“I started acting in 1958” – Lere Paimo counters Pete Edochie’s seniority claim

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

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

According to Paimo, he was already involved in acting by 1958, meaning his career predates the year Edochie has cited as the beginning of his own acting journey.

“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.

The claim comes after Edochie challenged actors who say they began their careers before him to come forward and provide evidence of their claims.

Edochie had recently referenced his performance in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in 1962 as evidence of the early start of his acting career.

Paimo, however, appeared to broaden the discussion beyond English-language stage productions, pointing to the longstanding Yoruba travelling-theatre tradition.

He particularly referenced the late theatre icon Hubert Ogunde, whose work played a significant role in the development of indigenous Nigerian theatre.

Paimo’s position is that the history of Nigerian acting should not be viewed solely through the emergence of English-language stage and film productions, given the earlier traditions of indigenous travelling theatre.