Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, born Abibat Oluwafunmilola Aofiyebi and known informally as FAR, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

actress. She has had a long-running radio show. She appeared in the film ''

The Figurine ''The Figurine: Araromire'' is a 2009 Nigerian supernatural suspense thriller film written by Kemi Adesoye, produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan, who also stars in the film as one of the main protagonists. It also stars Ramsey Nouah and Omoni O ...

'',

Tinsel Tinsel is a type of decorative material that mimics the effect of ice, consisting of thin strips of sparkling material attached to a thread. When in long narrow strips not attached to thread, it is called "lametta", and emulates icicles. It was o ...

, and

MTV Shuga ''Shuga'', also known as ''MTV Shuga'', is a television drama series that was first aired in November 2009 on MTV Base as part of an initiative dubbed "MTV Staying Alive Ignite!". Its first two seasons were commissioned by MTV Networks Africa in ...

Life

Funlola is the last of seven children, born to a businesswoman mother and an entrepreneur father. The name FAR came after she got married and has become her signature. FAR had an early start on stage and television, with her aunt Teni Aofiyebi, a veteran actress. She is married to advertising guru Olayinka Raimi. Due to the death of her brother she decided to stay off social media for some time and later return.

Career

FAR took a TV acting course at Westminster College, and at the Actors Studio in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

. She also has a BSc in sociology from the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...

in Nigeria. FAR's film debut was in

Amaka Igwe Amaka Igwe (2 January 1963 – 28 April 2014) was a Nigerian filmmaker and broadcasting executive. Igwe was the owner oTop Radio90.9 Lagos and Amaka Igwe Studios. She was recognized as one of the second-generation filmmakers who helped begin t ...

's film ''

Violated Violated may refer to: * ''Violated'' (EP), a 1996 EP by Stuck Mojo * ''Violated'' (1996 film), a Nigerian romantic drama film * '' Violated!'', a 1974 film directed by Albert Zugsmith. {{dab ...

'' acting alongside

Joke Silva Joke Silva , MFR is a Nigerian actress, director, and businesswoman. In 1998 she had a major role, starring opposite Colin Firth and Nia Long in the British-Canadian film ''The Secret Laughter of Women''. In 2006, she won "Best Actress in a Le ...

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 wo ...

Ego Boyo Nwakaego (Ego) Boyo (born September 6, 1968) is a Nigerian actor, producer, executive producer and creative entrepreneur who is popular for her role as Anne Haatrope in the early 90s soap, '' Checkmate''. She is the founder and Managing Director ...

, and

Kunle Bamtefa Kunle Bamtefa is a Nigerian actor known for playing the role of "Uncle Pablo" in '' The Johnsons'' family sitcom and Chief Fuji in ''Fuji House of Commotion''. Filmography *'' Checkmate'', 1991 *''Mortal Inheritance,'' 1996 *'' Violated'', 199 ...

. She was nominated for a THEMA best upcoming actress award in 1996. FAR was cast as the lead character in ''

Keeping Faith ''Keeping Faith'' (1999) is the sixth novel by the bestselling American author Jodi Picoult. The book is about a custody battle involving a seven-year-old girl, Faith White, who may be seeing God. Plot summary When Mariah White catches her hu ...

'', by director Steve Gukas. FAR was nominated for an AMMA best supporting actress award for ''

'' directed by

Kunle Afolayan Kunle Afolayan (born 30 September 1975) is a Nigerian actor, producer and director. He is widely credited for elevating the quality of Nollywood movies though larger budgets, shooting on 35mm, releasing in cinemas, and improving cliché Nollywo ...

. Before appearing in the

M-net M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

TV show ''

'', playing Brenda, FAR has featured on other drama shows like '' Doctors Quarters'', ''

Solitaire Solitaire is any tabletop game which one can play by oneself, usually with cards, but also with dominoes. The term "solitaire" is also used for single-player games of concentration and skill using a set layout tiles, pegs or stones. These game ...

'', and ''

Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

''. FAR has acted on stage in '' Sing That Old Song For Me'' and ''

The Mansion The Mansion or The Mansions may refer to: Books * ''The Interior Castle'', also known as ''The Mansions'' (1577), a spiritual guide written by Teresa of Ávila * ''The Mansion'' (novel), a 1959 book written by novelist William Faulkner Buildings ...

'' written by Rasheed Badamusi, and also ''

The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. The play explores cons ...

''. FAR won a dance reality show called ''Celebrity Takes 2''. In 2014, FAR co-starred with British-Nigerian actor

Wale Ojo Wale Ojo is a British Nigerian actor. He started as a child actor in television. He subsequently continued acting roles in the UK and Nigeria. He came into prominence in 1995 for his role in '' The Hard Case''. He won the award for Best Actor ...

. She had a radio show called ''Touch of Spice'' for 14 years (started in August 1999). Mrs Olutu in MTV Shuga 2020

FAR was in ''MTV Shuga'' in 2019 and 2020 and her supporting role of "Mrs Olutu" was included when it went into a mini-series titled MTV Shuga Alone Together highlighting the problems of

Coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...

on 20 April 2020. The series was written by Tunde Aladese and broadcast every week night - its backers include the United Nations. The series was based in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, South Africa,

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

and the story progresses using on-line conversations on location between the characters. All of the filming was done by the actors who include Lerato Walaza,

Mamarumo Marokane Mamarumo Marokane (born c. 1997) is a South African actor and presenter. She known for her appearances in ''Shadow'' and MTV Shuga. Early life Marokane was born in about 1997 tafelkop Limpopo province. She studied at CityVarsity School of Medi ...

Jemima Osunde Jemima Osunde (born 30 April 1996) is a Nigerian actress, model, and presenter. She gained exposure after playing Leila in the television series '' Shuga''. Osunde was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 15th Africa Movie Academ ...

Folu Storms Ada Afoluwake Ogunkeye (born November 25, 1986) known professionally as Folu Storms, is a Nigerian radio host and presenter, actress, voice-over artist, and television host. Early life Storms was born in Aguda, Surulere, Lagos state. She att ...

and FAR. In August 2009, she celebrated the 10 years anniversary of her radio program ''Touch of Spice(TOS)''. She promised to do it in grand style by making available a free train trip for her fans to go watch a movie at the cinema. Her longest running appearance on television is on the Pan African Network MNet daily soap - Tinsel, where she has for 10 seasons played the role as Brenda Mensah - nominated at the 2010 Nigerian Entertainment Awards, New York (NEA) for Best Actress in a TV Show. A dance enthusiast, Funlola won the maiden edition of a dance reality show, ''Celebrity Takes 2'' in 2007, beating 9 other Nigerian Celebrities to the top spot. She attends Film Festivals on a regular basis and has been contracted as a goodwill ambassador for both Black Star International Film Festival (

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

) and Real Time Film Festival (

Filmography

*''

'' (2009) *''

'' (2008–Present) *''

Grey Dawn (film) ''Grey Dawn'' is a 2015 Ghanaian-Nigerian drama film, co-produced and directed by Shirley Frimpong-Manso. It stars Bimbo Manuel, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, Sika Osei and Marlon Mave. Cast *Bimbo Manuel as Minister *Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi as Jessic ...

'' (2015) *''Entreat'' (2016) *''Walking with Shadows'' (2019)

Awards

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aofiyebi-Raimi, Funlola Living people University of Lagos alumni Yoruba actresses Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Nigerian actresses Nigerian television actresses Nigerian stage actresses Nigerian film actresses Alumni of the University of Westminster Nigerian radio presenters Nigerian women radio presenters Actresses from Lagos State 1970 births