Veteran Nollywood actress Grace Owoola Oyin-Adejobi, popularly known as Iya Osogbo, has celebrated her 96th birthday in style.
The veteran actress marked the milestone with a series of photographs showing her in elegant traditional outfits, including a flowing pink dress paired with a green gele and another richly styled ensemble accessorised with statement jewellery.
Born in Osogbo, Osun State, Iya Osogbo has spent decades in the Nigerian theatre and film industry, becoming one of the enduring figures of Yoruba entertainment.
Her acting career began in 1953 when she joined the Oyin Adejobi Theatre Company founded by her late husband, Chief Oyin Adejobi. The couple had attended the same school in Osogbo and were also from the same neighbourhood.
Long before Nollywood became the dominant name for Nigeria’s film industry, Iya Osogbo had established herself through stage performances and travelling theatre.
She went on to feature in more than 300 stage plays as well as several films and television productions during her decades-long career.
Her 96th birthday celebration also featured the launch of her biography, Grace Owoola Oyin-Adejobi: Iya Osogbo, The Track of a Nigerian Theatre Icon, at an event in Ibadan.
The biography chronicles the life and career of the actress and her contribution to Nigerian theatre, television and film.
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