Most Nigerians know him as the first husband of the cantankerous Mrs Omwokopopo from the hilarious Little Miss Jocelyn skits on BBC, played by Jocelyn Jee Esien.
But Femi Elufowoju is no joke: his theatre career is as accomplished as they come. Actor, playwright and theatre director, he has carried a torch for the art – more so in these days of the internet where entertainment is only a click away. Femi Elufowoju is well celebrated on the British theatre circuit.
Born in 1962 to Nigerian parents in London, at age 12 he was sent to live in Ibadan. As a primary school student he featured in a school play where he first fell in love with acting.
He didn’t return to the UK until 11 years after being advised to withdraw from Obafemi Awolowo University on account of poor academic performance.
His return to London at 23 afforded him the opportunity to discover himself further and he went to school to study theatre. He would go on to earn a degree in Dramatic Arts from Leeds University.
Today, he’s the first African to establish a national touring company in the UK. He founded Tiata Fahodzi in 1997 and led it for 13 years, producing over 30 plays.
Elufowoju has also appeared on England’s most prestigious stages, including the Royal National Theatre, Royal Exchange, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Royal Court Theatre amongst many others.
While doing all of these, he also found time to appear in a number of television dramas and a couple of full length movies. And who can forget his roles as Mr Omwokopopo?
Femi Elufowoju’s Nigerian-ness is not make belief: in recent years he’s been making inroads into the Nigerian theatre space, working on several plays here.
He’s been part of AKE Festival and was director of the stage adaptation of Lola Shoneyin‘s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives.
Elufowoju worked on Oladipo Agboluaje’s Iya-Ile which was nominated for the prestigious Olivier Award.
More recently, he worked as an Associate Producer on Wakaa the Musical and directed Bonnie Greer’s The Hotel Cerise for Theatre Royal Stratford East.
But he’s not all about the stage, as he featured in the Hollywood action thriller, Mechanic: Resurrection which also starred Jason Statham and Jessica Alba.
All these show just how talented and versatile Elufowoju is in the craft, as he continues to make Nigeria proud while at it.
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