Idowu Philips was born on 16 October 1942 at Ijebu Ode, a city in Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria.
She attended African Methodist School and Anglican Modern School for her primary and secondary education.
Her stage name “Iya Rainbow” stems from “Osumare” (meaning “rainbow” in British English), the name of the theatre group of Sir Hubert Ogunde, who died in 1990.
Idowu Philips worked as a healthcare assistant in general hospitals in Nigeria for several years and occasionally acted in theatre. Idowu ventured into full-time acting after the death of her husband – Augustine Ayanfemi Phillips (who worked closely with the late patriarch of Nigerian Film Industry Sir Herbert Ogunde.
She has since featured in several Nigerian films.
Idowu Philips is a brand ambassador for Airtel, a telecommunication company.
To celebrate her 81st birthday, Mama Rainbow has taken to her Instagram page to wish herself a happy birthday.
She shared a video of herself with this caption.
“Celebrating my birthday today! Sending special shout out to myself for all that I have accomplished this year and wishing myself a happy birthday full of magic, joy and love.”