Timini Egbuson is the toast of Nollywood right now. Everyone wants him in their film, and every movie he’s appeared in since 2019 has raked in millions. But Timini has only just begun to scratch the surface of what he can achieve. Armed with a teeming number of fans, great looks, bad boy persona and incredible acting skill, he is undoubtedly the most popular Nollywood actor this year.
Timini is the last born amongst the Egbuson children and the second half of the Egbusons in Nollywood, following in his older sister’s footsteps. He developed a passion for acting while working as Dakore Egbuson-Akande’s personal assistant on set for a few years while he was studying psychology at the University of Lagos. And even though he started to dabble into acting, he never considered it a money-making venture. That would all change after working an unfulfilling job in e-commerce for two years.
One day, he quit his job and decided he was going to try his hands at acting. In 2012, he landed his first role as ‘Dozie’ in MNet’s Tinsel, and that was the start of an upward-moving career in Nollywood. Tinsel opened the door to his breakout role, playing ‘Tobi’ on MTV Shuga for three seasons. The Psychology graduate from the University of Lagos quickly became a fan-favourite, appearing in Fifty, Fifty The Series, Skinny Girl ln Transit, The Intern, and Ajuwaya.
Timini Egbuson also hosted Ebony Life’s The Spot from 2016 to 2017, when the show finally ended. Between 2017 to 2019, he gained more fans playing roles like ‘Mohammed’ on Skinny Girl in Transit and ‘Tobi’ on MTV Shuga. He also appeared in Isoken, Something Wicked, Another Time, Manhunting with Mum, Room 420, The Missing Piece, and The Package.
Then in 2019, everything changed for the actor, and he started to take on more lead roles and establish himself as one to watch out for. He began the “Watch Timini” campaign and deliberately positioned himself as a premium act. In 2020, he received his first NET Honours nomination. Then his biggest 2019 film, Niyi Akinmolayan’s Elevator Baby, earned him his first Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award (AMVCA) award for ‘Best Actor in a Drama (Movie or TV Series)’.
As he received the award, he promised to make everyone who has ever supported his career proud, and he has done that so far. He said, “Wait, Wait, Wait, Mad o! Mad o! Mad o! Ten seconds, ten seconds. I’d like to thank Niyi Akinmolayan, I’d like to thank Baba God, I’d like to thank Dakore, I’d like to thank anybody that has ever hired me and all of you that are not here on this stage. My fans, Watch Timini. I love you guys. Hear me, I’ll make you proud. Thank you!”
That award was all Timini Egbuson needed to solidify his position as a premium brand. Since March 15, 2020, when he took home the honour, the actor has appeared in over 10 films, undeterred by the pandemic. Some of them include Tanwa Savage, Kamsi, The Smart Money Woman season 1, Lagos Big Girl, Contract liars, Introducing the Kujus, Forthright, and Breaking Point.
Timini also played a significant role in MTV Shuga’s Alone Together during the pandemic. It was a series created to educate Africans and help flatten the COVID-19 curve. He self-produced his scenes and did a brilliant job with them. In October 2020, he also campaigned fiercely in person and across social media for the end of police harassment at the End SARS protests.
Three of the films he featured in ranked amongst The 2020 Top 10 Nigerian Box Office Films. Omo Ghetto: The Saga, which was the number 1 film of 2020, raked in over N187 million, Fate of Alakada made over N113 million, while Dear Affy, which was number 8 on the list, gathered over N39 million.
Timini has continued on that trajectory, appearing in some of the biggest films this year. The 34-year-old starred in the comedy film Ponzi, which grossed N32 million in cinemas. His latest film, Breaded Life, has grossed N83 million in cinemas so far. Netflix Naija also acquired Dear Affy, and it peaked at number 1 in May 2021.
Timini clinched his second NET Honours People’s Choice Award ‘Most Popular Actor’ nomination and, subsequently, his first win. In receiving his award, he thanked the fans. “Because you (fans) continually choose to #WatchTimini”. He added, “most popular, bag heavy, best actor AMVCA, KPK. Thank you Netng”.
He has proven that he has no intentions to slow down, and we look forward to seeing what he’ll be doing when the award comes around next year.
For now, congratulations to this super talented act!
Written by Mofijesusewa Samuel
