Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was a lawyer, activist, politician, president of the ANC, first President of the post-Apartheid South Africa and international pacifist and icon.

Widely known as Madiba in later years.

Biography

Born Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela,

As a young man he was, inter alia, a boxer, an actor and a male model.

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

As a public figure

As a public figure he participated in numerous "performances" on many stages world-wide, from his early appearances as a struggle leader to his later appearances as elder statesman. Perhaps the most iconic of these in South Africa in recent years were his walk to freedom from the Victor Verster prison outside Paarl, and the first Presidential inauguration - which in many ways can be seen as one of the major performance pieces of the twentieth century.

As an actor

This is very uncertain and requires research

Performed a role in the film ***???** In prison he participated in performances ***??.

As a character in Film and TV

Besides his own personal appearances in documentaries and the like, Nelson Mandela has been subject of, or a character in, a number of stage, film and TV dramas over the years, and has been interpreted by a range of performers, including South African satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys and American actors and Laurence Fishburne.

Film interpretations include:

Der Rivonia-Prozess (Jürgen Goslar/1966) (by Simon Sabela), Mandela (Philip Saville/1987) (by Danny Glover), Mandela and De Klerk (Joseph Sargent/1997) (by Sidney Poitier), Drum (Zola Maseko/2004) (by Lindani Nkosi), Goodbye Bafana (Bille August/2007) (by Dennis Haysbert), Endgame (Pete Travis/2008) (by Clarke Peters), Invictus (Clint Eastwood/2009) (by Morgan Freeman), Mrs. Mandela (Michael Samuels/2009) (by David Harewood), Winnie (Darrell James Roodt/2011) (by Terrence Howard), Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (Justin Chadwick/2013) (by Idris Elba), Mandela's Gun (John Irvin/2016) (by Tumisho Masha), An Act of Defiance (Jean van de Velde/2017) by Sello Motloung), Madiba (TV Mini Series, 2017)

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