Chief Peter Fatomilola (born 16 January 1946) is a Nigerian dramatist, film actor, poet and prolific

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

Early life

Fatomilola was born on 16 January 1946 in the town of Ifisin-Ekiti in Ido-Osi Local Government area of Ekiti State, Nigeria, to Chief Abraham Ojo Fatomilola and Mrs. Elizabeth Fatomilola. He is a son of Chief

Ifa IFA or Ifa may refer to: Organisations Economics * Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK * Index Fund Advisors * Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK * Institute of Ac ...

Priest, known as the Oluwo (Olu-awo, meaning Lord of the oracle), which was believed to have influenced his herbalist role 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 ...

n film. His mother was from the town of Isare-Oge in

Kwara State Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger state, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the internation ...

. In 1967, he joined the Olokun Theatre group under the tutelage of the late Professor

Ola Rotimi Olawale Gladstone Emmanuel Rotimi, best known as Ola Rotimi (13 April 1938 – 18 August 2000), was one of Nigeria's leading playwrights and theatre directors. He has been called "a complete man of the theatre – an actor, director, choreograp ...

, a renowned

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

tist and prolific playwright at the University of Ife, now

Obafemi Awolowo University Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...

. He is also a member of the academic staff of

, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts in 1978. He was the first ''

Papa Ajasco ''Papa Ajasco and Company'' (formerly ''The Ajasco Family'') is a Nigerian family television sitcom created by Wale Adenuga in 1996. The show is a spin-off of a feature film of the same title produced by Wale Adenuga in 1984, which in turn is b ...

,'' a lead role in a comedy film produced by

Wale Adenuga Wale Adenuga (born 24 September 1950) is a Nigerian former cartoonist/publisher, and currently series producer, best known for the publications ''Ikebe Super'', ''Binta and friends'' and '' Super Story'', and their televised versions through h ...

. He had featured in several notable Nigerian films such as Sango, an epic African film produced by

Obafemi Lasode Obafemi Lasode (born 4 December 1955) is a Nigerian veteran musician, film director and producer, songwriter, music producer, and playwright. He is the chief executive officer of Even-Ezra Nigeria Limited, the stable that produced an award-winn ...

and scripted by

Wale Ogunyemi Chief Wale Ogunyemi, OFR (12 August 1939–December 2001) was a Nigerian veteran seasoned dramatist, film actor, prolific playwright , and Yoruba language scholar Early life Ogunyemi was born on 12 August 1939 at Igbajo, a city in Osun St ...

in 1997. He has acted the role of the priest in several Yoruba films.

Filmography

* ''

'' * '' Rise of the Saints'' (2020) *

King Invincible ''King Invincible'' is a 2017 Nigerian epic and action movie written and produced by Femi Adesina. The movie was written in 2003, the production started in 2015 and was not produced until 2017. The movie that fused the themes of love and war ...

Personal life

He is married with several wives, including one who sells local concoctions and herbs (Iya Fat) at a market at the Obafemi Awolowo University. He has 11 children. In addition, he has several chieftaincy titles around Yorubaland, including Oluwo (Chief Ifa Priest) in his hometown of Ifisin-Ekiti and Amuludun in Ile-Ife.

References

Living people 1946 births Yoruba male actors Nigerian male film actors Nigerian male poets Nigerian dramatists and playwrights People from Ekiti State 20th-century Nigerian male actors 21st-century Nigerian male actors 20th-century Nigerian poets 21st-century Nigerian poets Male actors in Yoruba cinema {{Nigeria-actor-stub