“I Started Acting In 1958” – Lere Paimo Claims He Began Acting Four Years Before Pete Edochie

Forum 2 weeks ago

“I Started Acting In 1958” – Lere Paimo Claims He Began Acting Four Years Before Pete Edochie

Veteran Yoruba actor Lere Paimo has claimed that he began his acting career in 1958, four years before fellow veteran Pete Edochie says he started acting.

Paimo made the claim during an interview with actor Kunle Afod, published on YouTube, while discussing Edochie’s earlier assertion that his acting career dates back to 1962, when he was 15.

According to Paimo, he was already involved in acting by 1958 and had met prominent theatre figures at the time.

“I started acting in 1958. I met Hubert Ogunde, who was senior to me and others, and there were big movies produced back then,” Paimo said.

His claim comes after Edochie challenged actors who claim to have started their careers before him to come forward with evidence.

Edochie had previously pointed to his performance in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in 1962 as evidence of how early he began acting.

However, Paimo’s account places his own entry into acting several years earlier and highlights the role of indigenous Yoruba travelling theatre in the development of Nigerian entertainment.

He specifically referenced the late theatre icon Hubert Ogunde, whose work became an important part of the growth of indigenous Nigerian theatre.

Paimo’s comments have therefore added another perspective to the discussion about the early history of acting in Nigeria, particularly the distinction between indigenous travelling theatre and English-language stage productions.