Leeanda Reddy

Leeanda Reddy is a stage, film and TV actress, writer, director, producer and TV presenter.

Biography

Born Leeanda Antoinette Reddy in Durban, South Africa, she spent childhood in the Chatsworth and Phoenix regions of Durban.

She completed education from Crystal Point Secondary school and completed a BA degree in Speech and Drama and a BA Honours (Drama) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban.

She is married to her longtime partner Clive Chetty. The couple has two sons: Yorke and Zion Chetty.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

Stage work

She initially performed in stage plays, inter alia playing "Lady Macbeth" in Stephen Gurney's production of Macbeth, "Viola" in Twelfth Night, "Titania" in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Beyond Calvary, iNkaba (2012, playing "Prevashnee"), Cherry on Top (2013), . and

She later also became a stand-up comedian, appearing in both international and local theatres.

Locally she has appeared on the stages of a range of South African theatres, including the Loft Theatre, The Market Theatre, the Johannesburg Civic Theatre, the Durban Playhouse, the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre and at the Grahamstown Festival.

Her real breakthrough came with when she was invited to present Ronnie Govender's solo play At the Edge at the International Theater Festival in New Delhi, India, in 2000, playing a range of characters. She later took it on tour in South Africa, and performed it at the Edinburgh Festival. She also played thirty different characters in another one-woman show, simply entitled Ronnie Govender.

Awards the Mababongwe Award for Excellence, twice the FNB Vita Award for best lead actress (Twelfth Night, Beyond Calvary), four Durban Theatre Award nominations for Buckled (as best lead actress, best comedy actress, best script, and best set design).

TV and Film

She began in television as a TV host of the magazine shows, such as Big City and Citylife.

Her TV acting has included Scandal! (as "Vanashree Devan", 2005-2006), Backstage, Isidingo ("Priya Kumar", 2015) and 'Cape Town (as "Kumari Nayar", 2016), also roles in Zero Tolerance, The Res and Snitch.

Films have included Mr. Bones 2: Back from the Past (2008), Diana (2013), The Dark Tower (2017, as "Dr. Weizak")

In 2008 she co-founded of the film production company Mustard Seed Productions with Krijay Govender.