OMOWUNMI DADA - Nollywood's Rising Powerhouse of Performance

 

Omowunmi Dada is steadily carving a place for herself as one of Nollywood’s most compelling and versatile rising stars. With over a decade of experience and more than fifty screen credits to her name, Dada's performances are marked by emotional range, quiet intensity, and a commitment to roles that leave lasting impressions. Her standout lead performance in Asiri Ade earned her a coveted Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Award (AMVCA) nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Now, in 2025, she seems to be dominating the Nollywood screen space, fronting some of the year's most talked-about films and streaming successes, cementing her status not just as one to watch, but one leading the charge.

Since her screen debut in 2013, Dada has taken on lead, co-lead, and supporting roles in a string of standout titles. Among them are Red Circle, a sleeper hit that became a box office success in Nigeria and the UK; Ada Omo Daddy, one of 2024’s top-performing streaming films; and Òlòtūré, a Netflix original that tackled the harrowing realities of human trafficking. She also delivered gripping performances in Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman, an adaptation of Wole Soyinka’s classic play, and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, a powerful biopic honouring one of Nigeria’s most iconic feminist figures

Dada’s screen presence extends to fan-favourites such as Everybody Loves Jenifa, Suspicion, The Origin: Madam Koi-Koi, The Sessions, Ayinla, The Ghost and the Tout, Ojuju, and Country Hard—the latter earning her the 2022 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Award (AMVCA) for Best Supporting Actress.

Her artistic journey began on stage following a Creative Arts degree from the University of Lagos. Dada quickly established herself in Nigerian theatre with roles in notable productions like Isale Eko 2, Oya, For the Love of Country, Death and the King’s Horseman, and Trials of Brother Jero. She gained further acclaim for her performance in Moremi Ajasoro, directed by Femi Oke.

Dada transitioned to film in 2013 with a role in Oya, and steadily built her résumé until her breakout came in 2017 with Kunle Afolayan’s Omugwo, where she starred alongside Nollywood legend Patience Ozokwor. That same year, she returned briefly to the stage for a standout role in Isale Eko, but it was clear her star was rising fast in the screen industry.

From 2017 onward, she expanded her presence in television, featuring in series such as EbonyLife’s Married to the Game, Best Friends, and Dere, as well as M-Net’s Jemeji, Tinsel, and So Wrong So Wright.

In 2019, she appeared in Tunde Kelani’s musical biopic Ayinla, acting alongside Lateef Adedimeji. Her performance left a strong impression, as Kelani cast her again in 2021 to play the title role in his next film, Cordelia. These collaborations marked her transition into more prominent projects, paving the way for significant roles in high-profile productions such as Oloture, Diamond in the Sky, Elesin Oba, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Asiri Ade, Ori: The Rebirth, Red Circle, and Unclaimed, where she played lead or significant roles

In the spirit of Nollywood’s golden generation, Omowunmi Dada, a refreshing blend of talent, training, and tenacity with an ability to move seamlessly between stage and screen, indie and mainstream, is not just building a career; she’s helping to define the future of Nigerian cinema as one of the most exciting artists of her generation 

- Jimi D Baldheaded Guy