Unlike many actors with a grand story of why they wanted to be on the big screen, Bimbo Success’ reasons were simple – she wanted to follow the wishes of her father, who loved acting as a profession.
Following her father’s wish, Abimbola ‘Bimbo Success’ Abolaji, has made a name for herself in Nollywood with her peculiar casting in street roles. Despite her casting, the actress has a depth to her that’s unknown to most.
Born in Lagos, Bimbo Success is an indigene of Ekiti State. Her father, the famous Adebayo ‘Success’ Ogundare, a former leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos in the 1970s.
Bimbo, a Mass Communications graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye in Ogun State, started her career in 1999, making her debut in the Yoruba film ‘Tiro Aranmoju’.
According to her, her dad made her love her job and took her to actress Nike Peller for training.
Nike Peller is a veteran Yoruba actress and stage illusionist known as the daughter of the late Professor Peller, one of Nigerians’ greatest magicians.
After training with Peller for four years, Bimbo went on to feature in movies like ‘Ajulo (2019)’, ‘The Message (Isipaya)’, ‘Meji Meji (2017)’, and ‘Eda Lo Nsare’, amongst others. Since 1999, she has produced multiple movies, including ‘Adamo’, ‘Iyawo mi’, ‘My Pet’ and ‘Iwadi’.
While working in the industry, she met her husband, Bolaji Saheed, a movie director. The couple got married in 2016 and gave birth to a set of twins in November 2021.
Shortly after, one of her children was diagnosed with an illness, and Funke Akindele paid the hospital bills. According to Bimbo, Funke Akindele cleared a bill of over ₦1 million. Going against Akindele’s instruction, Bimbo took to social media to appreciate her colleague.
Bimbo’s announcement of Funke Akindele’s generosity sparked a high level of curiosity among fans who took to the internet to find out more about the actress who has been away from the movie scene for some time.
The increased search for Bimbo Success’ name on the internet earned her the NET Honours Class of 2022 award for the Most Searched Actress, ahead of other actresses like Funke Akindele, Iyabo Ojo, Nancy Isime and Osas Ighodaro.
