Birth Name: Prince Jide Kosoko
Stage Name: Jide Kosoko
Birth Date: January 12, 1954
Occupation (s): Actor, Director
Genres: Comedy, Drama
Years Active: 1964-present
Net Worth: Unknown
Personal Life
Jide Kosoko is an actor and a movie director who was born into the royal Kosoko family in Lagos on January 12, 1954. He began his professional career at age 10 and has remained in the Nollywood industry for more than five decades. Kosoko is one of the pioneers of Yoruba movies and has featured in numerous films.
Kosoko has been married to four women. Three out of the four are late, including Henrietta who was an actress until her demise in June 2016. Jide is now left with Alhaja Karimat.
He is the father of popular Nollywood actresses Bidemi, Shola, Temilade, Tunji, Muyiwa, and Tunde Kosoko. He is also the uncle to Afrobeat musician, Adekunle Gold.
Education
The actor completed his primary and secondary school education in Lagos Island in Nigeria. He obtained his First School Leaving Certificate and West African Senior School Certificate from schools in Lagos. Later, he joined Yaba College of Technology, commonly known as Yabatech, in Yaba, Lagos State Nigeria. He graduated with a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business Administration.
Career
He began his acting career as a child actor in 1964 in a television production ‘Makanjuola’. He has featured in several Nollywood movies in both English and Yoruba languages.
Kosoko was inspired to go into acting by the success of Hubert Ogunde. When an acquaintance who was working with the Ifelodun traveling theatre troupe invited him to audition for a role in Makanjuola, a telemovie, Kosoko accepted the invitation. He auditioned and was chosen for the role, playing a character called Alabi. Kosoko also performed with the Awada Kerikeri group consisting of Sunday Omobolanle, Lanre Hassan, and Oga Bello, and had guest appearances on the T.V. show, New Masquerade. In 1972, he formed his own theatre troupe.
Kosoko has written and produced his own films and stage plays including Ogun Ahoyaya. Kosoko became visible during the Video film era, producing his own film, Asiri n la in 1992, starring in Asewo to re Mecca[10] and Tunde Kelani’s Ti Oluwa Ni’Le part 2.
Awards
2018 – City People Movie Special Recognition Award
2017 – Nigeria Entertainment Award, Best Supporting Actor
2017 – City People Movie Lifetime Achievement Award
2015 – Nigeria Entertainment Award, Best Actor (Indigenous)
Quotes
We started Nigeria film industry
I wish I had more education than what I had
Movies
The Meeting (2012)
Last Flight to Abuja (2012)
I’ll Take My Chances (2011)
The Figurine (2009)
King of Boys (2018)
Sugar Rush (2019)
Merrymen (2019)
Bling Lagosians (2019)
Love is war (2019)
Breaded Life (2021)