From earning praise playing Bisi, a wide-eyed teenager on the widely successful United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-sponsored sitcom I Need to Know, which ran from 1998 to 2002 to warming hearts with her self produced 2008 movie, Jenifa, earning her big break in the film industry, Nollywood superstar Funke Akindele has always been meant for the cameras.
Born August 24, 1977, in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria, the second of three children to a mother, a medical doctor, and father, a retired school principal, Akindele obtained an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Mass Communication from the former Ogun State Polytechnic, now known as Moshood Abiola Polytechnic.
She is known for the TV show Jenifa’s Diary and its spin-off, web series, Aiyetoro Town, 2018 comedy film Moms at War stars among others. She is the CEO of Scene One Film Production.
In 2009, Funke won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, she also won Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
Funke Akindele made her directorial debut in the 2019 political drama film Your Excellency and has worked as an ambassador to big firms such as Dettol, Irokotv, Keystone Bank, and Waw Nigeria.
