Nollywood is home to many legendary actors and actresses who are now proud grandparents. While they continue to shine on screen, they also embrace the joy of watching their families grow.
Some openly share their love for their grandchildren, while others, keep family matters private. Regardless, they all cherish this phase of their lives.
Despite their busy careers, these Nollywood icons find time for family. Whether mentoring young actors or enjoying moments with their grandchildren, they remain an inspiration. Here are Nollywood actors and actresses who are grandparents.
1. Pete Edochie
Pete Edochie is one of Nollywood’s most revered actors, known for his deep baritone voice, commanding presence, and fatherly roles. He is also known for his interesting Proverbs and wise sayings in movies.
His career took off in the 1980s when he played the iconic role of Okonkwo in the NTA adaptation of Things Fall Apart, a performance that cemented his status as a legend.
Beyond acting, Edochie is a patriarch both on and off-screen, with a large family. He is married to Josephine Edochie and has 6 children. Two of his children took his acting footsteps – Yul Edochie and Linc Edochie.
He has a couple of grandchildren with four through Yul known to the public – Kambi, Karl, Dani and Victory Edochie. His presence in Nollywood remains unmatched, and even in his older years, he commands intense respect from fans and colleagues alike.
2. Ireti Doyle
Ireti Doyle is a Nollywood actress, television presenter, public speaker and writer, born on 3rd May, 1967. She is currently 57 years old.
The actress had her first child at the age of 19 where she gave birth to Ngozikachi Abimbola Ozofor before marrying Patrick Doyle. She had 6 children with Patrick and they got separated in 2017 and finally divorced in 2023.
Ngozikachi got married in 2014 and gave birth to her first child in 2018 making Ireti an official grandmother. The actress took to Instagram that year to share the news and how ecstatic she was to be a grandma.
Ireti is known for her powerful and eloquent performances in movies. Her name spread like wildfire in the industry with her role as Obianuju Onwuka in the 2017 box office hit romantic comedy, The Weddings Party.
3. Omoni Oboli
Omoni Oboli is a multifaceted actress, scriptwriter and director, known for her many contributions to Nollywood both in front and behind the camera. She has starred in and directed several successful films.
In recent times, Omoni has devoted her expertise in delivering timeless Nollywood movies on YouTube where she has millions of subscribers. This is a step away from her typical cinema box office moves like Wives on Strike and Love is War.
She is married to Nnamdi Oboli and they have three sons together – Gozi, Chizi and Tobe Oboli. She is the latest grandma in the Nollywood industry as her 22-year-old son, Tobe married a Caucasian lady, Marelle Bergsma and they have a daughter named Naya.
The news of Omoni’s grandmothership spread throughout the industry and beyond just last year and since then, Omoni has been the perfect grandmother documenting her experiences and making reference to life as a grandma and mother-in-law.
4. Richard Mofe-Damijo
RMD, as he is fondly called, is also one of Nollywood’s most revered actors, known for his charismatic performances. He has a career spanning three decades in the Nollywood industry where he has featured in several films and series.
He is married to Jumobi and is a father to five children with one child from his first wife and the other four from Jumobi. He has three sons and two daughters. He is a proud grandfather through his first son, Kome Mofe-Damijo who is married to Eniola and they have kids together.
His third child, Oghenetega is the socialite of the family and with whom he did a recent movie with titled Revelations. The movie was shot abroad and has Tega featured as one of the acts.
RMD occasionally shares his joy and experiences of grandfatherhood ok social media. These glimpses reflect his deep affection and the fulfillment he derives from his family.
5. Olu Jacobs & Joke Silva
Nollywood’s power couple and have been married for three decades. They got married in 1989 and together they have been the ideal marriage goal of a lot of people both in the industry and outside. Together they have two sons.
Olu Jacobs is a veteran Nollywood actor. He was described as the godfathers of Nollywood alongside Pete Edochie by Vanguard. At 80, the man has lived a life replete of excellent theatre and movie performances.
His wife, Joke Silva has also left an indelible mark in Nollywood. No one can easily forget her commanding presence and eloquence. The fact that she also stayed with Olu all these years despite his dementia speaks volume of her personality.
The couple welcomed their first grandchild in 2019 when their son, Olusoji and his wife, Boma were delivered of a baby boy in the US. He was named Oluwasoromidayo Atarah Owanemi Abimbola Jacobs.
6. Genevieve Nnaji
Genevieve Nnaji is a celebrated Nigerian actress born on May 3, 1979. She is currently 45 years old. She started her journey into the industry at age 8 with the television soap opera, Ripples.
Genevieve became a mother at the age of 17. She gave birth to her daughter, Theodore Chimebuka Nnaji when she was 17. In an interview, she narrated how she found out about the pregnancy and abortion was not an option because of the devout Catholic family she came from.
Her daughter, Chimebuka tied the knot with her husband, Prince Osi Chigozie Ihediwa in Mbaise in 2016 and they welcomed a baby boy. Genevieve became a grandmother at 39.
Genevieve stands as one of the most revered actresses in Nigeria. She stands tall as the director of the first Netflix original movie in Nigeria – Lionheart in 2018.
7. Patience Ozokwor
Patience Ozokwor, affectionately known as Mama G is a veteran Nigerian actress and is celebrated for her dynamic roles in Nollywood, often portraying strong-willed characters. In the early 2000s, Patience dabbled into music and released classic songs that are still resonate with audiences.
She was an announcer and broadcaster on Radio Nigeria before she became an actress. She rose to fame for her role in the 1999 movie, Authority and her first TV drama was a soap opera titled Someone Cares.
She was an announcer and broadcaster on Radio Nigeria before she became an actress. She rose to fame from her role in the 1999 movie Authority and her first TV drama won a soap opera titled Someone Cares on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
She is a mother of three biological children and five adopted children. All of her children are grown and have gone ahead to build families of their own. Patience is now reportedly a grandmother to about 16 grandchildren.
8. Liz Benson
Born on April 5, 1966, which means she is currently 58 years old, Elizabeth Benson is a Nigerian actress, philanthropist and television personality. She was born in the Southern part of Nigeria and started acting when she was 5 years old.
The actress who gained recognition for her role in the 1994 classic movie, Glamour Girls took an unusual break from acting at some point. She later returned to Nollywood specifying his she was now a born again Christian and would only take roles where she identified as a Christian.
Prior to that, her last role in that aspect was Still Falling, as directed by Karachi and Dimbo Atiya in 2021. She featured together with Daniel Etim Effiong, Sharon Ooja and Panam Parcy Paul. In the role, she exemplified the ideal Christian character.
Beyond acting, Liz is fond of her family. She has three children and in 2017, her daughter Lilian married her husband, Promise Diribe. In 2019, they welcomed their first baby together making Liz a proud grandma.
9. Shan George
Shan George was born on April 21, 1970 in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. She is currently 54 years old.
She was born to an Igbo mother and a British father. She entered into marriage at the tender age of 16 and soon after, welcomed two sons.
She was married twice and divorced both times. She has two sons – Jaga and Delnoi. She welcomed her first grandchild on September 7, 2014 as her first son, Delnoi, had a beautiful baby girl.
Shan had constantly spoken on how it feels good to be a grandmother. She is grateful to have been blessed by God to carry the responsibility of being one and takes the responsibility very seriously. This highlights how much family means to her.
10. Rita Daniels
Chief Hon. Rita Daniels Chukwuji, popularly known as, Rita Daniels is a Nollywood actress, producer and politician born on July 12, 1975. This means that she is currently 49Â years old.
She is a native of Ogwashi-uku in Delta State and Anioma (Delta Igbo) by tribe. She is known for select movies like Parental Love, Virgin Justice, The Angel I Know etc.
She is married to Barr. Jude Ojeogwu and together, they have 6 children – 3 sons and 3 daughters including the popular Regina Daniels.
Regina Daniels made her mother a grandmother with the two sons she had with her billionaire husband, Ned Nwoko and also gifted her mother, Rita a new house to thank her for all her help. Rita, in return, told her that in her next world, she’d still be her daughter.
