John Kani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Kani
OIS OBE
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Kani in Rosebank, Johannesburg in 2023
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Bonisile John Kani
30 August 1942 New Brighton, Eastern Cape, South Africa
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| Years active | 1965–present |
| Children | Atandwa Kani |
| Honours | Order of Ikhamanga in Silver |
Bonisile John Kani (born on 30 August 1942) is a famous South African actor, author, and director. You might know him as T'Chaka from the Marvel movies Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Black Panther (2018). He also voiced Rafiki in The Lion King (2019) and played Colonel Ulenga in the Netflix films Murder Mystery (2019) and Murder Mystery 2 (2023).
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John Kani's Early Life and Challenges
John Kani was born in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on 30 August 1942. When he was young, South Africa had a system called apartheid. This system treated people unfairly based on their race.
In 1975, after performing in a play in the United States, John Kani returned home. This play, called Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, spoke out against apartheid. When he got back, he was attacked by police. He lost his left eye because of this attack and now wears a special glass eye.
John Kani's son, Atandwa Kani, is also an actor. Atandwa played a younger version of his father's character, T'Chaka, in the movie Black Panther.
His Amazing Theatre Journey
John Kani started his acting career in 1965. He joined a group called The Serpent Players in Port Elizabeth. They got their name because they first performed in an old snake pit at a zoo! John Kani helped create many plays that were performed to large audiences.
Two of his most famous plays are Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island. He wrote these with Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona in the early 1970s. These plays were very important because they showed the struggles people faced during apartheid.
In 1975, John Kani and Winston Ntshona won a special Tony Award in New York for their work in Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island. This was a huge achievement!
In 2002, John Kani wrote his own play called Nothing but the Truth. This play was set in South Africa after apartheid ended. It explored the differences between black South Africans who stayed to fight apartheid and those who left and then returned. The play won awards for best actor and best new South African play.
From Stage to Screen: Film and TV Roles
John Kani is well-known for his roles in big Hollywood movies. He played T'Chaka, the father of Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Black Panther (2018).
A cool fact is that John Kani speaks Xhosa, a South African language. Because of this, the actor who played his son, Chadwick Boseman, decided that Xhosa would be the language spoken in the fictional country of Wakanda. Chadwick even learned parts of his lines in Xhosa!
In 2019, John Kani voiced the wise baboon Rafiki in the live-action movie The Lion King. He also appeared as Colonel Ulenga in the Netflix comedy Murder Mystery and its sequel Murder Mystery 2.
Awards and Special Honours
John Kani has received many awards for his amazing contributions to acting and theatre.
In 2010, he received a SAFTA Lifetime award. He has also been given honorary doctorates from several universities, including the University of Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
In 2016, he received the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver. This is a high national honour in South Africa. It was given to him for his "Excellent contributions to theatre and, through this, the struggle for a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa." This means his work helped fight for a fair and equal South Africa.
The main theatre at the Market Theatre complex in Newtown, Johannesburg, was renamed The John Kani Theatre in his honour. This shows how much he is respected in the world of theatre. In 2023, he was also given an honorary OBE by the British Government for his services to drama.
Plays Written or Co-Written by John Kani
- Sizwe Banzi is Dead (1972)
- The Island (1973)
- Nothing But the Truth (2002)
- Missing (2014)
- Kunene and the King (2019)
Images for kids
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Kani in Rosebank, Johannesburg in 2023
See also
In Spanish: John Kani para niños
