Dejumo Lewis

Dejumo Lewis was a Nigerian film and television actor, famous for his Kabiyesi role in The Village Headmaster, Nigeria’s longest-running television soap opera shown on NTA from 1968 to 1988 that starred Justus Esiri and Femi Robinson. He was also a producer, director, dramatist, film maker and communications consultant. He started his acting career in 1964 and appeared in several films and TV shows, such as The Gods Are Not to Blame, Dinner with the Devil, The Third Eye, and The King Must Dance Naked. He was also involved in theatre productions, such as Ola Rotimi's Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again and Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel. He was a founding member of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) and a recipient of several awards and honours, such as the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award (NNOM) and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). He was also a lecturer at the Lagos State University and the National Open University of Nigeria. He died on 23 December 2023, at the age of 80, after a brief illness. He was survived by his wife, children and grandchildren. He was widely regarded as one of the pioneers and legends of Nigerian cinema and theatre.