Jill Levenberg (born 20 September 1977) is a South African actress. In 2018, she starred in '' Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story'' as the title character, a role that earned her a nomination and two awards including a

South African Film and Television Award South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

for Best Actress in a Feature Film.

Biography

Levenberg was raised in Kensington, Cape Town. At the age of six, Levenberg made her debut on stage, singing at the Kensington Civic Center. She performed in plays and sang in the choir throughout primary school. Levenberg attended the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

. Despite considering quitting during her second year, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre & Performance and English Literature. Levenberg performed in several plays in her early career, including ''Medea'', ''Blood Brothers'' and ''Orpheus in Africa'', receiving a Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for the last role. Levenberg played Beulah in the 2015 film ''Abraham''. Beginning in 2015, she has portrayed Mymoena Samsodien in the long-running TV series ''Suidooster''. In 2020, Levenberg suggested that the show explore a polygamy storyline, so her on-screen husband AB ( Cedwyn Joel) took a second wife, Farah ( Lee-Ann van Rooi). In 2018, Levenberg landed the role of Ellen Pakkies in '' Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story'', her first starring role in a film. The story deals with Ellen's struggles with her drug-addicted son, and is based on a true story. Levenberg first began following the story in 2007, and rather than judging her, understood where she was coming from due to the drug problem in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. Levenber first heard about the role in 2015, and auditioned for any part in the film but was initially decline. However, in 2017 director Daryne Joshua contacted her and told her he wanted her for the leading role. In order to prepare for the role, she moved into a small place near the sea and did a lot of research on dissociation and places in Cape Town. Levenberg also befriended Pakkies, who told her she was a quiet person throughout her life, forcing Levenberg to change her performance. The film premiered at the

Silwerskerm Film Festival The Silwerskerm Film Festival ( af, Silwerskerm FilmFees), usually called the Silwerskerm Fees, is a film festival held annually in Camps Bay, South Africa. The festival has been held every August since 2010 and is one of the only Afrikaans film ...

and she received the Best Actress award. Levenber was also nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2019 Africa Movie Academy Awards. Levenberg is vocal in her opposition to film piracy. She supported the Performer’s Protection Act. Levenberg gives free yoga and drama classes to at-risk youth in Cape Town. She speaks English, Afrikaans, and German fluently.

Partial filmography

*2015: ''A Whistle Blows/Fluit-Fluit'' (as Gwen Isaacs) *2015: '' While You Weren't Looking'' (as Yasmin) *2015: ''Uitvlucht'' (as San) *2015: ''

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...

'' (as Beulah) *2015–present: ''Suidooster'' (TV series, as Mymoena Samsodien) *2018: '' Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story'' (as Ellen)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Jill Levenberg
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

TVSA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levenberg, Jill 1977 births Living people 21st-century South African actresses South African film actresses University of Cape Town alumni Actresses from Cape Town