Actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde says her breakthrough in the Nigerian film industry came from the 1996 film Mortal Inheritance. She described the role as the start of her long and successful career.
Omotola on her Instagram Stories recalled that she auditioned for the movie at a time when Nollywood was still young and highly competitive. She said:
“It was a tough audition for this role. I had just come off another tough audition, one of the biggest I’ve seen in Nollywood till this day, for a movie titled ‘African Queen’.
Thousands from all across Africa came in for the audition—a movie to be made by the legendary musician Mike Okri and Zeb Ejiro. I eventually beat thousands to emerge as the lead character! I couldn’t believe it,” she recalled.
In Mortal Inheritance, she played Kemi, a young woman living with sickle cell anaemia who faces both health challenges and complex personal decisions. The film is regarded as one of the early classics in Nigeria’s movie history.
Her performance won her awards at the 1997 Movie Awards, including Best Actress in an English Speaking Movie and Best Actress Overall, making her the youngest actress in Nigeria to receive these honours at the time.
Since then, Omotola has appeared in more than 300 films, becoming one of Nollywood’s most recognised faces. Some of her notable movies include Ije: The Journey (2010), Last Flight to Abuja (2012), Blood Sister and Games Women Play.
Her career has also reached beyond acting. In 2013, she was named in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world, a rare global recognition for a Nigerian entertainer. She has released music, including her 2005 album Gba, and starred in her own reality show, Omotola: The Real Me, on Africa Magic Entertainment.
She is married to Captain Matthew Ekeinde, a commercial pilot, and they have four children. Omotola has said she continues to balance family life with her busy career in Nollywood.
