Olufunke Ayotunde Akindele (born August 24, 1977) popularly known as Funke Akindele or Jenifa, is a Nigerian filmmaker, actress, director, producer, politician and realtor. Akindele starred in the sitcom I Need to Know from 1998 to 2002 and in 2009, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, for her role in Jenifa, which brought her to fame. Akindele reprised the role in 2011 sequel The Return of Jenifa and 2015 soft reboot television series titled Jenifa's Diary, for which she was named the Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 and 2017 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards. Akindele won the same award in 2020 and 2022, making it her fifth win for the Best Actress in a Comedy category. Akindele is the most nominated actress/filmmaker at the AMVCA and holds the record for most wins for an actress with six. She is the second director to gross over a billion naira at box office and is currently the Highest-Grossing Director in Nigerian Box Office with a total gross of over ₦2.9 billion. In 2022, she was nominated by the People's Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, as the running mate for the 2023 Lagos state governorship election.

Early life and education

Akindele was born on August 24, 1977, in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria. She is a Yoruba woman. She is the second of three children (two girls and one boy). Her mother is a medical doctor while her father is a retired school principal. She attended Grace Children's School, Gbagada, Lagos State. She obtained an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Mass Communication from the former Ogun State Polytechnic, now known as Moshood Abiola Polytechnic. She earned a Law degree from the University of Lagos.

Career

Akindele came into the limelight after starring in the popular United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-sponsored sitcom I Need to Know, which ran from 1998 to 2002. Funke Akindele played Bisi, a curious but highly intelligent secondary school student. Funke Akindele's big break came in 2008 when she appeared in the movie Jenifa. In 2010, she starred in gangsters two-parter film Omo Ghetto that became a cult-classic with massive influence on Yoruba pop-culture at the time. She has since gone on to produce and star in successful Yoruba films, establishing her status as an undisputed household name in the region In 2013, Akindele ventured fully into what is known as the English part of the industry, amassing fans in the eastern part of the country and throughout the entire nation. In an interview in July 2016, Funke Akindele stated she was acting less in the Yoruba film industry at that time because of piracy. Akindele played the lead character in the TV show Jenifa's Diary, alongside Fisayo Ajisola, Falz, Juliana Olayode, and Aderounmu Adejumoke. The show was a soft reboot of the movie Jenifa. The 2018 comedy film Moms at War starred Funke Akindele and Omoni Oboli. In July 2019, Akindele started a new web series, Aiyetoro Town, a spin-off from her popular TV series, Jenifa's Diary. She was the former CEO of Scene One Film Production. She made her cinematic directorial debut in the 2019 political drama film, Your Excellency. Alongside Daniel K. Daniel and Blessing Egbe, Akindele was invited to join the 2022 membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences popularly known as the Oscars as voting member.

Political career

Akindele was nominated as the Lagos deputy governorship candidate under Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) in the 2023 elections. Justifying her nomination, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran monikered "Jandor", noted that the actress added more value to his candidacy in the 2023 general elections. Confirming her deputy governorship candidacy, the actress stated that her acting career must be “necessarily put on hold”.

Charity initiative

Akindele established a non-governmental organization known as the Jenifa Foundation, which aims at providing young people with vocational skills.

Endorsements

Akindele has endorsement deals such as her being signed as an Ambassador to Dettol and Irokotv. In 2018, she was signed as a brand ambassador for Keystone Bank. In November 2019, she signed an endorsement deal with WAW Nigeria, a company that manufactures washing detergent and bar soap.

Personal life

On 26 May 2012, Funke Akindele married Adeola Kehinde Oloyede. The couple divorced in July 2013, citing irreconcilable differences. Funke Akindele married Nigerian rapper JJC Skillz in London in May 2016. Her pregnancy rumours were among the top searched results on Google search engine in August 2017. JJC Skillz announced the end of the union between him and the popular actress which lasted six years via his official Instagram handle on June 30, 2022. Funke Akindele gave birth to twin boys in December 2018 and has several step-children.

Controversy

In April 2020, Akindele was arrested along with JJC Skillz, her husband at that time and charged for having a birthday party for her husband during a mandated lockdown to curb the spread of the Corona Virus. She later appeared in a Nigeria Centre for Disease Control video to raise awareness about Corona Virus. The actress and her husband were sentenced to a 14-day community service after pleading guilty to violating the lockdown order.

Record holdings

In 2024, Her movie A Tribe Called Judah became the highest grossing Nigerian movie of all time, breaking the record of her movie Battle on Buka Street. Akindele has the most wins at award shows like AMVCA and Nigeria Entertainment Awards. She is the producer and director of the three highest grossing Nollywood movies of all time, A Tribe Called Judah, Battle on Buka Street and Omo Ghetto: The Saga.

Filmography

Awards and nominations