Atandwa Kani’s roots will always be in South Africa but this ‘Prince of Theatre’ is doing great things in Hollywood… and we couldn’t be prouder!
From the stage to the big screen, Atandwa Kani is a passionate, hard working actor who is making South Africa incredibly proud.
Kani is the son of South African legendary actor John Kani but that is not his claim to fame. He has been a familiar face on South African television for some time, as well as theatre stages around the world and now the talented actor is on your local big screen playing the younger King T’Chaka in the incredible Black Panther.
But before Kani moved to New York, the skilled actor hailed from Port Elizabeth.
He was exposed to the entertainment industry at a young age by observing and learning from his father, who studied scripts for his own acting roles and took his son to theatre performances. These experiences influenced him to follow in his father’s footsteps.
He was educated at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits), where he studied theatre performance and participated in school productions. He graduated in 2008, with an Honours degree in theatrical performance.
Kani went on to make his international stage debut in The Tempest, a collaboration between the Baxter Theatre Centre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he played Ariel alongside his father (Caliban) and Sir Antony Sher (Prospero).
One reviewer described him as “the star of this production… he was a true pleasure to watch, embodying the character and interacting beautifully with the rest of the cast”. Sean Hewitt of the Nottingham news site, Nottingham Post, wrote “….scene-stealing Atandwa Kani, the best Ariel I’ve ever seen”.
And in 2009, Kani made his United States television debut in the CW Television Network program Life Is Wild, an American adaptation of the hugely popular ITV family drama Wild at Heart that aired in the United Kingdom from 2006 until 2012. The American adaptation was commissioned for only one season, but from 2010 to 2012, Kani played the role of Thabo in series 5 and 6, plus a brief appearance in series 7, of the original British Wild at Heart, starring Stephen Tompkinson and Dawn Steele.
In South Africa Kani starred in Kowethu, an SABC 1 drama and featured in international BET series The Book of Negroes where he acted alongside Cuba Gooding Jr (Sam Fraunces) and Aunjanue Ellis (Aminata Diallo). The incredible actor also featured in Soul Buddyz, 90 Plein Street and he served as Master of Ceremonies for the 46664 “Legacy” Bangle, alongside Tokyo Sexwale and Hlubi Mboya.
Kani also performed Sizwe Banzi is Dead in New York, directed by John Kani and did a South African tour of the show from 2015 to 2016. In 2016 he starred in a Film adaptation of Can Temba’s book The Suit which won a SAFTA in 2017 for Best Short Film. The Film was part of the 19th Zanzibar International Film Festival and the Urban World Film Festival in New York.
One of Kani’s biggest roles, and most memorable is when he went on to play the young Nelson Mandela in the movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, directed by Justin Chadwick, acting alongside Idris Elba, Naomi Harris and Terry Pheto.
Most recently, Kani portrayed the younger King T’Chaka, a dual part shared with his father, in the comic book film Black Panther… a movie that is being celebrated around the world. Not only has it done wonders at the box office, but it has started important global conversations about equality and inclusivity.
But this is just the start to Kani’s dreams for his career… and South Africa is rooting for you all the way!
“I aspire and look up to amazing actors. I was raised by an amazing giant of an actor (John Kani) who has conquered the world, but I want so much more for myself. I want to play, like, Denzel Washington’s nephew and pull it off. I want to have the lead role alongside Idris Elba. My father once taught me that if you want to impress and be in a position of power, learn the waltz better than they do it. That is when they will respect you and look at you.”
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