Funke Akindele

Akindele Olufunke Ayotunde (born August 24, 1977), widely known as Funke Akindele, is a Nigerian actress, film producer, and director. She is one of the most prominent figures in the Nigerian film industry, often referred to as Nollywood. Akindele is also recognized as the second director to gross over a billion naira at the Nigerian box office and is the highest-grossing director in the Nigerian box office with a total gross exceeding ₦4.7 billion. She is also known by her popular alias, Jenifa. Akindele was born in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is of Yoruba descent. She is the second of four children. Her mother was a medical doctor, and her father was a retired school principal. She attended Grace Children's School, Gbagada, Lagos State. For her higher education, Akindele obtained an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Mass Communication from the former Ogun State Polytechnic, now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic. She later earned a law degree from the University of Lagos. Akindele began her professional career in 1996 and gained significant recognition after starring in the popular United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-sponsored sitcom, *I Need to Know*, which aired from 1998 to 2002. In the sitcom, she played Bisi, a curious and highly intelligent secondary school student. Her career transitioned successfully to feature films, and she is celebrated for her versatility in both Yoruba and English language productions. Her major breakthrough came with the film *Jenifa* (2009), which introduced her iconic character. This success led to the spin-off television series *Jenifa's Diary* (2015–2022), where she reprised her role as Jenifa. Other notable works include *The Return of Jenifa* (2012), *Aiyetoro Town* (2019–present), and her recent film *Everybody Loves Jenifa*, which became the highest-grossing Nigerian film of all time, surpassing *A Tribe Called Judah* at the box office in 2025. Akindele holds the distinction of having the most wins at major award shows like the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCA) and the Nigeria Entertainment Awards. Beyond her work in entertainment, she also ventured into politics. In 2022, she was nominated by the People's Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, as the running mate for the 2023 Lagos State gubernatorial election. Akindele currently maintains an active presence in the Nigerian film industry as an actress, producer, and director, continually breaking box office records.