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Pete Edochie recently sparked a debate over seniority among Nigeria’s veteran actors after tracing his acting career to 1962.
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The actor challenged those who believed they started acting before him to come forward and prove their claims.
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Lere Paimo has now entered the debate, saying he started acting in 1958, four years before Edochie’s stated timeline.
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Paimo also pointed to the history of Yoruba travelling theatre and the influence of Hubert Ogunde in the development of Nigerian theatre.
September 16, (THEWILL) – Veteran Yoruba actor Lere Paimo has joined the debate over seniority among Nigeria’s veteran actors, saying he started acting in 1958, four years before Pete Edochie’s stated 1962 timeline.
The discussion began after Edochie appeared on the ‘Curiosity Made Me Ask’ podcast, where he spoke about his acting career and challenged other veterans who claimed to have started before him to prove their seniority.
Edochie said his acting journey began in 1962, when he was 15 years old and performed in William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’.
His comments brought renewed attention to the different timelines of veteran actors whose careers began before the emergence of Nollywood in the 1990s.
Actor Yemi Solade had also weighed in on the discussion, speaking about his own acting history and pointing to his participation in FESTAC ’77.
He later referenced veteran actor Orlando Martins while responding to the wider conversation around seniority.
Paimo has now added his own timeline to the debate.
Speaking during an interview with actor Kunle Afod, posted on YouTube on Monday, September 14, the 86-year-old actor said he began acting in 1958.
“I started acting in 1958, and it was in 1962 that Pete Edochie started acting,” Paimo said.
He also recalled meeting theatre legend Hubert Ogunde, whom he described as senior to himself and other actors of his generation.
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Paimo’s comments also shifted the conversation from individual career timelines to the broader history of Nigerian theatre.
He pointed to the Yoruba travelling-theatre tradition, particularly Ogunde’s work, arguing that indigenous Yoruba theatre had been established before English-language film productions became prominent in Nigeria.
According to Paimo, Ogunde was already active in the 1940s, before he himself entered the profession.
However, Paimo said he could not confirm whether another theatre practitioner, Baba Olumegbon, had started before Ogunde. He maintained that Ogunde was the earliest actor from that period that he knew of.
Paimo began his career in the Yoruba travelling-theatre tradition, working with the Oyin Adejobi Theatre Group before later joining Duro Ladipo’s Theatre Group.
He played Chief Basa in the stage production ‘Obamoro’ and became known for his work in Yoruba theatre and film, including his role as Soun Ogunola in ‘Ogbori Elemosho’.
The exchange has renewed interest in the different generations and theatrical traditions that shaped Nigerian acting, while bringing attention to the career timelines of some of the industry’s most established veterans.
Evi-Ben Ezaga is an entertainment and society writer with a passion for stories that explore culture, people, and the stories shaping society today.
