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<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nThembi Mtshali-Jones: Biography of Thembi Mtshali-Jones, Age, Husband & Net Worth,<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Thembi Mtshali-Jones (born 7 November 1949) is a South African actress who is considered as one of South Africa\u2019s most celebrated artists.<\/strong><\/p>\n
She was born on the 7th of November 1949 in Vrede,\u00a0Free State. As of 2020, she is 71 years old.<\/p>\n
She was born on 7 November 1949 in village Sabhoza near Ulundi,\u00a0Durban, South Africa. Her parents divorced soon after her birth. She later grew up in KwaMashu Township where she completed education. During school times, she got pregnant and therefore forced to leave school.<\/p>\n
In 1998, she had a residency at the Gallaudet University in Washington DC, USA and later at the University of Louisville, the USA in 2004. With the contribution to the field of art, she was made an Honorary Citizen of Louisville by the Mayor and received a vote of thanks by the Kentucky Senate. Later the Governor of Kentucky gave her the title Honorary Kentucky Colonel, the highest honor in Kentucky.<\/p>\n
She has one daughter, Phumzile from her first marriage which ended with a divorce. Later, she was married to Emrys Jones, who was 10 years younger than Thembi. She met Emrys, when he came to watch Thembi\u2019s one-woman show\u00a0A Woman in Waiting<\/i>. They had eight months affair and finally got married. Emrys worked as a business analyst for a London-based oil company. They lived together for 17 years until he died in 2016 following a heart attack.<\/p>\n
Her acting talent was discovered by Welcome Msomi where Thembi performed in his original\u00a0Umabatha<\/i>. She then joined the \u2018Musical Ipi Tombi\u2019, and became the lead female as \u2018Mama Tembu\u2019. She made several international tours including the West End and Broadway. Later she went to the USA for uplift her musical career where she met popular musicians Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba. They toured Europe and Africa for several years. In 1987, Thembi returned to South Africa and joined the Market Theatre. At the theatre, she got the opportunity to work with Janice Honeyman in Black And White Follies.<\/p>\n
Since the 1970s, she performed in stage for a number of plays. With Gcina Mhlophe and Maralin Vanrenen, she co-wrote and performed the stage play\u00a0Have You Seen Zandile<\/i>. She won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for her role in that play. With that success, she then co-wrote the play\u00a0Eden and Other Places and Women of Africa<\/i>\u00a0with Barney Simon.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, she toured the UK and USA with the Malcom Purkey\u2019s musical \u2018Marabi\u2019. In 1998, she got the privilege to sing \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d song for then-president Nelson Mandela on his 80th birthday in Washington DC. The song was broadcast live on CNN.<\/p>\n
However, she became popular with the 1986 television sitcom\u00a0Sgudi \u2018Snaysi<\/i>\u00a0with the role \u2018Thoko\u2019.\u00a0In 1988, she made her maiden cinema appearance as the female lead in\u00a0Mapantsula<\/i>. The film awarded as the Best New Film at the\u00a0Cannes Film Festival\u00a0in that year. In 1999, she co-wrote the one-woman play\u00a0A Woman in Waiting<\/i>. The play was based on Thambi\u2019s real life and it was played at Joseph Paps Theatre in New York. The play later won the Fringe First at Edinburgh Festival.<\/p>\n
In 2001, the play was played in\u00a0New Ambassador Theatre, London and later in South Africa, Tunisia, Canada, the US and Bermuda Island.\u00a0In 1999, Thembi won Best Actress Award at The Carthage Festival in Tunisia. She later made a radio version of the play for BBC 4, and won Sony Gold Award in 2002.<\/p>\n
In 2002, she joined with the television sitcom\u00a0Stokvel<\/i>\u00a0with the role \u2018Hazel\u2019. She was later nominated for\u00a0International Emmy Award\u00a0in 2004 for this role.\u00a0In 2002, she was nominated in the category of African Excellence in Entertainment & Arts at\u00a0Tribute Achievers Awards\u00a0Ceremony.<\/p>\n
In 2006, Thembi joined with the international production\u00a0Truth In Translation<\/i> directed by an American director Michael Lessac. The play was opened in Rwanda and has later performed in the US, Europe and Africa as well as at Baxter Theatre Centre in 2007. In 2009, she received Lifetime Achievement Award of City of Durban and the KwaZulu-Natal Province. She then received a Lifetime award from Arts and Culture Trust in 2015.<\/p>\n
In November 2019, Thembi was honoured with The Living Legend Award at National Black Theatre Festival in North Carolina, USA to distinguish her service to South African cinema.<\/p>\n
In the same year, she starred in the critically acclaimed production\u00a0Mother to Mother<\/i>\u00a0at National Black Theater Festival. The play was based on a novel by\u00a0Sindiwe Magona.\u00a0Magona later wrote the biographica book \u2018Theatre Road: My Story is an inspiring account of Thembi Mtshali-Jones\u2019, which was released to coincide with Mtshali-Jones\u2019 70th birthday.<\/p>\n
| Year<\/th>\n | Film<\/th>\n | Role<\/th>\n | Genre<\/th>\n | Ref.<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986<\/td>\n | Sgudi \u2018Snaysi<\/i><\/td>\n | Thoko<\/td>\n | TV series<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 1988<\/td>\n | Mapantsula<\/i><\/td>\n | Pat<\/td>\n | Film<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2002<\/td>\n | Stokvel<\/i><\/td>\n | Hazel<\/td>\n | TV series<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2003<\/td>\n | The Wooden Camera<\/i><\/td>\n | Madiba\u2019s Mother<\/td>\n | Film<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2004<\/td>\n | In My Country<\/i><\/td>\n | Lizzie<\/td>\n | Film<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2004<\/td>\n | Cape of Good Hope<\/i><\/td>\n | Ms. Silemeni<\/td>\n | Film<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2010<\/td>\n | Silent Witness<\/i><\/td>\n | Zali Silongo<\/td>\n | TV series<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2010<\/td>\n | Themba<\/i><\/td>\n | Sister Princess<\/td>\n | Film<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2011<\/td>\n | Buschpiloten k\u00fcsst man nicht<\/i><\/td>\n | N\u2019Nanga<\/td>\n | TV movie<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2012<\/td>\n | Copposites<\/i><\/td>\n | Constance Ralapele<\/td>\n | Film<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2013<\/td>\n | Weit hinter dem Horizont<\/i><\/td>\n | Desi<\/td>\n | TV movie<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2014<\/td>\n | Konfetti<\/i><\/td>\n | Lerato Cwele<\/td>\n | Film<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2015<\/td>\n | While You Weren\u2019t Looking<\/i><\/td>\n | Shado\u2019s Gogo<\/td>\n | Film<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2015<\/td>\n | Bleeding Gospel<\/i><\/td>\n | Theresa<\/td>\n | Short film<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2018<\/td>\n | Imbewu<\/i><\/td>\n | MaNdlovu Bhengu<\/td>\n | TV series<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| 2019<\/td>\n | Mother to Mother<\/i><\/td>\n | Mother<\/td>\n | Film<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/span>Net Worth<\/h2>\n |