Jemima Osunde Biography: Inside The Life of Nigerian Actress, Physiotherapist and Model

Jemima Osunde is a well-known actress, model, and presenter in the Nigerian film industry. She starred as Laila in the award-winning television series MTV Shuga. Her talent as an actress earned her a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 15th Africa Movie Viewers Choice Award in 2018.

Early Life & Education

Jemima was born on April 30, 1996, in Lagos, Nigeria, in the southwestern portion of the country. He grew up and has lived in Lagos his entire life. She is her parents’ last child and only daughter, and she grew up with her mother, father, and older brothers. She received her elementary education at Air Force Primary School, and her secondary education at Holy Child College. Jemima received her tertiary education at the University of Lagos’ College of Medicine, where she studied physiotherapy.

Career

Jemima Osunde was motivated to pursue a profession in acting by her uncle in 2014. She went along with it and made her acting debut in the film Jungle Jewel. Jemima appeared as Laila in the fourth season of the award-winning television series MTV Shuga. Later, the show was relocated to South Africa, where the fifth season was cast. After a year, the show returned to Nigeria, and she appeared in the sixth series.

Jemima Osunde has appeared in films alongside well-known Nollywood actors. She appeared in the Ndani TV series Rumour Has It alongside Linda Ejiofor, Mawuli Gavor, Blossom Chukwujekwu, and other celebs. She appeared in the 2020 film Quam’s Money, a sequel to the 2018 film New Money, in which she also appeared. The sequel delves into what happens after a security guard (Quam) unexpectedly becomes wealthy. The new cast included Falz, Toni Tones, Nse Ikpe-Etim, and Osunde Jemima.

Combining Medical School with Acting

Jemima Osunde revealed how she was able to successfully combine acting and graduating from medical school at the same time.

The actress in a chat with Television host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, on an episode of “Rubbin’ Minds revealed that combining both professions was not as easy as she made it look but she was able to get a lot of help from her parents and her roommate, whom she referred to as Folakemi.

Jemima said, ” I was in my first year when I started acting and to be honest this might be the first time I am actually admitting it, I thought acting was going to be a while in university thing, just to pass time, have some extra change to what daddy was giving me, but here we are.

“I have always wanted to do something medically inclined, so even when I started acting and it was going well, it wasn’t a thing of I would leave college of medicine for acting, it was a thing of let me see how I can combine both. I made my debut probably in 2014, I was in my first year.”

She continued, “My parents were very supportive then but my dad’s only concern was if you say you want to do both, I won’t stop you but you just have to prove to me that one won’t suffer for the other and the one he was talking about is obviously school.

“So it was really hard but I had a lot of help, my roommate Folakemi was my go-to guy to give me updates on what I missed when I was out there acting and people were in class. you know she would write her note and I would photocopy them and read them while I am on set filming.

“To be honest, it was harder than it looked, I think because I am always smiling and I am always cheerful people forget that or they fail to see.

“There were days when I was losing my mind, there were days where I have lectures from 8 to like 12 and I have a call time of 1 pm, school is all the way in Surulere-Mushin and set is Lekki phase 1. Lagos traffic. I am in traffic and sweating, the AC is on, I am panicking.

“There were times when I am filming in different states and I have exams in Lagos or I have lectures I have to keep up with.

“All I kept telling myself all through is nobody sent me, I am the one that choose to do it, so one way or the other I will make it work, I will find a way.

“I’m very invested in healthcare, especially in Nigeria. We almost have no health care here, and I really have faith and hope that there’s stuff to do to improve it one way or the other.

“My entertainment is a means to an end, so as I gather my funds and I have a strategy, I can then go forward and do what I want to help the healthcare system.”