Temitope Christopher Tedela is a Nigerian producer and actor. Tope Tedela is his nickname. For his efforts, he has received various awards, including the Nigeria Entertainment Award and the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award. Tedela’s work has been shown at international film festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the BFI London Film Festival.
Early Life and Education
Tedela was his parents’ first child, and he was born on June 5, 1984, in Lagos. He is of Ekiti State descent. He attended the Lagos State Model College in Meiran, Lagos, for his secondary education before graduating from the University of Lagos with a degree in mass communication.
Career
While still a student at the University of Lagos, Tedela made his acting debut as Julian in the family television series Edge of Paradise. He took a break from performing for a while to concentrate on his studies. Tedela worked as an on-air personality at UNILAG FM while a student and briefly after graduation. He returned as Lala in A Mile from Home, playing the lead role for the first time. Tedela used to be an NTA news anchor. He appeared in a number of notable theatrical productions.
In 2013, he rose to prominence after appearing in the award-winning action drama film A Mile From Home. In 2015, Tope Tedela participated in the films Out of Luck and A Soldier’s Story. Tedela received rave reviews for his portrayal of the metrosexual Kyle Stevens-Adedoyin in the 2016 comedy Suru L’ere.
In 2017, Tedela appeared in three critically acclaimed films: the historical drama Slow Country, the action-drama King Invincible, and the comedy-crime/heist film Ojukokoro. His producing debut was with the drama-thriller film What Lies Within. In 2018, Tope Tedela appeared in the crime film Knock Out Blessing. He also appeared as the researcher Dr Dauda in the 2019 film The Lost Okoroshi, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and received mostly positive reviews.
He also began work on his one-man drama, Whumanizer. Tedela also appeared in the suspenseful drama film The Ghost and the House of Truth. Tedela was cast in the first Netflix original series from Nigeria, which will be created by acclaimed filmmaker Akin Omotoso in 2020.
In 2022, he played Dr Adeboye/The Good Doctor in the Netflix original series Blood Sisters.
Personal Life
Tope’s marital status is unknown. His rising fame and wealth in the movie sector made celebrity minders think he was in a relationship.
After a marriage photo of him was posted online, rumours began that the actor was married to Rosaline Meurer, an actress. However, it seemed to have come from a movie project in which they had taken part. In an interview he granted, he said he is not married and marriage is the last thing on his mind, but he wouldn’t mind marrying an actress.
Impact and Influence
Tedela was appointed an ambassador by Global Rights, a global human rights group, in 2016 to launch a nationwide campaign to prevent sexual assault.
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Twisted | Sola | |
| 2013 | Awakening | ||
| 2013 | Torn | Young Olumide | |
| 2013 | A Mile from Home | Lala/Jude Odaro | |
| 2013 | Cyanide | Emeka | Short Film |
| 2014 | Another Day to Die Young | Comrade | TV Film |
| 2014 | Birthday Bash | Scoda | |
| 2014 | Leeway | Chuks | Short Film |
| 2015 | Lunch Time Heroes | Deji | with Omoni Oboli & Dakore Akande |
| 2015 | Apostates | Osas | |
| 2015 | A Soldier’s Story | Major Egan | |
| 2015 | Out of Luck | Dayo | |
| 2016 | Suru L’ere | Kyle Stevens Adedoyin | with Rita Dominic |
| 2016 | Ojukokoro (Greed) | Sunday | |
| 2017 | King Invincible | Taari | with Gabriel Afolayan |
| 2017 | Slow Country | Osas | with Majid Michel |
| 2017 | What Lies Within | Gboyega | Also Producer |
| 2018 | Knock Out Blessing | Yomi | |
| 2019 | The Lost Okoroshi | Dr Dauda | |
| 2019 | The Ghost and the House of Truth | Barrister Tokunbo | |
| 2021 | The Therapist | with Rita Dominic and Toyin Abraham |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Edge of Paradise | Julian | |
| 2008 | My Mum & I | June | |
| 2008 | Super Story (Omojuwa) | Tesiro | |
| 2012 | Burning Point | ||
| 2012 | Tweeters | Kunle | |
| 2013 | Super Story (The Secret) | Tai | |
| 2014 | Oasis | Oreva | |
| 2015 | The Team (TV series) | Efe | |
| 2016 | Jamestown | Lucky | |
| 2017 | Jemeji | Obi | Chief |
| 2019 | Powder Dry | Arthur | |
| 2019 | Underbelly | Nonso | |
| 2022 | Blood Sisters | Dr Adeboye/The Good Doctor | A Netflix Original |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Man Talk, Woman Talk | Emeka |
| 2014 | Diagnosis | Emeka |
| 2014 | The Agency | Fawaz |
| 2019 | The Mistress of Wholesome | Nengak Josiah |
| 2019 | The Wives | Lawyer |
| 2019 | Whumanizer | Tunde Bridges |
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 10th Africa Movie Academy Awards | Most Promising Actor | A Mile from Home | Nominated |
| 2014 | 2014 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards | Best Actor In A Drama | A Mile from Home | Won |
| 2014 | 2014 Best of Nollywood Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role (English) | A Mile from Home | Won |
| 2014 | 2014 Best of Nollywood Awards | Revelation of the Year (Male) | A Mile from Home | Nominated |
| 2014 | 2014 Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards | Most Promising Actor | A Mile from Home | Won |
| 2014 | 2014 Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards | Best On-Screen Duo | A Mile from Home | Nominated |
| 2014 | 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role | A Mile from Home | Won |
| 2014 | 2014 Nollywood Movies Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role (English) | A Mile from Home | Nominated |
| 2014 | 2014 Nollywood Movies Awards | Best Rising Star (Male) | A Mile from Home | Won |
| 2014 | 2014 Express Star Awards | Rising Star | Himself | Won |
| 2016 | City People Entertainment Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Suru L’ere | Nominated |
| 2016 | Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Actor in Supporting Role | Suru L’ere | Nominated |
| 2017 | Best of Nollywood Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Slow Country | Nominated |
| 2020 | Best of Nollywood Awards | Best Supporting Actor –English | Country Hard | Nominated |
| 2022 | Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Country Hard | Pending |
Net Worth
With a net worth of over $700,000, Tope Tedela is regarded as one of the actors with the fastest rising wealth and most prominent in the Nollywood industry.
