Yesterday marked the birthday of arguably the best actress in Nigeria, singer, former model, and philanthropist, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde. Omotola is a household name in the entertainment industry who has acted over 300 films. She has received high-profile awards and accomplished a lot, not only in the entertainment industry but in the society.
As we celebrate her birthday, RNB takes a look at her family, career, and net worth. So who is Omotola Jalade Ekeinde?
Childhood and Education
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde was born in Lagos, Nigeria on February 7, 1978. She is from Ondo State and spent her early years growing up with her two parents and two brothers, Tayo and Bolaji Jalade. Originally, Omotola's ambition was to work in business management while she awaited her result. During her waiting period, she opted to earn a living by working as a model.
Omotola attended Chrisland School, Opebi between 1981-1987, Oxford Children School (1987), Santos Layout, and Command Secondary School, Kaduna between 1988 - 1993. She studied in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) but completed her studies in Yaba College of Technology between 1996 - 2004.
Career
Omotola didn't go into acting immediately. She started as a model, and thereafter, launched her on-screen career after she went for an audition with a friend. Her first movie, "Venom of Justice" was in 1995, a movie directed by Reginald Ebere. Her first big movie role, which ultimately became national acclaim was "Mortal Inheritance" in 1995. She starred as an Ill woman battling the sickle cell disease. Her debut performance earned her praises from critics and awards, including 'Best Actress in English Speaking Movie and Best Actress Overall at the Thema Awards in 1996.
Her role in "Mortal Inheritance" paved way for Omotola, and in the late 90s and 2000s, she became the most sought out actress. She starred in movies like Lost Kingdom 2, Blood Sister 2, all of which were sequels. By then, Omotola had become an A-list actress. She won a Grand Achiever Award in 2004 for her acting and 'Best Actress in a Supporting Role' at the African Movie Awards (AMAA) in 2005.
In the 2010s Omotola starred in numerous high-grossing films. She starred in movies like, "Ije" and "Last Flight to Abuja". These movies were the highest grossing movies as at the time of their release. This earned Omotola a new nickname, "Cinema Box Office Queen".
She was invited to attend Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, CA in recognition of her work. In 2012, she won "The Black Entertainment Film Fashion Television and Arts BEFFTA Icon Award for her outstanding contributions to the film industry globally. She has received over forty awards.
Omotola's talent wasn't just restricted to acting. In 2005, she launched her debut album, "GBA" and adopted the stage name, "OmoSexy". She worked with artists like Paul Play, Del B, and Harry Song, on the album. The album became quite popular but her fans still identified her as the on-screen goddess, rather than a singer.
Aside from singing and acting, Omotola loves writing. She used to have a column in OK! Nigeria, where she shared her life experiences, views on issues, her works, and com written scripts for the movies she starred in.
In 2018, she received invitation to become a voting member at the Oscars, alongside Femi Odugbemi.
Philanthropy
Omotola has an NGO called Omotola Youth Empowermen Project (OYEP) where she trains youths and organise projects. She also partners "Save the Children UK" and other philanthropic organisations, working for good causes like maternal mortality in Sierra Leone, clean up campaign in the Niger Delta region, etc. She became a UN ambassador for World Food Programme (WFP) in 2005, and still is.
Special Recognition
In 2012, CNN Travel included Omotola's accent on their list of twelve sexiest accents. The following year, Omotola was named as one of the most influential people in TIME Magazine 100. She was confined a national honor in 2014 as Member of the Federal Republic (MFR).
In 2015, she was listed among the highest-grossing movie stars alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Frank Walker, Clint Howard, by Yahoo.
Omotola also reached another milestone. She became the first African to have one million likes on Facebook.
Family and Personal Life
Omotola married in 1996 to Captain Matthew Ekeinde and had their first child, a girl on March 30, 1997. Omotola has five children in total - Princess, M.J, Meraiah, and Michael.
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