Munyaradzi "Munya" Chidzonga (born December 8, 1983) is a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

an actor. He first rose to prominence in 2008, with his appearance on the reality TV show

Big Brother Africa ''Big Brother Africa'' is the African version of the international reality television franchise ''Big Brother'' created by producer John de Mol in 1997. The show was first aired in 2003 for one season on M-Net and broadcast to audiences in 42 ...

representing

in its third season, in which he achieved third place. In 2010, he participated in the fifth season of Big Brother Africa, becoming runners-up losing to Uti Nwachukwu, the representative for

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, who also contested in Season 3. After the reality show, Munya went on to produce and act in the films ''Lobola'' (2010) and ''The Gentleman'' (2011) through his production company, Ivory Pictures. In 2012, he won a NAMA Award for the Most Outstanding Actor in the Film and Television category for his performance in the film ''The Gentleman''. In 2014, Chidzonga starred in the third season of the South African comedy-drama show ''Mzansi Love'', which was aired on

e.tv e.tv (commonly referred to on-air as e) is the first and only privately owned free-to-air television station in South Africa. It is the fifth terrestrial television channel in the country, following three channels that are operated by the sta ...

and eKasi+.

Early life and education

Chidzonga was born on 8 December 1985. For his secondary education, he attended

Peterhouse Boys' School , location = , province = Mashonaland East , country = Zimbabwe , coordinates = , type = Independent, boarding, high school , denomination = Anglican , patron = Saint Peter , founded = 1955 , founder = Fred Snell , sister_school = Pet ...

, an elite independent school just outside

Marondera Marondera (known as Marandellas until 1982) is a city in Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe, located about 72 km east of Harare. History It was first known as Marandella's Kraal, corrupted from Marondera, chief of the ruling Rozvi Empire, VaRozv ...

, where he was a prefect. He was hailed for his performance in a school play, "Absent Friends", in 2004. Munya was the first Petrean in the history of the school to receive a Drama award Colors for Drama. Munya then went on to get a Bachelor of Arts degree in Motion Picture at The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance 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 ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Where he was nominated for best actor

Personal life

Chidzonga married 2008 Idols East Africa finalist Adiona Maboreke at a private ceremony in Harare in 2012. Chidzonga and Maboreke had been dating since 2009 and had a son named Pfumai, born in 2010, prior to the marriage. The couple had a second son, named Diwai, born in 2015.

Filmography

Films

Television

References

External links

*
Munya Chidzonga
at Television South Africa * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chidzonga, Munya Living people Zimbabwean male film actors Zimbabwean filmmakers Zimbabwean businesspeople Alumni of Peterhouse Boys' School Zimbabwean male television actors 21st-century Zimbabwean male actors Actors from Harare 1986 births