Famous South African Actors

Sharlto Copley is a South African actor best known for playing important roles in science fiction films, such as District 9, Elysium, Europa Report, Chappie, and Hardcore Henry. His portrayal of Wikus van der Merwe in District 9 earned him several accolades including a couple of IGN Movie Awards.

Born to stage-actor parents in South Africa, Arnold Vosloo is best known as Imhotep from The Mummy franchise. He is also often mistaken for Billy Zane from Titanic for his uncanny resemblance to the actor. The Dalro Award-winning actor has also appeared in series such as 24 and Bosch.

John Kani is a South African actor, playwright, director, and author. He is best known for playing T'Chaka in American superhero films, such as Black Panther and Captain America: Civil War. One of the few South African actors to achieve international recognition, John Kani was included in the Top 100 Great South Africans list, which was published in 2004. 

Sid James was an actor best remembered for playing multiple characters in the popular Carry On series. James has been the subject of many tribute shows including BBC's 2013 show The Many Faces of Sid James. In 1998, actor Geoffrey Hutchings played Sid James in a play titled Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick which was premiered at the National Theatre.

Dean Geyer is a South African Australian actor, singer-songwriter, and martial artist. Geyer came into prominence after finishing third in the popular Australian singing competition Australian Idol in 2006. He then released his debut album Rush which peaked at number seven on the ARIA Chart. In 2009, he won the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Award under the Fave Hottie category.

Adhir Kalyan is a South African actor best known for playing Timmy in the American sitcom television series Rules of Engagement. He is also known for portraying the role of Awalmir "Al" Karimi in a television sitcom series titled United States of Al. Born into an Indian South African family, Kalyan is often cast to play characters of Asian origin.

Leon Schuster is a South African filmmaker, actor, comedian, singer, and presenter. Over the years, Schuster's films have been targeted for issues related to racism. In 2020, more than six of his movies were removed from the South African streaming service Showmax for being racially insensitive as he had used blackface in his movies for comedic effect.

Nigel Green was an English actor best remembered for playing supporting roles in movies like Jason and the Argonauts and The Ipcress File. Thanks to his commanding height of 6 ft 4 in, strapping build, and regimental demeanor, Green was often cast to play men of action and characters with imposing physique.

Henry Cele was a South African actor and soccer player. Renowned for his goalkeeping skills, Cele was nicknamed Black Cat due to his cat-like agility. As an actor, he is remembered for playing Shaka kaSenzangakhona in the miniseries Shaka Zulu and in the TV film Shaka Zulu: The Last Great Warrior. Henry Cele was honored with the Golden Plumes Award.

Gavin Hood is a South African actor, filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter. Hood garnered international recognition when the crime drama film Tsotsi, which was written and directed by him, won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Gavin Hood has also directed American and British films like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Official Secrets, Eye in the Sky, and Ender's Game.

Shannon Kook-Chun is a South African actor best known for playing important roles in popular television series, such as Degrassi: The Next Generation, Shadowhunters, Carmilla, and The 100. He is also popular for playing Drew Thomas in The Conjuring Universe. Shannon Kook is one of the few South African actors to have gained international recognition.

Athol Fugard is a South African playwright, director, novelist, and actor. Widely regarded as the greatest South African playwright of all time, Fugard has received several prestigious awards and honors including a Tony Award for lifetime achievement. His novel Tsotsi, which was adapted into a film by filmmaker Gavin Hood, earned Hood an Academy Award.

Brian Murray was a South African theatre director and actor. Over the course of his career, which spanned more than five decades, Murray received several awards nominations including three nominations for the prestigious Tony Award. In 1998, he was honored with the Lucille Lortel Award for his contribution to the arts. He also won a couple of Drama Desk Awards.

Leon Botha was a South African disk jockey and painter whose association with Die Antwoord made him popular throughout the country. He was also famous for being one of the longest-lived persons with progeria. Leon Botha's life and career inspired the one-act opera Solarize.

Lawrence Anthony was an international conservationist, explorer, environmentalist, and bestselling author. He is credited with founding the independent conservation and environmental group, The Earth Organization. Anthony played an important role in rescuing and protecting endangered species, such as the Northern White Rhinoceros. A prolific writer, many of Anthony’s books have been translated into numerous languages.

South African actor Marius Weyers is best known for his portrayal of scientist Andrew Steyn in The Gods Must Be Crazy, a role that turned him into an international sensation. He also had roles in Blood Diamond and Gandhi. His wife, Yvette, too, is an artist.

Zakes Mokae was a South African-American film and theatre actor. He is best remembered for his collaboration with playwright Athol Fugard whose "Master Harold"...and the Boys earned Mokae the prestigious Tony Award under the Featured Actor in a Play category in 1982. Zakes Mokae also tried his hand at theatre direction, working for American companies like the Nevada Shakespeare Company. 

Apart from appearing in films such as World War Z and Hotel Rwanda, South African actor Fana Mokoena has also been a member of the National Assembly of South Africa. He had a significant role in the series The LAB and is all set to appear in the drama Scandal!

South African actor-singer Steve Hofmeyr is best known for his role in Egoli: Place of Gold. He is also the former husband of actor Natasha Sutherland. He seems to have turned into controversy’s favorite child, with exaggerated claims of whites being killed in South Africa and his denial of apartheid.

The son of a silversmith father and an artist mother, British-South African filmmaker and actor Jason Cope initially performed magic on stage and had also joined a circus as a teenager. He later appeared in the Academy Award-nominated film District 9. An amateur engineer, he has also built a wind farm.

Ugandan-born South African actor Danny Keough, best remembered for his theater performances, had also appeared in the Clint Eastwood-directed movie Invictus and series such as Labyrinth. He played King Dunchaid in Northmen: A Viking Saga. He was often mistaken for his namesake singer, the former husband of Lisa Marie Presley.

Best known for his banned memoir Blame Me on History, South African-born British author William Modisane explored themes such as apartheid laws. As a child, he had witnessed his father’s murder and his sister’s death due to malnutrition. A journalist and critic, he had begun his career with Drum magazine.

Actor-model Byron Langley is best known as Simon Brown from the Spud franchise and as Warren from the popular movie The Kissing Booth. The South African actor has also been the drummer for the band Cat and the Cuckoo. He was part of the Cricket LMS World Cup, too.

French-South African actor, model, and Instagram star Alex Lange was born in Paris and raised in London. Now based in California, Lange has appeared as Max in the medical drama Code Black. He was part of internet's Team 10 and has also promoted charitable initiatives such as Alex's Lemonade Stand.