Olive Schreiner Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 46 (2005) Winner
John Kani
ジョン・カニ
Jon Kani
Aliases:
Bonisile John Kani
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1942-08-30 （New Brighton, Eastern Cape, South Africa）
- Nationality
- South Africa
- Languages
- English, isiXhosa
- Residence History
- Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa → Johannesburg, South Africa
Career
- Occupations
- Actor, Playwright, Director, Author
- Active Years
- 1965-2024
- Affiliations
- The Serpent Players, John Kani Theatre Foundation, Market Theatre
- Memberships
- National Arts Council of South Africa
- Influenced By
- Athol Fugard, Winston Ntshona
- Influenced
- Atandwa Kani
- Nominations
- Olivier Award nomination (My Children! My Africa!)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Tony Award | Sizwe Banzi Is Dead / The Island | 最優秀主演男優賞（演劇） | American Theatre Wing | 受賞 |
| 2003 | Obie Award | — | — | — | 受賞 |
| 2003 | Fleur du Cap Awards | Nothing But the Truth | 最優秀主演男優賞 / 最優秀新作南アフリカ演劇 | — | 受賞 |
| 2010 | SAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award | — | — | South African Film and Television Awards | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Order of Ikhamanga in Silver | — | — | The Presidency of South Africa | 受賞 |
| 2023 | Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) | — | — | British Government | 受賞 |
Tony Award
1975
Work:
Sizwe Banzi Is Dead / The Island
Category:
最優秀主演男優賞（演劇）
Organization:
American Theatre Wing
Result:
受賞
Obie Award
2003
Result:
受賞
Fleur du Cap Awards
2003
Work:
Nothing But the Truth
Category:
最優秀主演男優賞 / 最優秀新作南アフリカ演劇
Result:
受賞
SAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award
2010
Organization:
South African Film and Television Awards
Result:
受賞
Order of Ikhamanga in Silver
2016
Organization:
The Presidency of South Africa
Result:
受賞
Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
2023
Organization:
British Government
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Sizwe Banzi Is Dead
1972 PlayAnti-apartheid play about identity and oppression under apartheid.
ApartheidIdentityOppression
The Island
1973 PlayPlay depicting Robben Island prisoners, critiquing apartheid.
ApartheidPrisonFriendship
Nothing But the Truth
2002 PlayPost-apartheid South Africa, rift between blacks who stayed and those who returned.
ReconciliationFamilyPost-apartheid
Adaptations
- [Film] Nothing But the Truth (2008)
Kunene and the King
2019 PlayExplores relationship between a Xhosa nurse and a white actor playing King Lear.
CancerRacial reconciliationDeath
Bibliography
- Sizwe Banzi Is Dead (1972)
- The Island (1973)
- Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act
- Nothing But the Truth (2002)
- Missing (2014)
- Kunene and the King (2019)
Adaptations
- Nothing But the Truth (2008 film)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Dialogue-drivenRealismPolitical
- Recurring Motifs
- ApartheidRace relationsReconciliationIdentity
Health
-
Left eye injury1975Lost left eye due to police beating, wears prosthetic glass eye.
Legacy
Renowned South African actor and playwright known for anti-apartheid theatre, won Tony Award among many honors. Main theatre at Market Theatre renamed John Kani Theatre. Starred in MCU films.
In Popular Culture
- T'Chaka in Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Rafiki in The Lion King (2019) (voice)
Trivia
- His son Atandwa Kani is an actor who played young T'Chaka in Black Panther.
- Native Xhosa speaker; Chadwick Boseman used Xhosa as Wakandan language.
- Lost left eye in 1975 police assault.