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Nollywood is one industry with several language traditions. While some actors are popularly associated with Yoruba-language films, their careers have also taken them into English-language productions, including cinema releases, television dramas and mainstream home-video movies.
However, it is important to make a distinction: a Yoruba film does not become an English-language production simply because its title is written in English. What matters is the language used in the actual film.
The actors below have worked across both sides of the industry. The English-language titles highlighted here are examples of their work in English-language or English-led productions. Multilingual films are identified separately where necessary.
FEMALE ACTORS
1. Funke Akindele
Funke Akindele deserves a prominent place on this list. Although she became particularly popular with Yoruba audiences through Jenifa and other indigenous-language productions, she had already featured in English-language Nollywood films early in her career.
Her English-language film credits include Final Whistle (2000), Sharon Stone (2002), Egg of Life (2003) and Atlanta (2004). She later appeared in mainstream English-language productions such as A Trip to Jamaica (2016), Isoken (2017), Moms at War (2018), Chief Daddy (2018), Your Excellency (2019), Who's the Boss (2020), Dwindle (2021), Chief Daddy 2: Going for Broke (2022) and No Way Through (2023).
Her more recent productions include Finding Me (2025) and Behind the Scenes (2025). Some of her other projects, including Omo Ghetto: The Saga, Battle on Buka Street and A Tribe Called Judah, contain multilingual elements and should not be used as examples of exclusively English-language films.
Funke's career is a strong illustration of an actress who can connect with audiences through both Yoruba storytelling and mainstream English-language cinema.
2. Mercy Aigbe
Mercy Aigbe has openly stated in interviews that she started with English-language films before moving into Yoruba productions. She later became one of the most recognisable faces in Yoruba Nollywood.
Her English-language film appearances include The Screenplay, The Movie, Little Drops of Water, The Big Fat Lie and The Heritage. She has also featured in mainstream cinema productions, including The Trade and Ada Omo Daddy.
Her career is particularly interesting because she has explained that she initially received more English-language scripts before the number of Yoruba-language opportunities she received increased. She has also spoken about how working in Yoruba helped her become more fluent in the language.
3. Doris Simeon
Doris Simeon has worked in both English- and Yoruba-language productions. Although many viewers associate her with Yoruba films, she has also appeared in English-language Nollywood movies.
Her English-language credits include Ghetto Dreamz (2010), Gucci Girls (2012), Mama Insurance (2012), True Betrayal (2019), Dear Husband (2019), ILU America (Land of America) (2019) and More Than Just 4 Letters (2019).
She has also worked in television, including Papa Ajasco and Company. Her career demonstrates that an actress can maintain a strong presence in Yoruba cinema while continuing to feature in English-language productions.
4. Ayo Adesanya
Ayo Adesanya is one of the veterans whose acting career has covered different generations of Nollywood. She began her professional film career in the early 1990s and became known through English-language productions before establishing a strong presence in Yoruba cinema.
One of her important early credits was Living in Bondage (1992). She has also appeared in English-language films and television productions, including Mortal Inheritance, Violated and Domitilla. Her television work includes Ripples and other productions from the early years of Nigerian television drama.
She later became active in Yoruba filmmaking as an actress, producer and director. Her career is a clear example of a performer who has not been restricted to one language sector.
5. Adunni Ade
Adunni Ade made her Nollywood debut in the Yoruba-language film You or I (2013), but she has since built a substantial filmography in English-language productions.
Her English-language credits include 2nd Honeymoon (2014), It's Her Day (2016), Diary of a Lagos Girl (2016), The Island (2017), The Vendor (2018), Heaven on My Mind (2018), The New Normal (2020), Ratnik (2020), Soólè (2021), The One for Sarah (2022), In Bed with the Pedros (2023) and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (2024).
She has also appeared in Yoruba-language productions, making her a good example of a younger actress who has crossed between the two language traditions.
6. Bukky Wright
Bukky Wright is a veteran actress with a long history in Yoruba cinema and English-language Nollywood. Her English-language credits include Red Hot (2013), When Love Happens (2014), Gidi Blues (2016), Stolen Lives (2016), Somewhere Down the Line (2015), Tears from the Heart (2011) and Special Jollof (2019).
She has also featured in Yoruba productions throughout her career. Her ability to move between different productions has helped her remain a familiar face to audiences across Nollywood.
7. Sola Sobowale
Sola Sobowale is widely recognised for her powerful performances in both indigenous-language and mainstream Nollywood productions.
Her English-language film credits include Diamond Ring (1998), Dangerous Twins (2004), Disoriented Generation (2009), The Wedding Party (2016), The Wedding Party 2 (2017), King of Boys (2018), Gold Statue (2019), King of Boys: The Return of the King (2021) and Seven and a Half Dates (2018).
Some of these films, including King of Boys, contain more than one Nigerian language, so they are better described as multilingual rather than exclusively English. Nevertheless, her English-language roles are well established.
8. Rachel Oniga
The late Rachel Oniga was one of Nollywood's most recognisable crossover actresses. In an interview with The Guardian, she explained that she had featured in more than 100 English-language films, in addition to her Yoruba film appearances.
Some of the English-language titles she identified include Take Me to Mama, My Mother's Pregnancy, Big Time Chick and Lady in the Forest. Her other notable English-language screen work included Checkmate, Ripples and Super Story.
She later became widely recognised in Yoruba cinema after featuring in Owo Blow. Her career remains a particularly strong example of a performer who worked extensively in both language sectors.
9. Foluke Daramola
Foluke Daramola has spoken about her early experience in English-language productions before becoming strongly associated with Yoruba movies.
Her English-language credits include Deadly Proposal 2, Satanic, Ibinabo, Palace, Everyday People and The Barber's Wisdom. She also featured in The Cobweb and Above Love.
Her Yoruba film work later became a major part of her career. She has also produced and directed films, extending her contribution beyond acting.
10. Faithia Williams
Faithia Williams is primarily known for her Yoruba-language film career, but she has also appeared in English-language Nollywood productions.
Her English-language credits include 10 Days in Sun City (2017), Seven and a Half Dates (2018), Mokalik (2019) and Dear Affy (2020). She also appeared in Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons (2018), a mainstream production with multilingual elements.
Faithia has spoken publicly about taking English-language roles and wanting audiences to see her versatility beyond Yoruba cinema.
11. Moyo Lawal
Moyo Lawal is another actress whose career includes English-language productions as well as Yoruba films.
Her English-language credits include Holding Hope (2010), Bursting Out (2010), Brother's Keeper (2014), A Time to Heal (2017), Emem and Angie (2017), The Bridal Shower (2018), The Intern (2019), True Caller (2021), Complicated (2022) and Falling in Love (2023).
She has also featured in Yoruba-language productions, including Alagbara and Blood of Enogie. Her work across both sectors makes her a suitable inclusion.
12. Ayo Mogaji
Ayo Mogaji is a veteran actress whose career includes English-language television and film productions as well as Yoruba cinema. She became familiar to many Nigerian viewers through television drama and later appeared in different Nollywood productions.
Her English-language screen work includes Checkmate, Ripples and Mortal Inheritance. She has also appeared in Yoruba-language films, demonstrating her ability to work across different storytelling traditions.
MALE ACTORS
13. Jide Kosoko
Jide Kosoko is one of the most established actors in Nigerian cinema. Although he has a long history in Yoruba filmmaking, he has also featured in several English-language Nollywood productions.
His English-language film credits include The Figurine (2009), I'll Take My Chances (2011), Last Flight to Abuja (2012), The Meeting (2012), Doctor Bello (2013), The Royal Hibiscus Hotel (2017), The Bling Lagosians (2019), Sugar Rush (2019) and The Wildflower (2022).
He has also appeared in multilingual productions such as King of Boys and Elesin Oba: The King's Horseman. His long career demonstrates that crossover acting is not a new development in Nollywood.
14. Kelvin Ikeduba
Kelvin Ikeduba actually began his acting career in mainstream English-language Nollywood before moving into Yoruba productions.
His English-language credits include The Suitors (2000), Emotional Tears (2003), More Than Gold (2005), Ghetto Language (2006), Last Dance (2006), Under the Sky (2006), Critical Truth (2008), Kiss the Dust (2008), Black Bird (2015) and Gold Statue (2019).
He later became a familiar face in Yoruba cinema and won the Best Crossover Actor award at the 2014 Yoruba Movie Academy Awards. His career is one of the clearest examples of a male actor moving from English-language Nollywood into Yoruba filmmaking.
15. Yemi Solade
Yemi Solade has repeatedly challenged the idea that actors should be categorised by their ethnic background or the language of the films they appear in. He has explained in interviews that he acts in both English and Yoruba, depending on the demands of a production.
His English-language credits include Thunderbolt: Magun (2001), Elevator Baby (2019), Oloture (2019), The Razz Guy (2021) and The Trade (2023). He has also appeared in other mainstream productions.
His Yoruba-language work has also remained an important part of his career. He is a strong example of an actor whose identity as a performer goes beyond one language.
16. Femi Brainard
Femi Brainard is another actor who has worked in both English- and Yoruba-language productions. In a 2011 interview, he was specifically asked about being a crossover actor and explained that he worked in both sectors, although he did more Yoruba films at the time.
His English-language film and television credits should be individually confirmed before a longer title list is published. His own interview, however, provides direct evidence that he has worked across the two language traditions.
17. Rykardo Agbor
Rykardo Agbor, whose name is also spelt Rychardo Agbor in some credits, has appeared in English-language Nollywood productions.
His identifiable English-language credits include King of Shitta (2013), Badcop (2023), Voltage (2024) and Coming to Nigeria (2024). He has also worked in Yoruba productions, making him another male actor with experience across both sides of the industry.
18. Gabriel Afolayan
Gabriel Afolayan is an actor and musician whose film career includes a substantial number of English-language productions.
His English-language credits include Hoodrush (2012), Heroes and Zeros (2012), Ojuju (2014), Okafor's Law (2016), Tatu (2017), Coming from Insanity (2018), Kasala! (2018), Gold Statue (2019), Citation (2020), For Maria Ebun Pataki (2020), Gone (2021), A Lot Like Love (2023) and This Is Lagos (2023).
He has also featured in Yoruba and multilingual productions, including Ija Okan and Lisabi: The Uprising. His career shows that younger actors are also comfortable moving between different language-based productions.
MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE, ONE INDUSTRY
These performers demonstrate that Yoruba and English-language filmmaking are connected parts of Nollywood. Some actors began in English-language productions and later became popular in Yoruba cinema. Others built their reputations in Yoruba films before securing roles in mainstream English-language projects.
The distinction matters because a film's title does not determine its language. What matters is the actual dialogue and the production's language classification. Multilingual films should also be acknowledged as multilingual rather than forced into one category.
As Nollywood continues to grow, actors who can work across languages bring a valuable range of experience to the industry. Their careers remind audiences that talent, versatility and storytelling ability are not limited by language.
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