Jeremy Mansfield facts for kids

Jeremy Mansfield (born Robert Jeremy Clayton Mansfield on August 15, 1963) was a well-known South African radio and TV star. He was famous for his fun personality and his voice. Jeremy worked on many radio stations and hosted several TV shows. He was also a talented voice actor. Sadly, he passed away on October 31, 2022, at the age of 59.

Jeremy Mansfield's Early Life

Jeremy Mansfield was born in Grahamstown, South Africa. He went to a well-known school called Kingswood College. After school, he stayed in Grahamstown. He attended Rhodes University. There, he studied Speech, Drama, and Journalism.

Jeremy Mansfield's Media Career

Jeremy Mansfield had a long and successful career in media. He was known for his work on both radio and television. He also wrote books and released music CDs.

Radio Career Highlights

Jeremy started his radio journey in 1985. He was still a student at the time. His first job was at Capital Radio 604 in Durban. In the same year, he won an award. It was called the AA Vita Award for The Most Promising Young South African Actor.

In 1990, Jeremy left Capital Radio. He moved to Johannesburg. He joined Super Sport on M-Net. He also started doing sports reports for the John Berks show. This show was on 702 Talk Radio.

Jeremy's popularity grew quickly. In 1993, he became a regular host. He presented 702's Saturday Afternoon program. By 1995, he was hosting the afternoon show.

In 1997, Jeremy moved to a new station. It was 702 Talk Radio's sister station, 94.7 Highveld Stereo. There, he created and hosted a popular morning show. It was called The Rude Awakening. He worked with a team of co-presenters.

In 2009, Jeremy was diagnosed with a type of cancer. It was called chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. He received medical treatment for nine months. In June 2010, he announced he would leave the show. His last show was on July 12, 2010.

Jeremy returned to radio in November 2018. He hosted the breakfast show, "Mansfield in the Morning". This was on Hot 91.9fm in Johannesburg. In 2019, his show won several awards. It won Best Breakfast Show and Best Content Production. Jeremy also won Best Breakfast Show Presenter. These awards were in the Community Radio category. He won these awards again in 2020.

In July 2021, he started a YouTube channel. He hosted daily video podcasts. These vodcasts featured experts. They talked about business, gardening, law, medicine, and entertainment.

Television and Film Appearances

In the mid-1990s, Jeremy started appearing on TV. He was a guest presenter on Pay television channels. These included M-Net for Front Row and SuperSport. In 1998, he left these channels. He started presenting A Word or 2 on SABC 2. This show was very popular. It ran for 10 seasons.

In 2005, Jeremy co-presented a comedy show. It was called Laugh Out Loud on M-Net. The show was so funny that it had a second season in 2006.

In 2010, Jeremy even voiced a character. He was the voice of Lifer in Disney's Toy Story 3. This was for the local South African release.

From 2010, Jeremy hosted his own finance show. It was a weekly show called Mansfield's Moneysense. You could watch it on CNBC Africa. He also hosted Mansfield2day on his YouTube channel.

Books and Music CDs

Jeremy Mansfield was also a talented writer and musician. He released five music CDs. These CDs featured characters he created on his radio shows. They also had funny stories and songs. Many of the songs he wrote himself. They often made fun of famous South African people and situations.

Jeremy wrote several joke books. His book Vrot Jokes (ISBN: 978-1-86872-335-5) was a huge bestseller in South Africa. He also wrote award-winning cookbooks. He co-authored Zhoozsh! (ISBN: 978-1-77007-785-0) in 2009. He wrote it with his wife, Jacqui. This cookbook won many awards. It was named Best Cook Book in South Africa. It also won Third Best Cook Book in the World at the Gourmand Awards. Their second cookbook, Zhoozsh! Faking It (ISBN: 9781770078659), also won awards. Both books were bestsellers.

Jeremy Mansfield's Passing

Jeremy Mansfield passed away on October 31, 2022. He was 59 years old.

Awards and Achievements

Jeremy Mansfield received many awards during his career.

• 1985: AA Vita Award for The Most Promising Young South African Actor.
• 1996–2010: Best Radio Personality of the year. He won this 14 years in a row.
• 1996–2010: Best Radio Show. His show won this 14 years in a row.
• 2004: He was the only radio person on the Top 100 South Africans list.
• He won Leisure Options' Most Popular Personality award.
• 2008: His cookbook Zhoozsh! won three awards. These were Book of the Year, Innovative, and Media.
• 2008: Zhoozsh! won Bronze as Third Best Cookbook in the World.
• 2008: Zhoozsh! was named Random House Struik Best Seller of the Year.
• 2009: You magazine Radio Personality of the Year.
• 2011: Zhoozsh! Faking It won South Africa's Easy Cook Book award.
• 2019 Liberty Radio Awards: He won Best Breakfast Show Presenter. His show won Best Breakfast Show and Best Content Producer.
• 2020: He won Best Breakfast Show Presenter and Best Breakfast Show again.

Charity Work and Giving Back

Jeremy Mansfield was also well-known for his charity work. He helped many people.

• The Christmas Wish: Jeremy started an annual charity drive. It helped people across South Africa. It focused mainly on Johannesburg. The charity helped pay school fees. It also covered financial expenses and hospital bills. It even supplied homes. The Christmas Wish was broadcast live on The Rude Awakening. It was also shown on M-Net.
• Hear for Life Trust: This trust was created from the Christmas Wish. It helped people get Cochlear implants. These are special devices that help people hear. The trust helped those who could not afford the surgery.
• He was a patron for The Sunflower Fund. This means he supported them. He was also an Ambassador of Hope for them.
• He was an Honorary Member of the SA Chef's Association.
• Jeremy was an Honorary Member of the NSPCA. This group helps animals.
• He was also an ambassador for the Springbok Rugby Supporter's Club.
• He received the first SAB Inqaba Award in 2010.

Former South African president Nelson Mandela thanked Jeremy personally. This was for the charity work he had done. Jeremy's efforts raised over R12 million.