Olajumoke Odetola (born 16 October 1988) 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 An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

and

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

. She started off her

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

career in the English-language cinema, before acting in several Yoruba-language films.

Early life and education

Born on 16 October 1988 in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

. Olajumoke Otedola is the last born from a family of Nine. Parents and Seven Children (6 girls, 1 boy) By origin the actress is from Ijemo in Abeokuta,

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to the ...

. Odetola attended ABATI Nur/Pry School in

Lagos State Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...

, she then had her secondary education at

Abeokuta Grammar School Abeokuta Grammar School is a secondary school in the city of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. It is currently located at Idi-Aba area, of Abeokuta. Often called the first grammar school in Nigeria, it is attended by students from all parts of Nige ...

"''ABEOKUTA Girls Grammar School, Abeokuta''" . She obtained her first degree from

Ajayi Crowther University Ajayi Crowther University also known as ACU is a private university located in Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria. Historical background The Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo was established by the Supra Diocesan Board (West) of the Church of Nigeria (Anglic ...

Oyo State Oyo State is an inland state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the east by Osun ...

getting a bachelor's degree in

Information and Communication Technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computers, ...

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

, she then proceeded to

Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta is one of the higher institutions of learning owned and run by the Federal government of Nigeria. History The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, or FUNAAB, was estab ...

, graduating with a master's degree in Computer Science.She revealed in an interview that she graduated from the higher institution with a

CGPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

of 4.3. The actress had her NYSC service year at

Abia State Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to the ...

Career

According to a

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

interview, Odetola disclosed that her decision to venture into acting was contrary to the wishes of her parents. But her fulfillment in the entertainment industry led them to accept her chosen career. She also described her character in ''Somewhere in the Dark'', a film that featured

Gabriel Afolayan Gabriel Afolayan, (born 1 March 1985) also known by his musical stage name G-Fresh, is a Nigerian actor and singer. Education He studied theatre arts at the University of Ibadan. Career He is part of the renowned Afolayan entertainment fa ...

as her most challenging film role. She cited

Majid Michel Majid Michel (born 22 September 1980) is a Ghanaian actor, model, television personality, evangelist and a humanitarian. He received nominations for ''Best Actor in a Leading Role'' at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2 ...

and Omotola Jalade Ekehinde as great inspirations in her budding days as an actress while Abiodun Jimoh is her main mentor in the film business.

Awards

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, she won revelation of the year category at BON Awards. Also, at the

Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards ''Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards'' (AMVCA) is an annual accolade presented by MultiChoice recognizing outstanding achievement in television and film. The inaugural Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards ceremony was held in Lagos, Lagos State ...

, Odetola won the award for ''best indigenous language'' film for her role in ''Binta Ofege and somewhere in the dark''. She retained the award in the 5th edition of the ceremony through ''Somewhere in the Dark''. She also won the best actress in a lead role (Yoruba) at 2017

Best of Nollywood Awards Best of Nollywood Awards (stylised as BON Awards) is an annual film event presented by ''Best of Nollywood Magazine,'' honouring outstanding achievement in the Nigerian Movie Industry. The first edition was held on 6 December 2009, in Ikeja, Lag ...

. The 2017 City People Movie Awards saw Odetola get a nomination for best supporting actress (Yoruba). Jumoke Odetola became the Best Actress at the City People Movie Awards, 2018.

Filmography

* ''Somewhere in the Dark'' * ''Glitterati'' * ''Binta Ofege'' * '' Heroes and Zeros'' * ''Lagido'' * '' Bachelor's Eve'' * Alakiti * '' HigiHaga'' * ''

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 ...

'' * '' The Return Of HigiHaga'' * ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States f ...

'' * ''Kanipe'' (2017) * '' Wetin Women Want'' (2018) * ''The Village Headmaster'' * ''Mirror''

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odetola, Jumoke 21st-century Nigerian actresses Yoruba women filmmakers Yoruba filmmakers Yoruba actresses Living people 1980 births Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta alumni Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards winners Nigerian television actresses Ajayi Crowther University alumni Nigerian film actresses Actresses in Yoruba cinema Actresses from Ogun State