano. Jacob was only seven then, but he did all he could to be at every show of the late doyen each time they visited Kano.
That was from where he got inspired. But daddy and mummy felt that the ‘whole craze about going to watch Ogunde perform’ would fade away with time. But little did they know that the more he saw the doyen and his group in performance, the more his mind was made up.
One day, Jacobs walked up to his father and declared that he wanted to head to England to study drama. He says: “I went to my father and told him I wanted to go to England to study Drama and he laughed. To be sure he heard me right, he asked again if what I said was that I wanted to go to England and I said yes and it was to read drama and he simply said ‘rubbish’ to my proposal. But my mother didn’t feel terribly when I mentioned it to her. In fact she did not feel strongly against my going, it was my father who simply said no. So, I had a supporter in my mother whom I plotted with and the plot was that I was going to simply tell my father that I was going to study Law. But it seemed as if he knew my game plan. He said no, not yet, I should wait. But soon as I got my visa, I told my mother and I traveled but I left a note for my father and I later sent him a lengthy letter to say that it was drama that I was studying and not law. I was told later that he was furious but I think mummy helped in talking to him and that was how he put pen on paper to reply me. I mean daddy had to give in because I had started.”
As days rolled into months and years, the urge for the well-built actor shifted into high gear. His interest was further ignited over the expected speed limit gauge because he was studying in what he described as the best acting school in the world. However, on completion of his training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, which Jacobs simply called RADA, he faced what he termed a cut-throat situation.
He explains: “It’s the situation where one found it difficult to get acting jobs. You cannot get a job without an agent, and no agent will take you unless you had worked. And there is no way you are going to get a job without being a member of the equity, which is like a union. And you cannot be a member of the equity without having an agent. So, it was indeed a cut-throat situation. I only escaped once and that was when I attended an audition at the BBC which was like for union and non-union members. And I did not entirely escape because I had to go get an agent who stood in for me when I was offered a place. That was how I started.”
Star of the epic encounter, Ashanti, starring William Holden, Omar Sheriff, Michael Kane, Jacobs returned to Nigeria in the 80s after a successful acting career in England. His major take on the soil of Motherland was as a lead actor in the long rested Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) detective series, Third Eye. His first ever home movie production in Nigeria was as a lead in AA production of Vigilante. Jacobs followed it up with appearances in a number of other movie productions. As he did, his popularity soared. In fact, he became so famous and revered that producers ensured that stories were written around him. Today, the multiple award winner would have featured in over 200 home video productions, about a hundred stage production and 30 television programmes in Nigeria alone. To add his credits while in England would mean filling up a twenty leave note book.
Asked in an earlier interview to choose between acting on stage and on screen, Jacobs says he prefers both even though both medium have their different excitement. ‘I love the challenges of both. I enjoy it very much’ he says. Uncle Olu has no regret at all threading this path. He says he will do it again given another opportunity to live life again. ‘I will take to acting again. My happiest moments are those moments when I am working either on stage or screen. So, I will do it again. I have no regret at all’.
