On 8 March, 2014, Tope Tedela won Best Actor in a drama at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA). This acknowledgement of the actor’s performance capacity garnered him even more popularity and adoration from fans.
Raised in Lagos, Temitope Christopher Tedela is the first of four children from his parents, all boys. As a child, he was very mischievous. He shared in an interview with The Punch Newspapers a while back that his parents almost signed him into a correctional centre for boys because of his playfulness.
Originally from Igbaraodo in Ekiti state, Western Nigeria, Tedela remains a true omo Eko (child of Lagos). The actor received all his education in the metropolitan city. He attended Lagos State Model College, Meiran and went on to study Mass Communication at the University of Lagos (Unilag).
In his third year of secondary school, he decided he was going to be an aeronautical engineer. When it was time to cross over to senior secondary school, he joined his friends in science class but left at the end of the first term to the art class.
While he was in University, he had a brief stint at Unilag Radio as an on air personality. From radio, he took his performance to TV. In 2006, he scored a role on a family drama series “Edge of Paradise” as Julian. 2007 saw him land his first film role in Niyi Towolani’s “Twisted”. Just when it seemed he was walking in the right path towards his aspirations, his grades at school began to slide, leading him to put his passion to a halt and pay attention to his studies.
Getting roles wasn’t easy when he first decided to follow his dream after graduation. He worked at a client services firm and then as an editor of a children’s newspaper. His hunger for acting eventually led him to resign and focus solely on his number one ambition - acting.
At the 2014 AMVCA’s, he was the only rookie nominated alongside experienced actors including Juma Rajab Rashid, Majid Michel and Hlomla Dandala in the Best Actor category.
Prior to Tedela winning the AMVCA’s, he had only starred in four movies. ‘A Mile from Home’ put him in the limelight in 2014 and gained him Best Actor in a leading role at the Best of Nollywood Awards, Most Promising Actor at Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards, Best Actor in a lead role at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards , Best Rising Star at the Nollywood Movie Awards as well as several other nominations.
He has starred in several films including Moses Ewang’s “Torn”, James Omokwe’s “Awakening” and "In My Father’s House” by Jimi Odumosu. He has also starred in several TV series including “Super Story" and “My Mum & I”.
The Nollywood actor is set to appear in Mildred Okwo’s “Surulere” which films debut in cinemas this year.
Read: Actor is 'Kyle Stevens Adedoyin' in upcoming movie 'Surulere'
There were challenges that came with his journey into acting. There were the endless auditions. He once has had to forfeit a whole month’s salary at his job.
His artistry is not just limited to screen, the talent has also showcased his performance skills on stage, he featured in Ola Rotimi's "Man Talk, Woman Talk” between 2011 and 2012 and “The Agency”. He is also a music enthusiast, he composes songs and plays the guitar.
The handsome actor described by many as a gentleman may look stern with a straight face, but he holds a gripping dazzling smile.
True to his surname, which means “explore, become rich and successful”, Tedela continues to rise in the Nigerian movie industry.
Watch Pulse TV video to see why Judith Audu loves him.