Olu Jacobs, one of the most celebrated actors in Nigerian history and a familiar presence on British television and theatre stages, has died at the age of 84. His son, Olusoji Jacobs, announced the death on Wednesday in a family statement that described the actor as "The Lion of Lufodo" — a tribute to the production company he co-founded — and as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. "It is with gratitude to God for a life well lived and fought that we announce the passing of our dear husband, father, grandfather and uncle," the family said.

Born Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs on 11 July 1942 to parents of Egba-Alake heritage from Abeokuta, in southwestern Nigeria's Ogun State, he grew up in Kano, a major city in the country's predominantly Muslim north. It was there, at the Colonial Hotel, that he watched a performance by Hubert Ogunde, a pioneering figure in Nigerian theatre, an encounter that crystallised his ambition to act. Despite his father's initial opposition, he pursued that ambition to Britain, enrolling at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London in 1964. He went on to work with repertory companies across Britain and Ireland, appearing on stage in productions ranging from A Taste of Honey at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre to Tom Stoppard's Night and Day. British television audiences saw him in programmes including The Goodies, Till Death Us Do Part, The Professionals and The Tomorrow People, while his international film credits included The Dogs of War, Pirates and Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend.

Returning to Nigeria, Jacobs became a cornerstone of Nollywood — the Lagos-based film industry that grew to become one of the world's largest by output. His commanding voice, physical bearing and measured delivery made him a natural fit for kings, patriarchs and figures of authority, though his body of work across more than 100 films extended well beyond those imposing roles. His performance in Dancing Heart earned him the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2007, and he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the same body in 2016. The Nigerian government recognised him with the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2011.

Off screen, Jacobs shared what became one of Nigerian entertainment's most celebrated marriages with fellow veteran actress Joke Silva, whom he met in 1981 while both were working on Wole Soyinka's play Jero's Metamorphosis at the National Theatre in Lagos. They married in 1985 and together co-founded the Lufodo Group and the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts, institutions dedicated to film production and the training of future performers. In 2022, the Lagos State Government handed management of the historic Glover Memorial Hall to the Lufodo Group. His final years were shaped by dementia with Lewy bodies, a progressive brain condition that Silva disclosed publicly in 2021, explaining that it had affected the family for several years. False reports of his death had circulated on multiple occasions, including in 2021 and 2024, and were denied each time by his family. He is survived by his wife, his sons Olusoji and Olugbenga, and his grandchildren.