From the days of little beginnings, the days of ‘I need to know’ TV series, Funke Akindele has never stopped carving a niche for herself. Little wonder she continues to excel in the entertainment industry, particularly becoming one of the most sought-after actresses in Nollywood.
The 46-year-old filmmaker and movie director began her acting career in 1998 after starring in the sitcom, ‘I need to know’. In 2009, she gained full recognition in the Nollywood industry for her wave-making movie, Jenifa. This movie brought her into the limelight and shortly after its release, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Ever since the release of Jenifa, the screen goddess has continued to garner several local and international awards for her roles in several blockbusters which were mostly produced and directed by her.
Akindele was named the Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 and 2017 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) for her TV series, Jenifa’s Diary. Remarkably, she won the same award in 2020 and 2022. She is currently the most nominated actress and filmmaker at the AMVCA and has won over five awards in different categories.
Her latest achievement is the blockbuster, ‘A Tribe Called Judah’, a movie which is currently the highest-grossing movie at the Nigerian Box Office with a total Gross of over ₦2.9 billion. Prior to this achievement, her movies, ‘Battle on Buka Street’ and ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’ were back-to-back highest-grossing movies in 2022 and 2020 respectively. While ‘Battle on Buka Street’ had a total gross of over ₦660 million, ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’ had a total gross of over ₦640 million.
The University of Lagos law graduate delved briefly into politics in 2022 and was nominated as the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples’ Progressives Congress (PDP). However, this political ambition was short-lived, as Akindele lost to the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Perhaps, fate has decided that acting would be her most successful calling.