A Celebration Of 5 Nollywood Actors In Their Sixties

The spotlight is on five Nollywood actors in their sixties, going strong and with no sign of letting up.

The Nigerian movie industry has come a long way. According to the Nigerian Film and Videos Censors Board (NFVCB), the sector employs about one million people.

Among the one million are some older actors, veterans if you like. NRTC’s Roland Bayode picks his top five male Nollywood actors in their sixties and takes us on a journey. Enjoy!

Yemi Solade

First on the list is 61-year-old firebrand, actor Yemi Etieme Solade who was born on 31 January 1960 in Surulere Lagos, State.

He attended St. Acquilla Primary School and Birch Freeman Secondary School. Solade gained admission into the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University – OAU) under the tutelage of Professor Wole Soyinka.

He graduated with a degree in Dramatic Arts and proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria for a Master’s degree in Public Administration. Yemi also acquired a degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Leicester University, England and another degree in International Relations from OAU.

He completed his Youth Service program in Maiduguri, where he taught at Ramat Polytechnic.
Yemi is married to Hannah Marsh Solade, an actress on the set of Wale Adenuga’s ‘Super Story’.

Yemi Solade began acting at 17, during FESTAC 77, a festival of Arts and Culture. His first Yoruba film ‘Oju Inu‘ (Insight), was directed by Wale Adenuga, owner of the PEFTI Film Institute. He acted in every Wale Adenuga series including Papa Ajasco, Super Story, This Life and Odd World.

Solade is popularly known for his role in movies such as Voiceless Scream, The Widow and Elevator Baby. He features in other movies such as Madam Dearest, Pasito Deinde, Iriri Mi and Thunderbolt (Magun).

Yemi Solade is one of the actors who built the foundation of the Nigerian Movie industry and a pioneer of the Yoruba sub-sector. He created TAMPAN (Theatre Arts and Movie Practitioners Association of Nigeria) alongside Adebayo Salami, Jide, Kosoko and Dele Odule in 2009.

He is also the president of The Shakers Foundation; a coalition of Sports and Entertainment personalities who dream of a vibrant and prosperous Nigeria.

Taiwo Hassan

Popularly known as Ogogo, Taiwo was born on 31 October 1959 in Ilaro, Ogun State.

He began his education at Christ Church School in Ilaro, and then attended a technical college in Lagos. There he trained as an automobile mechanic.

He began acting in 1981 shortly after he got a job at the water corporation as an auto mechanic. Ogogo worked at the corporation for about 13 years after which he resigned and paid full attention to his acting career.

Taiwo Hassan is an all-time Nigerian movie star, producer and director. He is well known as a man of action and principle, as he often demonstrates on stage.

Ogogo always displays a great level of professionalism, mastery and art in pure extraordinary techniques. These qualities have brought him wide recognition and respect from Nollywood viewers.

One of Hassan’s two wives, Ajoke Taiwo works in the industry and belongs to the same theatre group as her husband. The veteran actor has made an appearance in series of moves like Obinrin Sowanu, Olokiki Oru: The Midnight Sensation, Baba Ibeji, Suspect, Ashabi Iya Eko, Aiye Alabata, Ore Ojokan, Ile Sunday Igboho, Enikeji and the list goes on.

As part of his achievements, he has won the City People Movie Lifetime Achievement Award.

Nkem Owoh

It is almost impossible to discuss the Nigerian movie industry without mentioning Nkem Owoh. Popularly known as Osuofia, he is a legendary actor, producer, comedian and scriptwriter. Owoh was born on 17 October 1958 in Amagu Village, Udi Town, Enugu State.

After his primary and secondary education in Nsukka, he attended the University of Ilorin to study Electrical Engineering.

In 2003, he starred in the blockbuster movie ‘Osuofia in London’. The movie brought him global acclaim and he won him several awards. This Nollywood features in over 50 movies including Things Fall Apart, Ukwa, Onye-Eze, Fake Doctor and Police Officer.

He is easily one of the richest and most influential actors in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of $3.9 million.

In 2008, he won the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) for Best Actor in a Leading Role. And in 2017, Owoh was the recipient AMAA’s highest honour – The Life Time Achievement Award.

Sola Fosudo

Veteran actor, director, critic, and scholar; Fosudo was born on 18 March 1958. He hails from Igbo Oye in the Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Sola started acting in his primary school and secondary school days. He trained as a dramatist at Obafemi Awolowo University and obtained a Masters of Arts degree in Drama from the University of Ibadan.

Sola was acting in soaps and television series long before Nollywood. He featured the Sound of Destiny in 1980, ‘The Third Eye for NTA and Ripples.

Fosudo is a senior lecturer and the Head of the Department of Theatre Arts at the Lagos State University. He is married to Yetunde, a former Director of Culture in Ekiti State.

In December 2017, he bagged the Legend of Nollywood and Best Male Actor awards, both for his role in the movie True Confession.

Richard Mofe-Damijo

Last but not the least on the list is Richard Mofe-Damijo, popular called RMD. He is the newbie of the sixties gang as he only recently turned 60, and in glam style too. The prolific actor was born in the Aladja community of Udu Kingdom, near Warri in Delta State.

He attended Midwest College, Warri, and Anglican Grammar School where he was a member of the Drama Club. RMD attended the University of Benin and studied Theatre Arts. He also studied Law at the University of Lagos and graduated in 2004.

Mofe-Damijo was married to May Ellen-Ezekiel (MEE) the Nigerian journalist, publisher and editor. After she died in 1996, he remarried TV personality, Jumobi Adegbesan, who later left TV for the corporate world.

In 2008, he became the special adviser to the former Governor of Delta State on Culture and Tourism. Mofe-Damijo was also the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State from 2009 to 2015.

Some of his older movies include Out of Bounds, Hostages, Scores to Settle and Diamond Ring. More recent work includes Okafor’s Law, The Wedding party, Chief Daddy and The Gold Statue (2019).

RMD won the 2015 Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role. The actor also received a lifetime achievement award at the 12th Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2016.

What have the sixties got to do with it?

Ever heard the George Bernard Shaw quote, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing”? Being in their sixties means nothing as these 5 superstars embody the very essence of that statement.

They continue to bring their A-game into every production and role, thereby retaining their positions in the hearts of existing fans while gaining even more followers. These ones have earned their positions as ‘power-houses’ of the industry.

Forces to be reckoned with, not because of age but by virtue of their contribution to the industry. And even though they have served the industry long and hard, they remain vibrant and relevant.

We look forward seeing these ones rocking well into their seventies, eighties, nineties and beyond. After all, age is nothing but a number!