Akindele Olufunke Ayotunde (popularly known as Funke Akindele) is an award-winning Nigerian actress, philanthropist, and movie producer.
She was born on August 24, 1977, in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria. Funke is the second of three children (two girls and one boy).
Her mother is a Medical Doctor while her father is a retired School Principal. Funke obtained an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Mass Communication from the former Ogun State Polytechnic, now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, and got a Law degree from the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba.
Funke Akindele came into the limelight after starring in popular United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-sponsored sitcom, I Need to Know, which ran from 1998 to 2002. She played Bisi, a curious but highly intelligent secondary school student.
However, Funke Akindele’s big break came in 2008 when she appeared in the movie Jenifa, a very popular franchise in Nigeria owned by Funke Akindele herself. She has starred and featured in over 100 movies since
In 2009, she made headlines across Africa as the Best Actress in a leading role, for her role as Jenifa. Apart from that very award in 2009, she has won a good number of awards and endorsements.
In January 2018, there was a controversy when it was reported that Akindele would get her Hollywood debut in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War as she was listed as a member of the cast on IMDb. Mainstream Nigerian press reported that she was set to star in Infinity War as the guard Dora Milaje, citing IMDb. Some weeks later her name was replaced with that of fellow Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji, with Akindele’s upload shown to have been a hack. In February 2018, it was reported that Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly, Dr Bukola Saraki has advised Marvel Studios to feature Akindele in Infinity War.
Funke Akindele got married in 2012 to her ex-husband, Kehinde Oloyede Adeola who was rumoured to have had strings of relationships and children out-of-wedlock. The couple however got a divorce in 2013, a year after their wedding, citing irreconcilable differences.
She gave love a second chance when she tied the knot with popular Nigerian rapper Abdul Rasheed Bello widely known as JJC Skillz. The secret wedding took place in London in May 2016. A year later, news went viral that she was going to deliver twins in London. She debunked the news and later on, reports surfaced that the babies (twins) which she reportedly conceived through IVF died at birth.
Actress Funke Akindele gave birth to twins in the United States of America in December 2018. She has several step-children through JJC Skillz.
Funke Akindele who is one of Nigeria’s highest-paid actors has endorsement deals such as her being signed as an Ambassador to Irokotv. Also in 2018, she was signed as a brand ambassador for Keystone Bank. She was regarded as the second richest Nigerian celebrity on Instagram by Hooper in 2019, with each of her posts valued to be $50,500 (N18.1 million). Funke Akindele has an estimated net worth of $3.5 million (N1.263 billion).
