Mariam Kayode

EARLY LIFE

Mariam Kayode was born on 1 June 2007 in Oyo State, Nigeria. She attended Kingsfield College (Ijede campus). Her entry into acting was closely tied to her family: her mother, Titilola Kayode (a filmmaker who studied at the International Film and Broadcast Academy), cast her in early projects. Her father is Ahmed Kayode. Both parents have been strong supporters of her career, providing guidance, criticism, and logistical support while she balanced school and set work.

CAREER

Mariam started acting around age 8 through her mother’s film-school projects. An early role was in the short/stage piece Dark Light (2015), directed by her mother, in which she played a girl with an alter ego. She then auditioned successfully for Happiness, Ltd (2016, as Mandu) and appeared in Don’t Leave Me (2016). Her breakthrough came with Children of Mud (2017, as Emem), directed by Ime Umoren. The performance earned her a historic nomination for Best Actress in a Drama/TV Series at the 2018 AMVCA — making her one of the youngest nominees ever in that category, alongside established stars such as Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde. She also received recognition as Best Child Actress for The Coffin Salesman (2019) at the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards in 2018. Subsequent credits include: City of Bastards (2019) The Coffin Salesman (2019) Price of Admission (2020, as Jumi) Black Dove (2021) The Matron (2021, as Shola) Discerning Eyes (2022, as Lilly) Checkout (2024, as Tomi) Bayi She has continued working steadily in Nollywood while growing from child roles into more mature teenage/young-adult parts.

PERSONAL LIFE

As a young actress who began working in her pre-teen years, Mariam has kept her personal life relatively private and focused on education alongside acting. In early interviews (around age 11), she expressed interest in eventually studying law or theatre arts, viewing acting as a passion that could run alongside a professional career. She has spoken about the importance of parental support and maintaining schoolwork while filming.

Mariam has been noted for her natural talent, emotional range, and ability to handle complex characters at a young age. Early interviews highlighted her advocacy leanings (disliking injustice) and her measured approach to fame — treating acting as both passion and “hustle” while prioritising education. She has performed publicly (including singing at AMVCA-related events) and remains an example of successful child-to-young-adult transitions in Nigerian cinema.