Yoruba actor at the moment and indeed the most prominent brand that section of Nollywood has had for a while, praizemedia report.
Born on December 31, 1978 in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, Odunlade attended St John’s Primary School for his primary education and St.Peter’s College also in Abeokuta where he obtained the West African School
Certificate Examination. He proceeded to Moshood Abiola Polytechnic where he reportedly received a diploma certificate and began acting in 1996…
That same year, he joined the Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners and was under the tutelage of late actor and producer, Isola Durojaiye better known as Alasari. Known as a jack-of-all-trades as far as movie production is concerned, Odunlade seemingly excels in all; scripting, producing, directing and starring in several films over the years. Like everyone who has achieved a measure of greatness, he did not achieve the feat on a platter of gold. He earned it by being humble enough and ready to learn, paying utmost attention to details and riding the waves ofdetermination all the way. For him, it was a long road to stardom but not many are aware of the several years he spent as an understudy of more prominent figures before exploding onto the scene in due time. He joined the movie industry and registered as a member of ANTP, the body most Yoruba actors including Odunlade Adekola recently dumped for Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures
Practioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPPAN), in 1996 when he was only 18. When he played the lead role in Asiri Gomina Wa, a movie produced by late Alasari,
the actor under whom he learnt the rudiments of acting, Odunlade’s impressive acting and carriage put producers and directors on notice. And like a grateful protégé, he has praised the unequalled contributions of late Alasari, who unfortunately died in a fatal auto crash a few years back, for showing him the ropes at every turn….
His self-produced movie, with a prophetic title of sorts, Emi Ni Ire Kan (I am next in line for God’s favour) being Odunlade Adekola’s second movie acted as the perfect launch pad for his taking over. Produced in 2009,
the movie came after Farapamo and he played the lead role alongside Ronke Odusanya aka Flaky Ididowo. His role is that of a stammering local rapper and the comic effort sold like hot cakes, opening a floodgate of encomiums and
recognitions. He went on to win his first major award as City People Entertainment’s Best Yoruba Actor of the Year in 2009 and has not looked back as he continues to churn out one block-buster after another. For the records,
movies including Baba Super, Ila Owo, Eje Fun Eje, Sunday Dagboru, Mufu Oloosa Oko, Alani Pamolekun and Adebayo Aremu Abere rank among the best movies produced in the Yoruba section of Nollywood, with Odunlade Adekola behind themall. His proactive approach towards producing his own movies in which he regularly plays lead rather than wait for other producers to call him for lead roles, is one of the secrets of his rise. Added to his is his attention to
details, which ensures he is not just prolific but never compromises on quality. It is no secret that lack of standards is one of the factors holding Nollywood back, this is even more apparent in the Yoruba section where names, rather than ability, is the biggest consideration when choosing who to play what, this actor has managed to keep his head far above water. Among his peers
are notable actors including Adekola Tijani (KamiluKompo), Olaniyi Afonja (Sanyeri) Babatunde Bernard (Baba Tee), Soji Taiwo (Omo Banke), Femi Adebayo,
Murphy Afolabi, Segun Ogungbe….
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Among those he met on ground, equally talented and skilled in production and directing are Muyiwa Ademola,
Saheed Balogun, Funso Adeolu, Yemi Solade and many others but in terms of clout and interest presently, he towers above them all. In an industry riddled with
controversy, Odunlade has stayed out of the spotlight for the negative reasons due to his discipline.
He is married to Ruth, a woman currently studying for her higher National Diploma at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State and with whom he has 3 children; two boys and a girl. And remaining relevant has yielded multiple benefits for the Abeokuta-based actor. His image looms so large that
he earned an ambassadorial deal from Glo in 2011, an achievement he admitted took him to cloud nine. ‘I must tell you, Glo endorsement is one of the happiest things in my life. It makes me happy anytime I remember that I am a
Glo ambassador, because when you are working, you don’t know the type of people watching you. There are a lot of people in the entertainment industry. So, for a big company like that to say ‘let us call on this man to be an ambassador’ is a great thing for me. So, I am so happy. Like I used to say, I never thought of it at all or that any organisation would call on me to be its brand ambassador, he said in an interview .