Bimbo Akintola, The Ageless Thespian @ 50

Nollywood actress Bimbo Akintola has been blessing our screen with energetic acting skills since 1995 when she featured in OWO BLOW, her debut movie and till now, she is still topnotch, relevant and mind blowing.
Bimbo Akintola was born on 5th May 1970 to an Oyo State father and Edo State mother. Growing up like every Nigerian child, she attended Maryland Convent Private School, Lagos and then Command Day Secondary School before studying and becoming a graduate of Theater Arts from the University of Ibadan.Bimbo Akintola, The Ageless Thespian @ 50She started acting while in primary school, where she and her peers acted for the school’s end-of-year drama events. The more she took part in plays, the greater her passion for acting. So, when she got into Command Day Secondary School, Lagos, acting became for her, an easy kill. At the University of Ibadan, she kept on doing stage plays until a friend of hers then hinted her about Lola Fani-Kayode’s series Family Ties and gingered her to go for the audition. “So I went for the audition, if you could call it an audition, because I went, saw her, talked to her and she was like “The part is yours”. That was it. That was how I started. It was after that that I got a call from one of those who featured in Family Ties that Tade was doing Owo Blow and I met with him“, she recalled six years ago.
Bimbo Akintola’s debut appearance was followed up with Out of Bounds in 1997 with Richard Mofe Damijo and this blowed her up seriously, bringing her to the fore front of the limelight. Her delectable skills in the two movies made her a sought-after act for most Nigerian filmmakers and pushed her to starring in so many other movies. In fact, the roles fetched her the 1999 Best Actress from the stables of Reel Awards and a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading role at the 2013 Nollywood Movies Awards. Some of the other awards she got include the Elsie Olusola’s Best Actress Prize for her outstanding role in Senseless and many more. Bimbo Akintola fits in for any role, any day, any time – a gangster, sweet mother, crazy harlot, housemaid, just name it – Bimbo Akintola is a certain plug!
Bimbo Akintola is the plug for any type of role, just name it!
Bimbo Akintola, The Ageless Thespian @ 50
As she has become a big name in the industry, it is her principle to only do good scripts. In an interview with Vanguard in 2014, the actress revealed that she does English movies when she sees good scripts to work with. “I do English movies when I see good scripts. Hoodrush was in the cinemas this year. Next year one or two will be in the cinemas“, she said back then and truly, movies where you see Bimbo feature are always on point.
Her family, though, did not stop her passion, were not of the conviction that she would make it this far in the industry. As a matter of fact, her dad didn’t want her in the field but she wouldn’t give up and so, he gave in. “My father didn’t want me to act at all. He wanted me to study Law or Medicine. He is a very protective person and so he did all he could to discourage me. But I held on to my dream because I have always had a great love for acting. I took the decision because I never saw myself doing anything else. I went into the movies because it’s an area I felt I had great talents for. Right from childhood, I had felt for the arts. It was very difficult for me to do other things. Even though my father didn’t trust I could live and survive, put food on my table with theatre arts, I was very much interested in it and it was not until I couldn’t do anything else that my father allowed me to go for a diploma at the University of Ibadan before I then went on for a Bachelors of Arts degree in the same area of study“, she once said.Bimbo Akintola, The Ageless Thespian @ 50With all of the awards, passionate acting and fulfillment, it can be surprising but not surprising that the actress is not married. She had addresses this countless number of times, saying she doesn’t need one as she is happy with her life. “I don’t need anything. I’m a complete person. I only do things that make me happy, because I believe and I understand the reality that this is just one life and you should live it to the maximum, happiness and peace should be the key. I’m not searching for a husband, because the rumour that I’m searching for a husband has given me wahala,- all kinds of people from left, right and centre, looking for me saying they want to marry me. Please, I’m using this opportunity to tell everybody, I am not looking for a husband! Marriage is such a huge step, it’s deep. Marriage is the relationship that is the most difficult of all relationships. If I can’t see someone and say oh, yeah, I wanna be with this person for the rest of my life or even think it, I won’t do it. I say that all the time and people say oh my God, she said she would never marry, I can’t believe it. That’s not what I’m saying (Voice rising). I’m simply saying if I don’t see someone that I believe I can look at for the rest of my life, I won’t do it“, she had said.Bimbo Akintola can be said to be someone who values her sanity and peace above everything as she once went underground, away from the bustling of her career. When asked why, the ageless thespian revealed that the movie industry takes a whole lot of mental work and so, she needed some time. “I had found myself doing several movies even though I tried to restrict myself or I would be seen doing everything without rest. I love my holiday very much and would take out time to rest. Theatre is a whole lot of mental work, so one must be very careful“, she said. The break, however, didn’t make her less of a great actor as she came bouncing back in a new musical flick Hoodrush in 2012.
Bimbo Akintola has always been a source of inspiration for herself after God and then drawn more from Joke Silva. “I derive inspiration from God…from myself, Bimbo and, from Joke Silva. Oh, I love that woman. She is one damn good actress. She is exceptionally creative. I long to star with her in a stage or screen production. Oh, she is lovely. I have a lot of respect for her just as I have for Auntie Toun Oni, Mama Buki Ajayi and the big one of them all, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett“, she once said.
As she clocked 50 today, Bimbo Akintola is still looking as radiant, young, energetic and loving as ever. The secret to this must be the fact that she ‘does what she loves most’ and is an easy-lived being. “I’m really very easy. I’m an easy-going person, everything about me is easy. I believe in certain things and I live my life by those things, namely; Truthfulness – It’s important to me, I believe we must have principles because that’s what differentiates us from animals. Kindness is very important, if you’re not kind, we can’t be friends. It’s not just kindness to people who don’t have, it’s kindness to every human being that you meet. It is important, if we say we are God’s children and God is love and he sent his son to die for our sins, then we should at least try and emulate him in loving everyone that comes around us, by showing love to each and every one. Everyone that comes near you should be touched by you.
Read also: Actress Kemi Afolabi Turns 42 And Celebrates With Beautiful New Snaps
The thespian, who rocks agelessly at 50 is a symbol of hope, a beaming light pointing out that you can live a fulfilled life, be cute at 50 without any form of drama whatsoever. Not only is she an actress but a motivational speaker, philanthropist and humanitarian who basically does not let gossip or the society stop her from what she aims at doing!
The beautiful, ageless Bimbo Akintola
Photos Credit: Instagram/Bimbo Akintola

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