Biography
Omotola Jalade (born 7 February 1978), known professionally as Omotola Jalade Ekeinde MFR or OmoSexy, is an iconic Nigerian actress, singer, philanthropist, and former model.
Since her Nollywood film debut in 1995, she has appeared in over 300 films, selling millions of video copies.
After receiving numerous high-profile awards, launching a music career, and amassing an enviable fan base, the press dubs her the real Africa Magic.
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde is the first African celebrity to receive over 1 million likes on her Facebook page. She currently has a total of over 3 million followers on Facebook.
Nigerian actress
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde |
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 Omotola Jalade Ekeinde: History, Bio, Photo |
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Full Name: | Omotola Jalade Ekeinde |
| Stage Name: | “Omo Sexy”; Omotola Jolade Ekeinde; Omotola Jalade; Omotola Ekeinde |
| Born: | 7 February 1978 (age 46 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Lagos, Nigeria |
| State Of Origin: | Ondo State |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Height: | 1.68 m |
| Parents: | Shola Jalade, Oluwatoyin Jalade |
| Siblings: | Bolaji Jalade, Tayo Jalade |
| Husband • Spouse: | Capt. Matthew Ekeinde (m. 1996) |
| Boyfriend • Partner: | N/A |
| Children: | Princess Ekeinde, Captain E, Meraiah Ekeinde, Micheal Ekeinde |
| Occupation: | Actress • TV Personality |
| Net Worth: | US$7.2 million |
Early Life
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, who is of Ondo descent, was born in Lagos State. He was born on the 7th of February, 1978, in Lagos, Nigeria.
She grew up in a family of five: her parents and two younger brothers, Tayo Jalade and Bolaji Jalade.
Her mother, Oluwatoyin Jalade née Amori Oguntade, worked at J.T Chanrai Nigeria, and her father, Oluwashola Jalade, worked at the YMCA and the Lagos Country Club.
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde‘s original ambition was to work in business management. While awaiting her results from university, she began modeling to earn a living.
She attended Chrisland School, Opebi (1981–1987), Oxford Children School (1987), Santos Layout, and Command Secondary School, Kaduna (1988–1993).
She had a brief stint at Obafemi Awolowo University and completed her studies at Yaba College of Technology (1996–2004), where she studied Estate Management.
Acting Career
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde was introduced to acting by accompanying a friend to an audition. Her first acting role was in the 1995 movie Venom of Justice, directed by Reginald Ebere.
Reginald Ebere has been cited as launching her career. She was given the lead role in the movie, which set the stage for a flourishing career in the Nollywood film industry.
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde got her first significant role in the critically acclaimed film Mortal Inheritance (1995). In the movie, she played a sickle-cell patient who fought for her life despite the odds of survival. Her character overcame the disease, and she had a baby.
The film is regarded as one of Nigeria’s best movies ever made. Since then, she has starred in several blockbuster movies, including Games Women Play, Blood Sisters, All My Life, Last Wedding, My Story, The Woman in Me, and others.
After a career-defining role in Mortal Inheritance, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde‘s portrayal won her “Best Actress in an English Speaking Movie” and “Best Actress Overall” at the (1997) Movie Awards. She was the youngest Actress in Nigeria at that time to achieve this feat.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the increasingly known actress starred in several sequel films, including Lost Kingdom II, Kosorogun II, and Blood Sister II, leading to a grand achiever award on behalf of the Global Excellence Recognition Awards in the year (2004).
By the mid-year (2000), Omotola Jalade Ekeinde had catapulted into “A” list status. She was awarded Best Actress in a supporting role during the African Movie Academy Awards (2005).
After shooting roughly three hundred (300) video movies, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde received her first cinematic movie role in the year (2010) film “Ije“. This film was shot at locations in Jos and the United States.
“Ije” was the highest-grossing Nollywood film at the time – A feat later broken by Phone Swap (2012). In 2012, she starred in the Nollywood blockbuster thriller, Last Flight to Abuja, which beat Hollywood blockbusters like Spiderman, Think like a Man, Ice Age, The Avengers, and Madagascar to become the 2nd highest-grossing movie in West African cinemas in 2012.
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has gone on to win over forty (40) domestic and international awards. She is considered Africa’s most prominent box office actress.
In 2015, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde celebrated her 20th anniversary in the entertainment industry. She has appeared in about two hundred (200) movies.
In June 2018, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, alongside Femi Odugbemi, received invitations to join the Oscars in the year (2018) voting members.
Music Career
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde OmoSexy launched a “long-awaited” music career in 2005 with the release of her debut album titled “GBA“. The album produced the singles “Naija Lowa” and “The Things You Do To Me.”
Her unreleased second album – Me, Myself, and Eyes, brought in production from Paul Play Dairo and Del B. It was supported by the songs “Feel Alright“, featuring Harrysong, and “Through the Fire“, featuring Uche.
The album’s launch party was held in Nigeria, and tables were expected to sell for N1 million.
In late 2012, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde began working on her third album and enlisted the help of The Bridge Entertainment. She went to Atlanta to work with a few prominent producers and songwriters who could help create a sound that would resonate with American audiences.
She had studio sessions with Kendrick Dean, Drumma Boy, and Verse Simmonds and recorded a song with singer Bobby V.
Reality TV Show
In 2012, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde launched her reality show, Omotola: The Real Me, on Africa Magic Entertainment, an M-Net subsidiary broadcast on DStv.
This made Omotola Jalade Ekeinde the first Nigerian celebrity to star in her reality show.
Philanthropy
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde became a United Nations World Food Programme Ambassador in 2005, going to missions in Sierra Leone and Liberia. She also supports organizations such as Charles Odii‘s SME100 Africa to empower youth and young women in society.
She has been active in the Walk the World project and participated in Liberia’s Walk the World campaign with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde is a fierce human rights campaigner, and her philanthropy efforts are centered on her NGO project, called the Omotola Youth Empowerment Programme (OYEP). The undertaking brought hundreds of youths together for the Empowerment Walk and Convention. She lent her voice in (2010) to the Rewrite The Future Campaign of Save The Children UK.
She lent her voice in (2010) to Rewrite The Future Campaign of Save The Children UK.
She became an Amnesty International campaigner in (2011) and has participated in campaigns in Sierra-Leone (Maternal Mortality) and her recent campaign of The Niger Delta in Nigeria, where she shot a video asking Shell and the government to own up, clean up, pay up and take responsibility of the Oil spills in the Niger-Delta.
In June 2020, she visited an orphanage home in Tanzania run by Tanzania Mitindo House, which focuses on HIV-infected children. She was welcome at the Julius Nyerere airport by a Tanzanian celebrity Wema Sepetu amidst dancing and singing. She then had lunch together with the orphanage children at the home of Wema Sepetu
To commemorate the 2021 World No Tobacco Day and the #SmokeFreeNollywood campaign, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and some Nollywood stars like Dakore Egbuson-Akande, Daniel Effiong, Meg Otanwa, Michelle Dede, Osas Ighodaro, amongst others, pledged to stop smoking in their movie scenes, as it had a negative influence on young kids who looked up to them. The campaign was backed by US non-profit organization Tobacco-Free Kids and a sub-Saharan public strategy firm – Gatefield.
Personal Life
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde married Captain Matthew Ekeinde in 1996. The couple later held a white ceremony on board a Dash 7 aircraft while flying from Lagos to Benin (2001), with close family and friends present.
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde gave birth to her first daughter on 30 March 1997. They have four children, Princess Ekeinde, Captain E, Meraiah Ekeinde, and Micheal Ekeinde. She lost her father, Shola Jalade in 1991.
Awards & Nominations
- The gorgeous actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde was named Best Actress in an English Speaking Film at the 1996/97 Thema Awards for her portrayal of Kemi‘s character in Mortal Inheritance.
- She was also named Best Actress Overall for the same award show the same year for her excellent acting in Mortal Inheritance.
- She was awarded Best Actress in a Supporting Role during the African Movie Awards in 2005.
- In 2012, the talented actress was honored with a Black Entertainment Film Fashion TV and Arts (BEFFTA) Icon Award on October 27, 2012, for her outstanding contributions to the film industry worldwide.
- Omotola Jalade Ekeinde acknowledged the recognition as an extraordinary moment for her, stating that the award is the best award she has received globally.
- She was named one of TIME Magazine’s Most influential people in the World in The 2013 TIME 100 list. Her name was listed under the Icons list alongside Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Kate Middleton, and others.
- In 2018, she won Best Actress in a Drama/TV Series at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice awards.
- In 2014, the actress was honored with a Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) award by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
- Best Actress from the City People Awards for Excellence 2004.
- Best Actress & Grand Achiever at Global Excellence Recognition Awards in 2004.
- Most Friendly Actress by Youth Benefactor’s Awards, in 2006.
- Best Actress-Africa Collaboration at Ghana Movie Awards 2011
- Actress of the Year at Eloy Awards 2012
- Pan African Best Actress at Screen Nation Awards 2012
- GIAMA Humanitarian Award at Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards 2012.
- Ebony Vanguard Award at Music Video and Screen Awards 2013
- Female Entertainment Personality at City People Social Media Awards 2016
- Best Actress at Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival 2017
- Best Actress at Nollywood Travel Film Festival 2017
- Most Influential 100 People of African Descent at the United Nations by MIPAD 2018
- Movie Icon of the Year at City People Movie Awards 2018
Filmography
- Alter Ego (2017): Barrister Ada Igwe
- Blood in the Lagoon (2015): Scarlett Belo
- Amina (2012): Amina
- Last Flight to Abuja (2012): Suzie
- Ties That Bind (2011): Adaobi Onyomena
- A Private Storm 1,2 &3 (2010): Gina
- Mind Game (2010): Betty
- Ijé: The Journey (2010): Anya Opara Michino
- Last Celebrity 1&2 (2011)
- My Last Ambition 1&2 (2009): Amanda
- Kings Battle (2009)
- Beyonce & Rihanna 1&2 (2008)
- Blindfold 1&2 (2008)
- One on One 1&2 (2008)
- Sister’s Love 1,2,3 &4 (2008)
- Temple of Justice 1&2 (2008)
- Tomorrow Must Wait 1,2 &3 (2008)
- Worst Enemy 2 (2008)
- Yankee Girls 1&2 (2008)
- Careless Soul 1&2 (2007)
- Desperate Sister1&2 (2007)
- Final War 1&2 (2007)
- Power of Justice 1&2 (2007)
- Sand in My Shoes 1&2 (2007)
- Sister’s Heart 1&2 (2007)
- The Prince of My Heart 1&2 (2007)
- The Revelation 1&2 (2007)
- Titanic Battle 1&2 (2007)
- Total War 1&2 (2007)
- Sandra Jealousy (2006)
- Taste of Sin 1&2 (2006)
- Brave Heart 1&2 (2005)
- Games Women Play 1&2 (2005)
- Queen of Hasso Rock 1&2(2005)
- A Kiss from Rose 1&2(2004)
- All My Life 1&2 (2004)
- Die Another Day 1&2 (2004)
- Fateful Love 1&2 (2004)
- In Totality (2004):
- Olivia Last Wedding (2004):
- Sandra Snr. Last Wedding 2 (2004)
- Masterstroke 1&2 (2004)
- Moment of Joy 1&2 (2004)
- My Blood 1&2 (2004)
- No One But You (2004)
- Pretty Woman (2004)
- Royal Family 1&2 (2004)
- The Woman in Me 1&2 (2004)
- Worst Marriage1&2 (2004):
- Augusta Beyond Belief 1&2 (2003):
- Nkiru Blood Sister 1&2 (2003)
- Have a Dream 1&2 (2003)
- Will Die for You (2003)
- My Best Friend (2003)
- Oyato 1&2(2003)
- Rescue (2003)
- Society Lady (2003)
- Soul Provider (2003)
- The Outsider (2003)
- The Silent Book 1&2 (2003)
- Touching Love (2003)
- True Love (2003) Under Fire (2003)
- What I Want (2003)
- When Love Dies (2003)
- Working for Love (2003)
- Shackles and the Rugged Cross (2003)
- Kosorogun 1&2(2002)
- Lost Kingdom 1&2 (1999)
- Scores to Settle (1998)
- Mortal Inheritance (1996)
Discography
Albums
- GBA (2005)
- Me, Myself, and Eyes
Singles
- 2014 “Barren Land”.
- 2015″Strong Girl (Remix)” ss a featured artist
TV Shows
- Hit the Floor- End Game (2018
Net Worth
Named one of the highest earning and influential African actresses, the beautiful actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has an estimated net worth of US$7.2 million.
Social Media
The award-winning performer Omotola Jalade Ekeinde is active on social media. She has over 6 million followers on Facebook, over 1.4 million followers on Twitter, and over 5 million on Instagram.
