Odunlade Adekola is the most well-known Yoruba actor at the moment, and he has been the most well-known Yoruba brand in Nollywood for quite some time.
Odunlade was born on December 31, 1978, in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State. He had his elementary education at St John’s Primary School and his secondary education at St. Peter’s College, both in Abeokuta, where he earned his West African School Certificate Examination. He then went on to Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, where he obtained a diploma and began performing in 1996….
That same year, he joined the Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners and was under the tutelage of late actor and producer, Isola Durojaiye better known as Alasari. Known as a jack-of-all-trades as far as movie production is concerned, Odunlade seemingly excels in all; scripting, producing, directing and starring in several films over the years. Like everyone who has achieved a measure of greatness, he did not achieve the feat on a platter of gold. He earned it by being humble enough and ready to learn, paying utmost attention to details and riding the waves of determination all the way. For him, it was a long road to stardom but not many are aware of the several years he spent as an understudy of more prominent figures before exploding onto the scene in due time. He joined the movie industry and registered as a member of ANTP, the body most Yoruba actors including Odunlade Adekola recently dumped for Theatre Arts and Motion PicturesPractioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPPAN), in 1996 when he was only 18. Whenhe played the lead role in Asiri Gomina Wa, a movie produced by late Alasari, the actor under whom he learnt the rudiments of acting, Odunlade’s impressive acting and carriage put producers and directors on notice. And like a grateful protégé, he has praised the unequalled contributions of late Alasari, who unfortunately died in a fatal auto crash a few years back, for showing him the ropes at every turn…
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His self-produced movie, with a prophetic title of sorts, Emi Ni Ire Kan (I am next in line for God’s favour) being Odunlade Adekola’s secondmovie acted as the perfect launch pad for his taking over. Produced in 2009, the movie came after Farapamo and he played the lead role alongside Ronke Odusanya aka Flaky Ididowo. His role is that of a stammering local rapper and the comic effort sold like hot cakes, opening a floodgate of encomiums and recognitions. He went on to win his first major award as City People Entertainment’s Best Yoruba Actor of the Year in 2009 and has not looked back as he continues to churn out one block-buster after another. For the records, movies including Baba Super, Ila Owo, Eje Fun Eje, Sunday Dagboru, Mufu Oloosa Oko, Alani Pamolekun and Adebayo Aremu Abere rank among the best movies produced in the Yoruba section of Nollywood, with Odunlade Adekola behind them all.
His proactive approach towards producing his own movies in which he regularly plays lead rather than wait for other producers to call him for lead roles, is one of the secrets of his rise. Added to his is his attention to details, which ensures he is not just prolific but never compromises on quality. It is no secret that lack of standards is one of the factors holding Nollywood back, this is even more apparent in the Yoruba section where names, rather than ability, is the biggest consideration when choosing who to play what, this actor has managed to keep his head far above water. Among his peersare notable actors including Adekola Tijani (Kamilu Kompo), Olaniyi Afonja (Sanyeri) Babatunde Bernard (Baba Tee), Soji Taiwo (Omo Banke), Femi Adebayo,
Murphy Afolabi, Segun Ogungbe….
Among those he met on ground, equally talented and skilled in production and directing are Muyiwa Ademola, Saheed Balogun, Funso Adeolu, Yemi Solade and many others but in terms of clout and interest presently, he towers above them all. In an industry riddled with controversy, Odunlade has stayed out of the spotlight for the negative reasons due to his discipline. He is married to Ruth, a woman currently studying for her higher National Diploma at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State and with whom he has 3 children; two boys and a girl. And remaining relevant has yielded multiple benefits for the Abeokuta-based actor. His image looms so large that he earned an ambassadorial deal from Glo in 2011, an achievement he admitted took him to cloud nine. ‘I must tell you, Glo endorsement is one of the happiest things in my life. It makes me happy anytime I remember that I am a Glo ambassador, because when you are working, you don’t know the type of peoplewatching you.
The entertainment sector employs a large number of individuals. So, for a large corporation to say, “Let us call on this man to be an ambassador,” is a fantastic thing. As a result, I am overjoyed. In an interview with ThisDay, he claimed, “I never thought of it at all or that any organization would call on me to be their brand ambassador.” NETNG is the source of this information.