John Kani
 |
John Kani | |
|---|---|
 Kani in 2007 | |
| Born | 30 August 1942 |
| Nationality | South African |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Children | Atandwa Kani |
| Honours | Order of Ikhamanga in Silver[1] |
Bonisile John Kani (born 30 August 1942) is a South African actor, director and playwright.
Personal life
Kani was born in New Brighton, Eastern Cape, South Africa.[1] His son Atandwa is also an actor, who made his debut on U.S. television on the CW series Life Is Wild, and played a younger version of Kani's character T'Chaka in Black Panther.[2]
In 1985, after appearing in Athol Fugard's anti-apartheid play, "Sizwe Banzi Is Dead," which he also cowrote, Kani returned to South Africa. There he received a phone call saying that his father wanted to see him. On the way there, Kani says he was surrounded by police, who beat him and left him for dead. His left eye was lost in the incident and he now wears a prosthetic.[3]
Career
Kani joined the Serpent Players (a group of actors whose first performance was in the former snake pit of the zoo, hence the name) in Port Elizabeth in 1965 and helped to create many plays that went unpublished but were performed to a resounding reception.
These were followed by the more famous Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island, co-written with Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona, in the early 1970s. He also received an Olivier Award nomination for his role in My Children! My Africa!
Kani's work has been widely performed around the world, including New York, where he and Winston Ntshona won a Tony Award in 1975 for Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island. These two plays were presented in repertory at the Edison Theatre for a total of 52 performances.
In 1987 Kani played Othello in a performance of Shakespeare's play in South Africa which was still under apartheid. "At least I'll be able to kiss Desdemona without leaving a smudge." he said then.[4]
Nothing but the Truth (2002) was his debut as sole playwright and was first performed in the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. This play takes place in post-apartheid South Africa and does not concern the conflicts between whites and blacks, but the rift between blacks who stayed in South Africa to fight apartheid, and those who left only to return when the hated regime folded. It won the 2003 Fleur du Cap Awards for best actor and best new South African play. In the same year he was also awarded a special Obie award for his extraordinary contribution to theatre in the United States.
Kani is executive trustee of the John Kani Theatre Foundation, founder and director of the John Kani Theatre Laboratory and chairman of the National Arts Council of SA. He starred as T'Chaka in the Marvel studios blockbusters Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther.
In August 2017, Kani had been cast to perform the voice of Rafiki in the 2019 CGI remake of The Lion King directed by Jon Favreau.[5]
Kani has written a new play, Kunene and the King, a co-production for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Fugard Theatre that will play in the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2019.[6]
Other recognition and awards
On 20 February 2010, Kani received Life Time award (SAFTA Awards). Kani has also received the Avanti Hall of Fame Award from the South African film, television and advertising industries, an M-Net Plum award and a Clio award in New York. Other awards include the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation Award for the year 2000 and the Olive Schreiner Prize for 2005. He was voted 51st in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004. In 2006, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Cape Town.[7] Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in 2013.[8]
In 2016 Kani received the national honour of the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver, for his "Excellent contributions to theatre and, through this, the struggle for a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa".[1]
The main theatre of the Market Theatre complex in Newtown, Johannesburg, has been renamed The John Kani Theatre in his honour.[9]
Plays
- Sizwe Banzi is Dead (1972) (co-authored with Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona)
- The Island (1973) (co-authored with Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona)
- Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act (co-authored with Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona)
- My Children My Africa! (actor)
- Nothing But the Truth (2002) (sole playwright)
- The Tempest (2008) (actor in the role of Caliban, at the Baxter Theatre, Cape Town; Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon; and tour of Richmond, Leeds, Bath, Nottingham, Sheffield)
Film and television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | BBC2 Playhouse | Styles / Buntu | Episode: "Sizwe Bansi Is Dead" |
| 1974 | 2nd House | Episode: "Athol Fugard" | |
| 1978 | Play for Today | George O'Brien | Episode: "Victims of Apartheid" |
| 1985 | "Master Harold"...and the Boys | Willie | TV Movie |
| 1986 | Miss Julie | John | TV Movie |
| 1989 | Othello | Othello | TV Movie |
| 1997 | Kap der Rache | Inspektor Khumalo | German TV Movie |
| 2006 | Hillside | Dr. Vincent Maloka | 1 episode |
| 2008 | The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | Daddy Bapetsi | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2008 | Silent Witness | Dr. Phiri | 2 episode |
| 2012 | iNkaba | Mkhuseli Mthetho | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Wallander | Max Khulu | Episode: "The White Lioness" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Wild Geese | Sgt. Jesse Link | |
| 1980 | Marigolds in August | Melton | |
| 1981 | Killing Heat | Moses | |
| 1987 | Saturday Night at the Palace | September | |
| 1987 | An African Dream | Khatana | |
| 1989 | Options | Jonas Mabote | |
| 1989 | A Dry White Season | Julius | |
| 1989 | The Native Who Caused All the Trouble | Tselilo Mseme | |
| 1992 | Sarafina! | School Principal | |
| 1995 | Soweto Green: This Is a 'Tree' Story | Dr. Curtis Tshabalala | |
| 1996 | The Ghost and the Darkness | Samuel | |
| 1997 | Kini and Adams | Ben | |
| 1998 | The Tichborne Claimant | Bogle | |
| 2001 | Final Solution | Rev. Peter Lekota | |
| 2007 | The Bird Can't Fly | Stone | |
| 2008 | Nothing but the Truth | Sipho | |
| 2009 | Endgame | Oliver Tambo | |
| 2010 | White Lion | Old Gisani | |
| 2011 | Coriolanus | General Cominius | |
| 2011 | Janapriyan | Indian Movie | |
| 2011 | How to Steal 2 Million | Julius Twala Snr. | South African Movie |
| 2012 | Jail Caesar | Marius | |
| 2016 | Captain America: Civil War | T'Chaka | |
| 2016 | The Suit | Mr. Maphikela | Short film |
| 2018 | Black Panther | T'Chaka | |
| 2019 | The Lion King | Rafiki (voice) | |
| 2019 | Murder Mystery |
Drama
- Nothing But the Truth (2002)
References
- ^ a b c "Bonisile John Kani (1943 - )". The Presidency. 30 August 1943. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ https://www.timeslive.co.za/tshisa-live/tshisa-live/2018-01-30-john-kani-on-black-panther-premiere-i-knew-we-would-introduce-a-different-african/
- ^
Britt, Donna (26 September 1989). "APARTHEID THROUGH AN ANGRY LENS". https://www.washingtonpost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
Kani lost his eye when he returned to South Africa after appearing in Athol Fugard's anti-apartheid play, "Sizwe Banzi Is Dead," here and in New York. The actor was lured from his home by a telephone caller who said Kani was wanted at his father's home. On the way there, Kani says he was surrounded by police, who beat him and left him for dead.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ "[From our archives] 20 bizarre apartheid moments | Opinion | Analysis | M&G". Mg.co.za. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ Gonzalez, Umberto; Verhoeven, Beatrice (7 August 2017). "'Lion King' Rafiki Casting: John Kani, 'Civil War' Star, to Play Wise Baboon (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ https://www.rsc.org.uk/kunene-and-the-king/
- ^ "Honorary doctorates for June graduation". Electronic Monday Paper. University of Cape Town. 12 June 2006. Retrieved 7 August 2006. [dead link] Vol 25 No 14
- ^ "NMMU to honour John Kani". Port Elizabeth Herald. 10 April 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Main Theatre is renamed to honour Dr. John Kani". Markettheatre.co.za. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
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