Omotola Jalade Ekeinde ( ; born Omotola Jalade, 7 February 1978) is a Nigerian actress, singer, philanthropist and former model. Since her Nollywood film debut in 1995, Ekeinde has appeared in over 300 films, selling millions of copies. Omotola is the second Nigerian and first Nigerian celebrity to receive over 1 million likes on her Facebook page. She currently has a total of 3 million followers on Facebook. In 2013, she was included in '' Time'' magazine's list of the

100 most influential people ''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, po ...

in the world. In 2013, Ekeinde made a brief appearance on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

's scripted series, '' Hit the Floor''. On 2 November 2013, she spoke at the 2013 edition of the WISE- Summit, held in Doha, Qatar. In 2014, she was honoured by the Nigerian government, when she became a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) for her contributions to

Nigerian cinema The cinema of Nigeria, often referred to informally as Nollywood, consists of films produced in Nigeria; its history dates back to as early as the late 19th century and into the colonial era in the early 20th century. The history and develo ...

Early life and education

Omotola Jalade, who is of

Ondo Ondo may refer to: Japan * Ondo, Hiroshima * Ondo (music), a style of folk music * ''Ondo'' class oiler, ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy Nigeria * Ondo City * Ondo State * Roman Catholic Diocese of Ondo * Ondo Kingdom (c. 1510–1899) People ...

descent, was born in Lagos State. She grew up with her parents and two younger brothers, Tayo and Bolaji Jalade. Her mother, Oluwatoyin Jalade née Amori Oguntade, worked at J.T Chanrai Nigeria, and her father, Oluwashola Jalade, worked at the YMCA and the Lagos Country Club. She attended Chrisland School, Opebi (1981–1987), Oxford Children School (1987), Santos Layout, and Command Secondary School, Kaduna (1988–1993). She had a brief stint at Obafemi Awolowo University and completed her studies at Yaba College of Technology (1996–2004), where she studied Estate Management. She originally wanted a career in business management. However, while awaiting her results from university, she began modelling to earn a living.

Career

Acting career

Ekeinde was introduced to acting while accompanying a friend to an audition. Her first acting role was in the 1995 film ''Venom of Justice'', directed by Reginald Ebere. She was given the lead role in the film. Her first major role was in the film '' Mortal Inheritance'' (1995), where she played a

sickle-cell Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders typically inherited from a person's parents. The most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blo ...

patient who fought for her life against small odds of survival. Since then, she has starred in several films, including ''Games Women Play'', ''Blood Sisters'', ''All My Life'', ''Last Wedding'', ''My Story'', ''The Woman in Me'' and others. For her role in ''Mortal Inheritance'', she won "Best Actress in an English Speaking Movie" and "Best Actress Overall" at the 1997 Movie Awards. She was the youngest actress in Nigeria at that time to win this. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, she starred in several sequel films, including ''Lost Kingdom II'', ''Kosorogun II'', and ''Blood Sister II'', leading to a grand achiever award from the Global Excellence Recognition Awards in 2004. She was awarded best Actress in a supporting role during the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2005. After shooting roughly three hundred video movies, Ekeinde received her first cinematic movie role in the 2010 film "'' Ije"''. This film was shot at locations in

Jos Jos is a city in the north central region of Nigeria. The city has a population of about 900,000 residents based on the 2006 census. Popularly called "J-Town", it is the administrative capital and largest city of Plateau State. During British ...

and the United States."''Ije"'' was the highest grossing Nollywood film at the time – A feat later broken by ''

Phone Swap ''Phone Swap'' is a 2012 Nigerian romance comedy-drama film written by Kemi Adesoye, directed and produced by Kunle Afolayan. It stars Nse Ikpe Etim, Wale Ojo, Joke Silva, Chika Okpala, Lydia Forson and Afeez Oyetoro. The film was conceived after ...

(2012)''. In 2012, she starred in the Nollywood thriller, ''

Last Flight to Abuja ''Last Flight to Abuja'' is a 2012 Nigerian disaster thriller film written by Tunde Babalola, directed and produced by Obi Emelonye, and starring Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Hakeem Kae-Kazim and Jim Iyke. Shot in Lagos, the film received 5 nomination ...

'' which became the second-highest-grossing movie in West African cinemas in 2012. She has gone on to win over forty domestic and international awards. In 2015, Ekeinde celebrated her 20th anniversary in the entertainment industry, having appeared in about two hundred films. In June 2018, Ekeinde and fellow Nigerian Femi Odugbemi received invitations to be voting members at the Academy Awards.

Music career

Ekeinde launched a music career in 2005 with the release of her debut album titled "gba". The album produced the singles "Naija Lowa" and "The Things You Do To Me." Her unreleased second album – ''Me, Myself, and Eyes'', brought in production from Paul Play and

Del B Ayodele Basil, better known as Del B, is a Nigerian (composer) sound engineer, record producer. and songwriter. He is best known for producing Kcee's hit single "Limpopo", which went on to be voted Song of The Year at the 2013 edition of The Head ...

. It was supported by the songs "Feel Alright", featuring Harrysong, and "Through the Fire", featuring Uche. In late 2012, Ekeinde began working on her third album and enlisted the help of The Bridge Entertainment. She went to Atlanta, Georgia in the United States to work with producers and songwriters who could help create a sound that would resonate with American audiences. She had studio sessions with

Kendrick Dean Kendrick Jevon Dean (also known as Wyldcard) is an American record producer, songwriter and entrepreneur. He has produced or written for 7 GRAMMY Nominated albums to date. Some of his hits include Chris Brown's "Say Goodbye" (Billboard #1), Mar ...

, Drumma Boy and Verse Simmonds and recorded a song with singer Bobby V.

Reality show

In 2012, Ekeinde also launched a reality television show, ''Omotola: The Real Me'', on Africa Magic Entertainment, a M-Net subsidiary broadcast on

DStv Digital Satellite Television, commonly abbreviated to DStv, is a Sub-Saharan African direct broadcast satellite service owned by MultiChoice and based in Randburg, South Africa. Launched on 6 October 1995, the service provides multiple audio, ...

. She was the first Nigerian celebrity to star in her own reality show.

Philanthropy

Ekeinde became a United Nations World Food Programme Ambassador in 2005, going to missions in Sierra- Leone and Liberia. She also supports organisations such as Charles Odii's SME100 Africa to empower youth and young women in society. She has been active in the Walk the World project and participated in the Walk the World campaign in Liberia with President

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born Ellen Eugenia Johnson, 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. Sirleaf was born in Mon ...

. Her human rights campaign work is centered on her NGO project, called the Omotola Youth Empowerment Program (OYEP). This undertaking brought hundreds of youths together for the Empowerment Walk and Convention. She lent her voice in 2010 to the "Rewrite The Future" campaign of Save The Children UK. She became an

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

campaigner in 2011 and has participated in campaigns in Sierra-Leone (Maternal Mortality) and a 2012 campaign for the Niger Delta in Nigeria, where she shot a video asking

Shell plc Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...

and the government to "own up, clean up, pay up, and take responsibility for the oil spills in the Niger Delta. In June 2020, she visited an orphanage home in Tanzania run by Tanzania Mitindo House which focuses on HIV infected children, with Tanzanian actress Wema Sepetu. To promote the 2021 World No Tobacco Day and the #SmokeFreeNollywood campaign, Ekeinde and actors (

Dakore Egbuson-Akande Dakore Egbuson-Akande (born Dakore Omobola Egbuson; 14 October 1978) is a Nigerian actress. She is an ambassador for Amnesty International, Amstel Malta and Oxfam of America. Biography Dakore was born in Bayelsa State as the first child of her ...

Daniel Effiong Daniel Effiong (born 17 June 1972 in Calabar) is a retired male sprinter from Nigeria. He became African 100 metres and Universiade champion in 1993. Together with Innocent Asonze, Francis Obikwelu and Deji Aliu he won a bronze medal in 4 x ...

Meg Otanwa Meg Otanwa (born 14 February) is a Nigerian actress and former banker. She had her Nollywood debut in 2011 in the film, ''I'll Take My Chances'' and had featured in films such as ''October 1'' (2018), ''Ojuju'' (2014), ''Kpians: The Feast of So ...

, Michelle Dede,

Osas Ighodaro Osas Ighodaro (Osariemen Martha Elizabeth Ighodaro; born 26 October) is a Nigerian American actress, producer, host and humanitarian. She won the Miss Black USA Pageant in 2010, and founded the Joyful Joy Foundation, an initiative that raises f ...

pledged to stop smoking in their movie scenes, as it had a negative influence on young kids who looked up to them. The campaign was backed by US non-profit organization Tobacco-Free Kids and a sub-Saharan public strategy firm - Gatefield.

Awards and recognition

Ekeinde has a regular column in '' OK! Nigeria Magazine'' titled "Omotola's Diary", which features writings about her life and experiences. On 5 November 2013, she received the Ebony Vanguard Award at the Music Video and Screen Awards (MVISA) held in Birmingham, England. On 9 November 2013, Oba Victor Kiladejo, the Royal king of Ondo Kingdom conferred on Omotola a chieftaincy title in her hometown of Ondo State. In 2012, CNN Travel included Ekeinde's accent on their list of the "world's twelve sexiest accents, . The Nigerian accent ranked fifth on the list. In 2013, she was included in '' Time'' magazine's list of the

in the world. Ekeinde was included in the list of Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2013. In 2015, she was listed among the highest-grossing movie actors. Others on the list included

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

, Bob Bergen, Jack Angel, Mickie McGowan,

Michael Papajohn Michael Papajohn (born November 7, 1964) is an American character actor, stuntman and former college baseball player for the LSU Tigers baseball team. He played Dennis Carradine in Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man'' trilogy. Early life Papajohn was b ...

, Martin Klebba, Clint Howard and Chris Ellis. This listing was compiled and researched by Yahoo!.

Personal life

Jalade married Captain Matthew Ekeinde in 1996. Together, they have four children.

Selected filmography

Discography

Studio albums

* ''GBA'' (2005) * ''Me, Myself, and Eyes'' (unreleased)

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ekeinde, Omotola Jalade 21st-century Nigerian women singers 1978 births Living people Yoruba actresses Actresses from Lagos Nigerian philanthropists 20th-century Nigerian actresses 21st-century Nigerian actresses Yoruba women philanthropists Nigerian Christians Best Supporting Actress Africa Movie Academy Award winners Yaba College of Technology alumni Members of the Order of the Federal Republic Actresses in Yoruba cinema English-language singers from Nigeria Obafemi Awolowo University alumni Models from Lagos Yoruba women musicians Yoruba female models Actresses from Ondo State Nigerian film award winners Nigerian humanitarians