Veteran Actor, Alhaji Abdulsalam Sanyaolu a.k.a. Charles Olumo or Agbako is a well-known actor in the Yoruba movie genre of Nollywood. He got into acting about 62 years ago when he formed a movie group called Charles Olumo Theater Group which he floated alongside some indigenes of Abeokuta, Ogun State. Before then, he developed the interest from The Apostolic Church, Mushin Assembly when he paid a visit to a friend in the church during a drama rehearsal and he showed interest.

The man of substance who was on Friday 7th August, 2015 involved in an auto crash in his house at Onibuku area of Ado-Odo/Ota local government of Ogun State clocked 90, and 62 years in acting which will be celebrated in November. In this interview, he spoke about his life at 90, acting career and the truth behind his relationship with Alabi Pasuma’s mum. Excerpts:

How did your journey into acting start?
I actually started acting from school immediately after my school; I was already engaged in auto mechanical. A day came that I visited a friend of mine in Mushin Area of Lagos and he told me that he was going to his church rehearsal because they were preparing for their end of the year drama, so I followed and I asked him if I can join them because I already had interest in it. That was how I joined them and 3 weeks after that, the man who was to play the lead role was messing up with them, he said he wanted to travel and everyone was begging him not to go so that he can help them out in playing the role because he was very good at it, he was reluctant, I then told my friend that I can play the role more perfect than him, I was given a trial and that was all. After sometimes, the whole congregation said I should join them fully and I said I needed to go back to my base but I will be coming back to check on them. I was already popular in Mushin. The church is named The Apostolic Church, Mushin. Many people thought I was the leader of the group after the drama. This is because of the way I interpreted the character. After that, many churches were inviting me to train their drama groups and that was how the journey commenced.

How did it start professionally?
When I joined the industry professionally, the Association of Theatre Arts Practitioners (ANTP) hasn’t been founded; everyone was just forming his own group now known as caucus. But for the fact that I have acted and nurtured drama groups of virtually all the churches in Mushin, I got addicted to it and people who are from Abeokuta called my attention to form a group because they believed that what Ade Love, Ogunde and the rest of them were doing were not superb than what I was doing, so I had a meeting with them to deliberate on the name to be given to the group before we finally chose Olumo Theater Group because Olumo plays a vital role in Abeokuta by saving the people from Egba going by the history, and that was all.

You mean Charles Olumo isn’t your real name?
At all! That is a name given to my theatre group. I got the name Charles from the church after which I was told to be baptized and I did, that was where the name came from and I added Olumo to it to become Charles Olumo.

Who are the people who floated the group with?
I can’t really recollect because it has been very long, more so, virtually all of them are late now.

How did you get your nickname “Agbako”?......READ MORE: http://www.goldrushnews247.com/2015/11/i-dated-pasumas-mum-when-she-was-with-baba-sala-but-i-am-not-his-father-actor-agbako/

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