Funke Akindele was born on 24th of August, 1977 in Ikorodu, Lagos State. She attended Grace Children Schools, Gbagada and Lagos State Model College, Igbo-kuta for her primary and secondary education respectively. Funke has an OND in Mass Communication from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State and a Law degree from the University of Lagos.
Funke married Adeola Kehinde Oloyede on May 26, 2012 and they divorced in July 2013 citing irreconcilable differences. She remarried Abdul Resheed Bello, known as JJC Skillz in London in May, 2016.
Jenifa decided to pursue a career in acting even though she is a trained lawyer. Acting comes naturally to her as we can all agree. One of her first movies was Naked Wire where she acted as a waitress. Her journey to stardom began when she played the role of a curious but brilliant secondary school student in a popular TV series, I Need to Know which aired from 1998 -2002. I Need to Know is a United Nations Population Fund sponsored Sitcom program created to enlighten the public on the issues teenagers face while growing up.
Funke has featured, written and produced many Nollywood movies especially Yoruba movies and has many hit movies to her name. Some of her hit movies are Maami, Iru Oka (Cobra’s tail), Omo Ghetto, Ojo Ketala (13thDay) and A Trip to Jamaica.
Funke Akindele got her major breakthrough when she played the main character in a comedy-drama movie, Jenifa where she acted as a ‘local girl’ from the village who went to Lagos for a ‘better’ life. The movie was not just entertaining and hilarious but a massive success which she did well to harness the potential. Jenifa inspired her ongoing TV series Jenifa’s Diary. Jenifa’s Diary has become a household name in most Nigerian homes and features talented artists such as Lota Chukwu, Folarin Falana (Falz Da bad guy) and Lolo, an OAP and TV personality.
Funke Akindele’s Blockbusters
Apaadi (2009)
Maami (2011)
Married but Living Single (2012)
A trip to Jamaica (2016)
Industreet (2017)
Isoken (2017)
Moms at War (2018)
Omoge Ghetto
A tribe called Judah (2023)
Funke is not just successful in acting, she is also a skilled entrepreneur. She owns an acting school, Scene One School of Drama. Scene One School of Drama teaches aspiring actors, producers and dancers how to develop their talents and be the best in their creative careers. The courses offered in the school are Traditional and Contemporary Dance, Music, Introduction to Drama, Etiquette and Manners and much more.
Funke Akindele is also the CEO of Scene One Production. Scene One Production is a content production company for television stations and movies. Scene One production also has entertainment platforms- www.sceneone.tv and a mobile app for watching TV series, Nollywood movies, TV shows and music.
She has a lot of endorsement deals with different brands. Some of the brands include Lagos State Inland Revenue Service, Iroko TV, Vitafoam, Western Lotto, Sports betting company 1960 Bet, and many more. In late August 2018,
Funke Akindele has made history once again with her latest film, “A Tribe Called Judah.” The movie has earned a whopping sum of 1 billion Naira at the Nigerian box office in just 3 weeks, making it the fastest Nollywood movie to achieve this feat. It has also become the highest-grossing Nollywood movie of all time, with earnings still counting, and has made Funke Akindele the highest-grossing Nollywood director of all time.
Released in December 2023, “A Tribe Called Judah” is a heartfelt and comedic drama that tells the story of a single mother and her five sons who, faced with financial hardship, hatch a plan to rob a mall.
The film stars Funke Akindele, Timini Egbuson, Jide Kene Achufusi, Uzee Usman, Tobi Makinde, Olumide Oworu, Genoveva Umeh, Nse Ikpe Etim, Juliana Olayode, Uzor Arukwe, Fathia Balogun, Yvonne Jegede and many others.