Taiwo Ajai Lycett

Taiwo Ajai Lycett
Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, OON
Born	(1941-01-03)3 January 1941 Lagos, Western Region, British Nigeria
Nationality	Nigerian
Citizenship	Nigerian (1941 – present)
Occupation	film actress Cosmetologist

Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, OON (3 February 1941) is a Nigerian actress, journalist, television presenter, and cosmetologist.

Lycett is a feminist and was the first editor of Africa Woman magazine in the 1970s.

Lycett was born on 3 February 1941 in Lagos, Western Region of Colonial Nigeria, her father was of Awori heritage. She was educated at Mt Carmel Convent School, Lagos, before proceeding to Methodist Girls' High School, Lagos.

To further her studies, she traveled to London to study business and administration. In London, she took courses at Christine Shaw School of Beauty Science in London, where she received a certificate in cosmetology. She also attended Hendon College of Technology, where she obtained a Higher National Diploma in Business Studies in 1969. While studying, she worked as a waitress at Lyons Tea Shop, then moved to the Post Office and later advertising. In the Post Office, she started as a personal secretary in 1962 and later worked as a senior secretary in the office of Lord Hall.

She moved to advertising and was in the personnel department of advertising firm, Young and Rubicam. She then worked as a personal assistant to the managing partner of Gresham Broad and Co, an accounting firm.

Her acting debut was in December 1966 in Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel, a two-act comedy directed by William Gaskill at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Her acting debut was not planned, she was in the rehearsal hall of the play when she was asked by Gaskill to be a participant. After the encouragement she received following her performance and the invitations from producers that followed, she decided to take a career in acting seriously. She enrolled at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.