Funke Akindele

Funke Akindele
Funke Akindele at the 2020 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards
Born
Akindele Olufunke Ayotunde

(1977-08-24) 24 August 1977 (age 47)[1]
Lagos State, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Other namesJenifa
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Actress
  • film producer
  • director
Years active1998–present
Political partyPDP

Olufunke Ayotunde Akindele // ⓘ (born August 24, 1977)[2][3] popularly known as Funke Akindele or Jenifa,[4] is a Nigerian filmmaker, actress,[5] director, producer and politician.[6][7][8] Akindele starred in the sitcom I Need to Know from 1998 to 2002[9] and in 2009, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role,[10] for her role in Jenifa,[11] 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,[12] for which she was named the Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 and 2017 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.[13] 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 currently owns six wins which makes her the actress with the most wins.[14] She is the second director to gross over a billion naira at the Nigeria box office and currently the Highest grossing Nigerian Director in Nigerian Box Office with a total Gross of over ₦2.9 billion.[15]

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.[16][17]

  1. ^ Sanusi, Hassan (11 September 2016). "Just like Funke Akindele, everyone got Eniola Badmus' age wrong". The Net. The Net. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017.
  2. ^ Njoku, Benjamin (2 January 2010). "I didn't snatch anybody's husband – Funke Akindele". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Full name & Date of Birth". IMDb. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  4. ^ "ABOUT FUNKE AKINDELE - Funke Akindele - Official Website of Olufunke Akindele". olufunkeakindele.com. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Funke Akindele celebrates 14 years of playing 'Jenifa'". thenationonlineng.net. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  6. ^ Olowolagba, Fikayo (12 July 2022). "2023: Funke Akindele puts acting career on hiatus, confirms PDP deputy governorship nomination [VIDEO]". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Funke Akindele Archives". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  8. ^ Funsho Akinwale, Funke Akindele gives first glimpse of her twins, The Guardian
  9. ^ "Funke Akindele: Breaking Boundaries, Ascending New Heights - THISDAYLIVE". www.thisdaylive.com. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  10. ^ "AMAA Nominees and Winners 2009". Africa Movie Academy Awards. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  11. ^ The Return of Jenifa (2011) - IMDb, retrieved 23 September 2021
  12. ^ ""Jenifa's Diary" Watch Funke Akindele in season 4 trailer". Pulse.ng. Chidumga Izuzu. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cable was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ DailyTimesNGR (11 January 2024). "Funke Akindele, the supernova in Nigeria's film industry". DAILY TIMES Nigeria. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  15. ^ Nigeria, Guardian (23 March 2024). "Seven Wonder Women Awards: And the winners were..." The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  16. ^ Jonathan, Oladayo (13 July 2022). "Lagos 2023: How Funke Akindele and I will defeat Sanwo-Olu, APC — PDP gov candidate - Premium Times Nigeria". Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  17. ^ Nwachukwu, John Owen (12 July 2022). "2023: Why I picked Funke Akindele as running mate - Lagos PDP guber candidate, Adediran". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 11 January 2024.