Funke Akindele – Biography And Business Life Of Funke Akindele

Funke Akindele is a Nigerian actress, film producer, scriptwriter, and entrepreneur. She is popularly known as ‘Jenifa’, a character she played in a movie titled Jenifa.  Funke Akindele has carved out a niche for herself in the Nigerian entertainment industry with the way she fondly interprets her roles which she has extended to her own soap opera ‘Jenifa’s Dairy’.

Funke Akindele Background

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.

Funke Akindele’s Career

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.

See Also: Biography and business

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

Other Business Interests of Funke Akindele

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, she bagged a new endorsement deal with Keystone Bank, a financial institution.

Philanthropy

Funke Akindele is a caring and generous person.  She founded Jenifa’s Foundation, a non-governmental organisation. Through Jenifa’s Foundation, Funke gives back to society.  The organisation empowers and helps young people discover their talents in acting, music, and dance.

Awards Won by Funke Akindele

• Best Actress Leading Role at Africa Movie Academy Awards                                                    2009
• Best Actress at Nigerian Entertainment Awards                                                                      2009
• Best Actress at Nollywood Movies Awards                                                                              2012
• Best Actress at Zulu African Film Academy Awards                                                                 2012
• Best Actress (Indigenous) at Nollywood Movies Awards                                                          2013
• Best Actress (Comedy) at Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards                                              2014
• Brand Ambassador of the Year at ELOY Awards                                                                     2014
• Best Actress (Leading Role) at Nigerian Entertainment Awards                                              2014
• Best Actress in Comedy at Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards                                          2016
• Sitcom of the Year at Naija FM Awards                                                                                 2016
• Best Actress Africa Collaboration @ Ghana Movies Awards                                                     2016
• Best Actress of the Year at Africa Entertainment Legend Awards                                            2016
• Best Actress in Comedy Movies at Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards                              2017
• Best Lead Actress at Nigerian Entertainment Awards                                                            2017

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