Known For: Nigerian actress and producer (born 1977)
Category: Actresses
Occupation: actor, film actor, film producer, film director, politician, screenwriter
Country: Nigeria
City: Ikorodu
Date of Birth: Wednesday, 24 August 1977
Olufunke Ayotunde Akindele popularly known as Funke Akindele or Jenifa, is a Nigerian filmmaker, actress, director, producer and politician. Akindele starred in the sitcom I Need to Know from 1998 to 2002 and in 2009, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, for her role in Jenifa, 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, for which she was named the Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 and 2017 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards. 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. 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.
| BirthPlace | Ikorodu |
| Education | Q1782980, Q17109158 |
| Awards | Q17001109, Q7032808, Q17109236, Q16827140, Q18385710, Q16825873 |
| Spouses | JJC |
| Wikipedia | Funke_Akindele |
Akindele was born on August 24, 1977, in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria. She is a Yoruba woman. She is the second of three children (two girls and one boy). Her mother is a medical doctor while her father is a retired school principal. She attended Grace Children's School, Gbagada, Lagos State. She obtained an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Mass Communication from the former Ogun State Polytechnic, now known as Moshood Abiola Polytechnic. She earned a Law degree from the University of Lagos. Akindele came into the limelight after starring in the popular United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-sponsored sitcom I Need to Know, which ran from 1998 to 2002. Funke Akindele played Bisi, a curious but highly intelligent secondary school student. Funke Akindele's big break came in 2008 when she appeared in the movie Jenifa. In January 2018, there was a controversy when it was reported that Funke Akindele would get her Hollywood debut in Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War as she was listed as a member of the cast on IMDb. Mainstream Nigerian press reported that Jenifa was set to star in Infinity War as the guard Dora Milaje, citing IMDb. Some weeks later her name was replaced with that of fellow Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji, with Funke Akindele's upload shown to have been a hack. In February 2018, it was reported that Senate President and chair of the National Assembly, Dr. Bukola Saraki, had advised Marvel Studios to feature Akindele in Infinity War. In an interview in July 2016, Funke Akindele stated she was acting less in the Yoruba film industry at that time because of piracy. Akindele played the lead character in the TV show Jenifa's Diary, alongside Fisayo Ajisola, Falz, Juliana Olayode, and Aderounmu Adejumoke. The show was an adaption of the movie Jenifa. The 2018 comedy film Moms at War starred Funke Akindele and Omoni Oboli. In July 2019, Akindele started a new web series, Aiyetoro Town, a turnover from her popular TV series, Jenifa's Diary. She is the former CEO of Scene One Film Production. She made her cinematic directorial debut in the 2019 political drama film, Your Excellency. Akindele was nominated as the Lagos deputy governorship candidate under Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) in the 2023 elections. Justifying her nomination, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran monikered "Jandor", noted that the actress added more value to his candidacy in the 2023 general elections. Confirming her deputy governorship candidacy, the actress stated that her acting career must be “necessarily put on hold”.
