‘I owe everything to God’ – Jide Kosoko tells NET at 60

Veteran Nollywood film actor/producer/director Jide Kosoko is a year older today. The versatile actor who stars in both English and Yoruba movies was born in 1954 into the royal family of Prince Lasisi Kosoko and Arawu Adeyanju Alake of Isale Eko,Lagos Island.

He started his acting career at the age of 10 under the tutelage of the legendary Hubert  Ogunde. Growing up in Yaba, he attended Yaba Methodist Primary School and finished from Bona College in 1972 before studying Business Administration at Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH).

Kosoko joined the famed Ojo Ladipo Theatre Group and met Sunday Omobolanle popularly known as ‘Papi Luwe’, Taiwo ‘Iya Awero’ Hassan and Adebayo ‘Oga Bello’ Salami with whom he developed an intimate friendship which has continued up till this moment. The Ojo Ladipo Theatre Group had a popular comedy drama on television in which he played the role of ‘Jide Babs’. But before then, he had his first theatre role when he was cast as ‘Alabi’ for Nigeria Television, Bar beach, Lagos drama. He will later break out to form his own group and produce his first movie ‘Ojiji’.

The Lagos-born prince is one of the founding fathers of Nollywood, a talented actor whose versatility lets him play lead roles in English, Yoruba, Pidgin and even comedy flicks. He is also a recipient of numerous awards, a brand ambassador for Nigeria drink ‘Chivita’ and one of the longest serving presidents of Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (ANTP).

Kosoko is married with children and two of his daughters Bidemi and Sola are big players in Nollywood with the older Shola more prominent as she has proven her versatility just like her father by featuring in English television soaps and acting in Yoruba movies too.

‘I owe everything to God, even if I am 60 today I don’t feel it, I feel good and thank God for everything’, he said in a phone conversation with NET today.

‘The Prince’ as his friends and admirers call him has acted in over 100 movies with ‘Taxi Driver’,’Mosebolatan’, bilingual flick ‘Deadly Affair’, and the classic ‘Asiri Nla’.

Recently, he featured in the AMAA award winning movie ‘The Figurine’, Funke Akindele’s hilarious  movie ‘Jenifa’ and starred in the multiple awarding winning movie ‘The Meeting’.

THE NET NG