Jide Kosoko (born 12 January 1954) 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 ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a 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 term is (), li ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and producer. He was born into a royal family, hence his traditional title of prince or "

omoba Oba means ″ruler″ in the Yoruba and Bini languages of West Africa. Kings in Yorubaland, a region which is in the modern republics of Benin, Nigeria and Togo, make use of it as a pre-nominal honorific. Examples of Yoruba bearers include Oba ...

" in the

Yoruba language Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in Southwestern and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speakers is roughly 50 million, plus about 2 million second-languag ...

Early life

Prince Jide Kosoko was born in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

on the 12th of January 1954, to the

Kosoko Kosoko (died 1872) was a member of the Ologun Kutere Lagos Royal Family who reigned as Oba of Lagos from 1845 to 1851. His father was Oba Osinlokun and his siblings were Idewu Ojulari (who was Oba from 1829 to 1834/35), Olufunmi, Odunsi, Ladeg ...

royal family of

Lagos Island Lagos Island (''Ìsàlẹ̀ Èkó'') is the principal and central local government area (LGA) in Lagos, it was the capital of Lagos State until 1957. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian census, the LGA had a p ...

Career

Prince Jide Kosoko studied business administration at the

Yaba College of Technology Yaba College of Technology, popularly known as YABATECH, was founded in 1947, and is Nigeria's first higher educational institution. It is located in Yaba, Lagos. It has a student enrollment of over 16,000. Overview Yaba College of Technology ...

. He began his acting career as a child actor in 1964 in a television production named ''Makanjuola''. He has featured in several

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 ...

movies in both English and

s. The young Jide Kosoko grew up in Ebute Metta and was inspired by the huge success of

Hubert Ogunde Chief Hubert Adedeji Ogunde, D.Lit. (10 July 1916 – 4 April 1990) was a Nigerian actor, playwright, theatre manager, and musician who founded the first contemporary professional theatrical company in Nigeria, the African Music Research Pa ...

to go into acting, when an

acquaintance The concept of interpersonal relationship involves social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people. Interpersonal relationships vary in their degree of intimacy or self-disclosure, but also in their duration, in t ...

who was working with the Ifelodun travelling theatre troupe invited him to an audition for a role in ''Makanjuola'', a tele-movie. Jide Kosoko accepted the invitation; he later went for the audition and was chosen for the role, playing a character called Alabi. Kosoko continued with acting, he then performed with the Awada Kerikeri group consisting of Sunday Omobolanle, Lanre Hassan and Oga Bello, ⁣ and had guest appearances on the T.V. show, '' New Masquerade''. In 1972, he formed his own theatre troupe. Jide Kosoko has written and also produced his own films and stage plays including ''Ogun Ahoyaya''. Kosoko became visible during the Video film era, producing his own film, ''Asiri n la'' in 1992, starring in ''Asewo to re Mecca'' and Tunde Kelani's ''Ti Oluwa Ni'Le'' part 2. Endorsement Prince Jide Kosoko is an ambassador for a popular juice production company Chivita. In 2016, he endorsed MeritAbode Limited, owners of Emerald Estate. Kosoko is also one of the brand ambassadors for Western Lotto situated 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 ...

. Awards and nominations In 2021, Abuja International Film Festival nominated Kosoko as the Outstanding Male Actor in '' Love Castle.''

Personal life

Prince Jide Kosoko was married to two wives, Karimat and Henrietta, ⁣ and has children and grandchildren. He is known to be the biological father of six children which are Bidemi, Shola, Temilade, Tunji, Muyiwa, and Tunde Kosoko.

Selected filmography

*''Nkan La'' (1992) *''Oro Nla'' (1993) *Glamour Girls (1994) *'' Koseegbe'' (1995) *'' Out of Luck'' *''

The Department ''The Department'' is a satirical comedy on BBC Radio 4 about a secret organisation with the power to influence every aspect of your life. Chris Addison, John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman star as Research Team 32, an eccentric three-man think-t ...

'' (2015) *'' Gidi Up'' (2014) (TV Series) *'' Doctor Bello'' (2013) *'' The Meeting'' (2012) *''

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 nominati ...

'' (2012) *'' I'll Take My Chances'' (2011) *''

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 ...

'' (2009) *'' Jenifa'' *'' The Royal Hibiscus Hotel'' * Alter Ego 1 (2017) *'' King of Boys'' (2018) *'' Kasala'' *'' Sugar Rush'' *'' Akpe: Return of the Beast'' (2019) *'' Merrymen'' (2019) *'' Bling Lagosians'' (2019) *'' Love is war'' (2019) *''

Shadow Parties ''Shadow Parties'' is a 2021 Nigerian political drama film directed and produced by Yemi Amodu. The film stars Yemi Blaq, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Toyin Abraham, Jide Kosoko, Sola Sobowale, Magdalena Korpas, and Lucien Morgan. It premiered on N ...

'' (2020) *''

Breaded Life ''Breaded Life'' is a 2021 Nigerian dramedy film written and directed by Biodun Stephen. It was co-produced by Biodun Stephen, Tara Ajibulu and Kayode Sowade. It stars MC Lively, Bisola Aiyeola, Timini Egbuson, Bimbo Ademoye, Bolanle Ninalowo ...

'' (2021) *'' Two Weeks in Lagos'' (2019) *'' Love Castle'' (2021) * The Mystic River (2021) - Nigerian Series *The Figurine (2009) *The Bling Lagosians (2019) *Breaded life (2021) *The Wildflower (2022)
House 69
(2019)
Kiki's Dilemma
(2021)
More Than Just 4 Letters
(2019)
Ghetto Bred
(2018) *

Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman ''Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman'' is a 2022 Yoruba-language Nigerian historical drama film directed by Biyi Bandele and distributed by Netflix, based on ''Death and the King's Horseman'', a stage play he wrote while in Cambridge, where he wa ...

(premiers in September 2022)

References

External links