There was a time in Nigeria when a good Yoruba movie did not need a cinema premiere, a Netflix deal or a massive social media campaign to become a household conversation.
All it needed was a VCD player.
Somebody would return from the market with a new movie. The children would gather around the television. Neighbours might quietly find their way into the sitting room. Someone would shout for everyone to reduce the noise.
Then the movie would begin.
And sooner or later, Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, would appear.
For generations of Yoruba movie lovers, Ogogo was more than an actor. He was one of those performers whose face could immediately change the mood of a film.
He could be intimidating without saying much, command authority with a single look and move effortlessly between characters rooted in power, tradition, family and society.
His death at the age of 66 after a battle with cancer has therefore left behind more than grief.
It has triggered something else: nostalgia.
Old scenes are resurfacing. Movie clips are being shared. Fans are remembering characters they watched years ago. And for many Nigerians, Ogogo’s death has become an unexpected journey back to the era when Yoruba home videos dominated living rooms across the country.
Ogogo’s filmography is extensive, but some productions occupy a particularly important place in his legacy.
Here are five Yoruba movies that helped make him unforgettable.
1. Owo Blow — The movie that became part of Ogogo’s legacy
If there is one title that immediately belongs in any conversation about Ogogo’s career, it is Owo Blow.
Released in 1996, the movie became one of the significant productions of the era and helped establish Ogogo as a major presence in Yoruba cinema.
He played Wole Owolabi, a character that allowed him to demonstrate the screen presence that would become one of his trademarks.
But Owo Blow was more than another Yoruba home video.
It belonged to the generation of movies that helped establish Nigerian home video as a powerful form of entertainment.
At a time when families could spend an entire evening watching movies at home, productions such as Owo Blow became part of popular culture.
And Ogogo was right there in the middle of it.
His performance helped make the film memorable and, decades later, the title remains one of the productions most closely associated with his name.
For older fans, mentioning Owo Blow can instantly transport them back to the golden era of Nigerian home videos.
2. Owo Blow Parts 2 and 3 — When the story continued
The impact of Owo Blow did not end with the first instalment.
Ogogo also appeared in Owo Blow Parts 2 and 3, continuing his role as Wole Owolabi.
Sequels can sometimes struggle to match the excitement generated by an original movie.
But the Owo Blow series had already captured the imagination of its audience.
For Ogogo, the films provided another opportunity to establish the character and demonstrate why he was becoming one of the recognisable faces of Yoruba cinema.
The significance of these movies goes beyond the individual scenes.
They represent an era when Nigerian filmmakers were building franchises and characters without the sophisticated promotional machinery available to today’s entertainment industry.
No TikTok teaser.
No Instagram countdown.
No streaming algorithm deciding what millions of people should watch.
The movie simply travelled from one home to another through word of mouth, physical copies and the enthusiasm of viewers.
And Ogogo travelled with it.
3. Ekun-Ayo (Tears of Joy) — Ogogo the storyteller
Another important title in Ogogo’s early filmography was Ekun-Ayo (Tears of Joy), released in 1996.
What makes this production particularly significant is that Ogogo was not merely involved as an actor.
He also contributed as a writer and producer.
That detail tells an important part of the Ogogo story.
He was never simply interested in standing in front of the camera and delivering lines.
He was also interested in the machinery behind the story — writing, producing and helping shape the narratives that audiences eventually saw.
That creative involvement became an important part of his career.
For an actor working in an industry that was still rapidly developing, moving between acting and filmmaking meant taking on multiple responsibilities.
Ogogo did exactly that.
And it helped establish him not just as a performer, but as a filmmaker with a stake in the growth of Yoruba cinema.
4. Agbelebu — A glimpse into Ogogo’s early filmmaking era
Released in 1995, Agbelebu belongs to the period when Ogogo was building his reputation and expanding his involvement in Yoruba film.
It came at an important stage of his career.
Ogogo had already developed an interest in acting through stage performance and had eventually left his job with the Lagos State Water Corporation in 1994 to pursue entertainment fully.
The decision was a major gamble.
But films such as Agbelebu formed part of the body of work through which he established himself in the industry.
Looking back today, these early productions are important because they allow fans to see the foundation of the actor many would later celebrate as Ogogo.
Before Netflix.
Before international streaming.
Before Nollywood became a globally recognised brand.
There was the home-video era.
And Ogogo was one of the performers helping to build it.
5. Aníkúlápó — The Ogogo that a new generation discovered
For longtime Yoruba movie fans, Ogogo needed no introduction.
But an entirely new generation got to experience his talent through Kunle Afolayan’s 2022 Netflix film, Aníkúlápó.
Ogogo played Alaafin Ademuyiwa, bringing the authority and composure of a veteran performer to a production that reached audiences far beyond Nigeria.
This was significant for another reason.
Entertainment had changed.
The generation that once bought VCDs was now streaming movies on smartphones, smart TVs and laptops.
Yet Ogogo was still there.
The same actor who had spent decades appearing in Yoruba productions was now featuring in a major Netflix project watched by audiences around the world.
His performance also earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.
For younger viewers discovering him for the first time, Aníkúlápó offered a glimpse of what older fans had known for decades:
Ogogo knew how to own a screen.
More Than Five Movies, More Than One Generation
Choosing only five films from Ogogo’s career is almost unfair.
His body of work stretches across decades, and his contribution to Yoruba cinema goes beyond the movies in which he acted.
He was an actor.
A producer.
A director.
A screenwriter.
But perhaps his greatest achievement was longevity.
The Nigerian entertainment industry changed dramatically during Ogogo’s career.
He witnessed the transition from stage productions to home videos, from VHS to VCDs, from physical movie sales to cinemas and eventually streaming platforms.
Many performers from his generation disappeared as the industry changed.
Ogogo adapted.
He remained relevant.
He continued working.
And eventually, a new generation discovered him all over again.
That is why his death feels particularly heavy.
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For some Nigerians, Ogogo was an actor they watched as children.
For others, he was the veteran they discovered through newer productions.
For another generation, he was simply that unmistakable Yoruba movie star whose presence meant the movie was about to get serious.
The Scenes May End, But The Memories Remain
Ask an older Yoruba movie fan about Ogogo and the response may not begin with a film title.
It may begin with a scene.
A character.
A line.
A facial expression.
A particular moment that has somehow survived decades in their memory.
That is the strange power of cinema.
Actors eventually leave the screen, but their characters refuse to leave the audience.
Ogogo’s death has reminded Nigerians of that.
The VCDs may have disappeared.
The old television sets may have been replaced.
The video shops that once lined Nigerian streets may have vanished.
But the movies remain.
And somewhere, perhaps in an old family collection, on a dusty hard drive, on YouTube or in the memories of people who watched them decades ago, Ogogo is still there.
Still acting.
Still commanding the screen.
Still making somebody in the next room shout:
“Come and see Ogogo!”
That may ultimately be one of the greatest tributes an actor can receive.
Not simply that he was famous.
But that long after the final scene, people still remember exactly how he made them feel.