Top 20 Nollywood Actors Of All Time

1. Olu Jacob

Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, (born 11 July 1942), known professionally as Olu Jacobs, is a Nigerian actor and film executive. He has starred in several British television series and international films. Olu Jacobs has been hailed by many as one of the greatest and most widely respected African actors of his generation. Together with Pete Edochie, he is considered by several media, film commentators, critics, and other actors to be one of the most influential African actors of all time, and is widely regarded as a cultural icon.

He is seen as the bridge between the old Actors and the new ones. Olu Jacob trained at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, England, he worked with various repertoire theatres in Britain and starred in some international movies. Olu Jacobs has been married to veteran actress Joke Silva since 1989. Rumour had it that Olu Jacob died in 2021, but he attended Afriff in November 2021, where he won the Lifetime Achievement Award. His wife Joke Silva later revealed his health condition in an interview with Chude Jideonwo that he is battling Dementia with a Lewy body.

2. Sam Loco Efe

Sam Loco Efeeimwonkiyeke (25 December 1945 – 7 August 2011), was born in Enugu state Nigeria, he was a Nigerian actor, producer and director.

His first experience with acting was at his school when a theatre group came to stage a play called The Doctor In Spite of Himself, afterwards, he discussed with members of the group about the theatre and performance arts. In elementary school, he was a member of various groups including a drama society that performed a rendition of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at an Eastern regional arts festival in Abakaliki, the play came last in the drama competition but Efe was noted as the best actor which earned him a scholarship to complete elementary school.

3. Pete Edochie

Chief Pete Edochie (born March 7, 1947)  is a Nigerian actor. He is considered one of Nigeria’s most talented actors, being honoured with an Industry Merit Award by Africa Magic and Lifetime Achievement by Africa Film Academy. Although he used to be a seasoned administrator and broadcaster, he came into prominence in the 1980s when he played the lead role of Okonkwo in a Nigerian Television Authority adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s all-time best-selling novel, Things Fall Apart. Edochie descends from the Igbo people of Nigeria and is a Catholic. 

Pete Edochie is married to Josephine Edochie and they have six children, two are popular Nollywood actors Linc Edochie and Yul Edochie.

4. Alex Usifo

Alex Usifo Omiagbo (born 16 April 1953) is a Nigerian actor. Alex Usifo auditioned at different media houses including Radio Nigeria Lagos, Voice of Nigeria, NTA Ilorin etc. He made it to the top lists, but was dropped because of the ‘Quota System’.

His acting career kicked off in 1984 when he played a major role in the tele-movie The Return of the Native. He took lead roles in Natas and ‘Two People. He started attending NTA, Victoria Island to take part in the weekly series At Your Service. He was part of NTA productions: Echoes of Life, and Turning Wheel, between 1984 and 1987.

Recognition came in 1988 when he starred in Zeb Ejiro’s soap opera titled Ripples. Usifo portrayed Talaab Abass. The show broke ground on television because few soap operas existed. Talaab Abass was a villain. Alex interpreted the character with bulging eyes and a baritone voice.

5. Sola Fosudo

Sola Fosudo (born 1958) is a Nigerian prolific dramatist, scholar, critic, film actor and director. Sola Fosudo hails from Lagos State. He was trained as a dramatist at Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Ibadan where he obtained a Master of Arts degree in drama. He has featured and directed several Nigerian films. He is the head of the Department of Theatre Art, at Lagos State University and the university’s director of information.

6. Richard Mofe Damijo

Richard Eyimofe Evans Mofe-Damijo (born 6 July 1961), popularly known as RMD, is a Nigerian actor, writer, producer, lawyer, and former journalist. He was also a former Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State in 2009. In 2005, he won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2016.

Mofe-Damijo appeared in the soap opera Ripples as a police inspector but gained more popularity as villain Segun Kadiri in the rival soap Checkmate. Before then, he had a stint as a writer with the daily newspaper The Concord, and magazines Metro and Quality.

7. Nkem Owoh

Nkem Owoh (born 7 February 1958) is a Nigerian actor and comedian. In 2008, he won the Africa Movie Academy Award for “Best Actor in a Leading Role” for his role in the Nigerian film, “Stronger than Pain”.

Nkem Owoh was born in Enugu State, Nigeria. After his primary and secondary school, he headed to the University of Ibadan and studied Engineering. Already, during his university studies, Owoh began acting in various television and film productions.

8. Zack Orji

Zachee Ama Orji (born 1960) is a Nigerian actor, director, producer and filmmaker known for his role in the Nollywood movies Glamour Girls, and Blood Money. Aside from acting, Orji is a preacher. Zach was born in Libreville, Gabon. He grew up in Cameroon, Benin and Togo where he learnt how to speak both English and French fluently. Orji is a graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

His first movie was in 1991 and was entitled Unforgiven Sin. In an interview with Nollywood Post, Orji shared how he got the lead role in the movie without auditioning. Since then, Orji has starred in different movies and is now a Nollywood legend. He is also a singer and preacher of God’s word since he found Christ.

9. Kanayo O. Kanayo

Anayo Modestus Onyekwere popularly known as Kanayo O. Kanayo (born 1 March 1962) is a Nigerian actor and lawyer. In 2006, he won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the movie Family Battle.

Kanayo started his acting career in 1982, acting in productions by the Nigerian Television Authority. He made his debut movie appearance in the year 1992 in the film Living in Bondage. He has starred in over 100 films and was nominated in 2008 for Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Across the Niger. His most recent movies are Up North and Living in Bondage: Breaking Free.

He has featured in multiple Nollywood productions including Lion Heart and the sitcom Professor Johnpitbull, however, he is known for playing the role of a Villain in these productions, especially in films relating to occultic practices.

10. Justus Esiri

Justus Esiri (20 November 1942 – 19 February 2013) was a veteran award-winning Nigerian actor, generally considered to be one of the pillars of Nollywood with an acting career that goes way back to the 1960s. He came into prominence for his role in the popular Nigerian Television Authority TV series The Village Headmaster and the film adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s book Things Fall Apart.

He won the Best Actor award at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards post-humously for his role in Assassins Practice and was also honoured as the inaugural recipient of the “Goodluck Jonathan Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 2013 Nollywood Movies Awards. The Nigerian government honoured him with several National honours the highest being an Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON for his contribution to the development of Film-Making in Nigeria. He is the father of Musician Dr. Sid.

11. Enebeli Elebuwa

Enebeli Elebuwa (1946–2012) was a Nigerian actor. Elebuwa was born in the northern part of Delta State. He is a Ukwuani by origin from Isumpe quarters of Utagba-Uno in Ndokwa-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

12. Chiwetalu Agu

Chiwetalu Agu (born 1956) is a Nigerian actor. He won the 2012 Nollywood award for ‘Best Actor in an Indigenous Movie (non-English speaking language)’. His usage of specific language slang, phrases or clichés in many films has made him uniquely a household name in Nigeria and among Nollywood fans in general. While asserting that comic genres are a unique vehicle in projecting Nigerian culture globally as well as establishing the Nollywood brand, Agu is listed as one of the outstanding comedians who have contributed to the development of Nollywood comic genres by Prof. Femi Shaka of the University of Port Harcourt. Agu is married to Nkechi and has three sons and two daughters.

13. Kenneth Okonkwo

Kenneth Okonkwo (born November 6, 1968) is a Nigerian actor, lawyer and politician, known for his role in the movie Living in Bondage as Andy Okeke.

In 2013 he won the Africa Movie Academy Award on a Special Recognition of Pillars of Nollywood. 2015 he was given a special recognition award by the organisers of the City People Entertainment Awards for his contribution to the growth of entertainment in Nigeria.

14. Ramsey Noah

Ramsey Noah (born Ramsey Tokunbo Nouah Jr.; 19 December 1970) is a Nigerian actor and director. He won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2010 for his performance in the movie The Figurine. He made his directorial debut with the film Living in Bondage: Breaking Free in 2019 and also went on to direct the Nollywood classic Rattle Snake: The Ahanna Story which is a remake of Rattlesnake (1995).

Ramsey Nouah started acting in the early 1990s because he needed money for his General Certificate Education (GCE). His acting career kicked off when he starred as Jeff Akin-Thomas in the Nigerian TV soap opera Fortunes. He has since appeared in numerous films starring in the lead role and has been called “Lover-Boy” for his numerous roles in romantic films. He is also considered to be one of the most sought-after actors in Nigeria.

15. Segun Arinze

Segun Arinze (born Segun Padonou Aina in 1965) is a Nigerian actor and singer. Segun Arinze started his career professionally as a singer and an actor. It was singing that first shot him into prominence, and that was after the release of his debut album, Dream, which was not particularly a commercial success. He started his acting career in Ilorin. Outside acting movies, Segun also is an acting coach and currently works with a prestigious African international film festival passing his knowledge on to the next generation of actors.

16. Ejike Asiegbu

Ejike Asiegbu is a Nigerian film actor and film director who once served as President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria. He was also previously appointed as personal assistant to former Biafran leader Odumegwu Ojukwu during the 1994 National Constitutional Conference in Abuja.

Ejike Asiegbu joined the Nigerian movie industry (Nollywood) in 1996 and acted in his first movie “Silent Night” a movie that brought him to the limelight. He acts mostly in action movies along with Pete Edochie, Clem Ohameze, Kanayo O. Kanayo and Kenneth Okonkwo.

17. Tony Umez

Tony Umez is a Nigerian actor. He has acted in more than 200 Nollywood films in both English and Yoruba languages since his debut film in 1998.

He started acting in his secondary days when he performed in stage plays and dramas. In 1993, the actor joined Nollywood. He did not get a dime from his two movies which made him leave the industry for a few years. He returned to the industry in 1997 and featured in the movie, “The Princess” but it was the movie titled “Died Wretched” which was released in 1998 that made him popular.

18. Desmond Elliot

Desmond Elliot (born 4 February 1974) is a Nigerian director and politician He was elected as a lawmaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Surulere Constituency, in the 11 April 2015 Nigerian General Elections. Elliot competed to become the ambassador for the Face of Hope Project, a “volunteer-based non-profit, non-religious, non-political organization established to give hope to the hopeless”, in which he will work toward fixing “child illiteracy in Nigeria and Africa at large” should he emerge. He won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama at the 2nd Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 10th Africa Movie Academy Awards.

Elliot was influenced by a friend to become an actor. He started playing roles in soap operas like Everyday People, One Too Much and Saints and Sinners. He is one of Nollywood’s leading actors, having appeared in over two hundred films including Men Who Cheat, Yahoo Millionaire and Atlanta.

19. Jim Iyke

James Ikechukwu Esomugha (born 25 September 1976), is a Nigerian actor. Jim Iyke began acting in 2001. As of October 2013, he was one of the highest-paid actors in Nollywood, he has appeared in over 150 films.

He started a movie production company, Untamed Productions in 2007, and also has his own music record label, Untamed Records. His first album, titled Who Am I?, featured some of Nigeria’s top musicians, such as TuFace Idibia and Sound Sultan.

He is the founder of the Jim Iyke Foundation for Children with Special Disabilities. He visited Kenya in December 2012 in support of the Make a Change Campaign, a charity project founded by Christopher Grey and Jamaican dance hall artist Cécile. Jim Iyke holds a black belt in taekwondo.

20. Emeka Ike

Emeka Ike (born 22 March 1967) is a Nigerian actor. He was a special guest in Monrovia on the occasion of the commissioning of the new pavilion of the Center for Democratic Change CDC, in Liberia.

Emeka Ike is known for A Million Tears 2 (2006), I Swear (2004) and A Million Tears (2006).

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