Veteran actor and academic Dr Kola Oyewo has died at 80, leaving behind a rich legacy across Nigerian stage, film and theatre education
By Olayinka Akanbi
The passing of Dr. Kola Oyewo on June 12, 2026 at the age of 80 marks the close of a career that connected three important traditions in Nigerian performing arts: the Yoruba travelling theatre movement, the modern stage, and the classroom.
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For more than six decades, he excelled as an actor, dramatist and academic, building a body of work that extended beyond entertainment into theatre education and performance studies.
Born on March 27, 1946 in Oba-Ile, Osun State, Oyewo began his professional acting career in 1964 when he joined the Oyin Adejobi Theatre Group.
His first credited role was Adejare in Orogun Adedigba, a production based on Oyin Adejobi’s autobiography.
After spending about nine years with the troupe, he moved to the University of Ife Theatre, where he worked alongside playwright Ola Rotimi, one of Nigeria’s most influential dramatists.
It was there that Oyewo became closely associated with one of the defining roles of his career: Odewale in Ola Rotimi’s The Gods Are Not to Blame.
His interpretation of the tragic king became one of the best-known performances of the play and established him as a familiar figure in Nigerian theatre circles.
The role remained one of the performances most closely identified with his name throughout his career.
As Nigerian cinema evolved, Oyewo became a regular face in Yoruba-language films and later Nollywood productions.
His film credits included Koseegbe (1995), Sango (1997), O Le Ku (1997), Saworoide (1999), Efunsetan Aniwura (2005), Yemoja (2011), Omo University (2015), Ayomi (2015), Ewon Laafin (2015), Ofeefe – Mirage (2019), Oba Bi Olorun(2021), Oosa Aafin (2022), Olukoti (2022) and Ogeere (2023). He also appeared in the television series Super Story.
Among film audiences, Oyewo was particularly remembered for his role as Oba Lapite in Saworoide, one of Tunde Kelani’s most enduring political dramas.
The performance added another notable character to a career built on portraying traditional rulers, elders and authority figures across stage and screen.
Away from acting, Oyewo pursued formal academic training after beginning his professional career.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from Obafemi Awolowo University in 1995 before obtaining both a master’s degree and doctorate in Drama from the University of Ibadan.
In 1996, he joined the academic staff of Obafemi Awolowo University, where he rose to the position of Senior Lecturer before retiring in 2011.
He later served at Redeemer’s University as Head of the Department of Dramatic Arts and subsequently taught at Elizade University.
That movement between professional theatre and academia defined much of Oyewo’s career.
While he continued appearing in films, he also trained students in performance, theatre history and dramatic arts, contributing to the education of a new generation of actors and scholars.
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His burial rites will hold in August according to a statement from the family.
