Richard Eyimofe Evans Damijo, popularly known as RMD, is a Nigerian Actor, writer, producer, lawyer and former journalist. He was born on 6th July, 1961 in Aladja community of Udu Kingdom, Delta state. He attended Midwest college, Warri, and Anglican Grammar school and was a member of the Drama club, where he ignited his passion for acting. He further moved to the University of Benin, where he studied Theatre Arts and graduated in 1983. Later on, he attended the University of Lagos where he studied Law, graduated in 2004, and was called to the Nigerian bar in 2005.
After graduating from the University, RMD took part in the soap opera Ripples, but gained more popularity when he took the role of villain Segun Kadiri in the soap opera Checkmate. He also had a short spell before then, with Concord Newspapers, Metro Magazine and Quality, as a writer. In his 30s, he published and sold Nigeria’s first all-gloss magazine for men, titled Mister. He also wrote and produced his first film, Out of Bounds which made him receive a writer/producer credit.
Richard Mofe Damijo also had a stint in politics when he got appointed as the Special Adviser of Culture and Tourism to the former Governor of Delta State (2007-2015), in 2008. He later became the commissioner for Culture and Tourism of Delta State in 2009. His tenure officially ended in 2015.
Eyimofe Damijo was married to journalist/publisher and talk show host, May Ellen ‘MEE’ Ezekiel before her death in 1996. He later remarried TV Personality, Jumobi Adegbesan, who later left TV presenting for the corporate world. RMD has five children; two with his current wife and three from his previous marriage.
RMD is a recipient of various awards and some of them are: Best Actor in a Leading Role, Africa Movie Academy Awards, 2005; Special Recognition Award, Best of Nollywood Awards (BON), 2012; Lifetime Achievement Award, Africa Movie Academy Awards, 2016; Overall Best Actor in a Leading role (Cross Road), Africa Movie Academy Awards, 2018. He was also recently nominated for the Most Popular Actor at the Net Honours, 2021.
The multi-talented actor is the founder of the RMD production; an umbrella for the RMDtvng and RMDtheactor which produces creative content, broadcasting, television and radio productions, etc. It is the producer of the popular sitcom – Mr. X family.
He also founded White Water Limited and RMD Foundation, with the former being a Nigerian PR outfit that deals with public relations consultancy and the latter being a platform for mentoring people identified for greatness. This stemmed out of his love for charity.
Mofe Damijo is a well-known actor and has starred in more than sixty movies, with some of them being the ones he produced or directed. Below are some notable movies which he has starred in:
- Out of Bounds, 1997
- Hostages, 1997
- Scores to settle, 1998
- Diamond ring, 1998
- Freedom. 1999
- The price, 1999
- When God says yes, 1999
- The richest man, 1999
- The return, 1999
- The intruder, 1999
- Soul provider, 1999
- Private sin, 2003
- Passions, 2003
- Love, 2003
- I will die for you, 2003
- Emotional pain, 2003
- The mayors, 2004
- True Romance (2004)
- The legend, 2004
- I want your wife, 2004
- Indecent act, 2004
- Critical decision, 2004
- Engagement night, 2004
- Burning desire, 2004
- Critical assignment, 2004
- Darkest night, 2005
- Behind closed doors, 2005
- The bridesmaid, 2005
- Welcome to Nollywood, 2007
- 30 Days in Atlanta, 2014
- Oloibiri, 2015
- Okafor’s law, 2016
- Three wise men, 2016
- The wedding party, 2016
- Dinner, 2016
- The grudge, 2016
- I love my wife even after death, 2017
- 10 days in the sun city, 2017
- The wedding party 2, 2017
- My God never fail me, 2018
- Merry men: the real Yoruba demons, 2018
- Cross roads, 2018
- God calling, 2018
- Chief Daddy, 2018
- Blood and Oil, 2019
- The Hour, 2019
- Castle and Castle, 2019-2021
· Fine wine, 2019
· Love is war, 2019
· King of Boys: The Return of the King, 2021
Richard Mofe Damijo has remained consistent in the entertainment sector and he still remains one of the most relevant actors through his ability to keep reinventing and keeping in touch with recent industry trends and making sure that he is not left behind.
RMD believes that inding fulfilment in the midst of the storm is a gift from God. He has also not ceased in sharing his experiences with his fans and the general population. He also served as a great source of inspiration through his motivating quotes. Below are some of them:
· “Have respect, more for yourself than the one you latch onto because it is self-respect that restrains you from behaving in ways that put you in a bad light.”
· “Don’t enter into a relationship with the intent of giving nothing in return. You must be willing to service whatever relationship you have.”
· “If we remember that life is a journey and that every journey has a rest point, we will stop fighting with and getting discouraged by every lull we experience on our life’s journey.”
· “Two sides to a story does not invalidate the truth of the abused, the molested, the hurting. Do not be quick to rebut someone’s pain.”
· “Be what, where, who, and how you can be, but by all means, be real.”
· “Never be afraid to pause sometimes to look at yourself in the mirror and ask if all is going well. If not, reappraise. Reassess. Reprogramme. Redirect. Redefine and Rev on.”
Richard Mofe Damijo has a net worth estimated to be at $7million. He is regarded as one of the richest and most influential actors in Nigeria. In November 2018, he signed an endorsement deal with a real estate company known as Land Lagos.
One factor which has made RMD to remain active in the game is his understanding on how to sift out noise from truth on social media and his ability to also avoid getting into image-tainting scandals. This has greatly helped him to remain focused on matters which hold more importance.
RMD’s lessons, quotes and story is an inspiring one which up and coming actors and actresses who want to make it big in the movie industry should emulate.
