Pamela Nomvete (born 1963) is an Ethiopian-born South African/British actress.
Life
Pamela Nomvete was born in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
to South African parents. She spent her childhood in many different countries, and attended boarding school in the United Kingdom, later studying at the
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
, image_name = Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.jpg
, image_size =
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, established = 1949
, type = Public
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, vice_chancellor =
, students = 779 (2017/18)
, undergrad ...
. At one point she lived in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, where her sister was a student.
[South African actress Pamela Nomvete shares her incredible story]
jacaranda fm, September 19, 2018. After working as an actress in the United Kingdom, Nomvete moved to
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
,
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 ...
in 1994, after the election of
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
as president and the formal end of apartheid.
In the 1990s, Nomvete embarked on a television career, achieving fame in the South African soap opera ''
Generations
A generation is "all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively."
Generation or generations may also refer to:
Science and technology
* Generation (particle physics), a division of the elementary particles
* Gen ...
''. Her character Ntsiki Lukhele was "TV's ultimate super-bitch: power-hungry, manipulative and deadly".
[Eddie Maluleke Kalili]
Generations’ Ntsiki spills the beans
''YOU'', 25 January 2013. However, Nomvete herself struggled with depression after her husband's infidelity and her divorce. As her life unravelled, at one point she was living in her car, selling clothes for food and cigarettes.
[
In '']Zulu Love Letter
''Zulu Love Letter'' is a 2004 film.
Synopsis
Thandeka, a young Black journalist, lives in fear of Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city ...
'' (2004), Nomvete played Thandi, a single mother and journalist struggling to communicate with her estranged thirteen-year-old daughter. When Thandi was pregnant with her child, she had been attacked by an apartheid hit squad, leaving the child deaf mute
Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either deaf and used sign language or both deaf and could not speak. The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people who cannot speak an oral language or have som ...
. Nomvete's performance won her a FESPACO
The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou or FESPACO) is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It ...
Best Actress Award in 2005.
In 2012–13, she appeared in the long-running UK soap opera ''Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
'', playing Mandy Kamara
'' Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters that first appeared or will appear in 2012, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by series producer, ...
, an old flame of the character Lloyd Mullaney
Lloyd Mullaney is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Craig Charles. He made his first on screen appearance on 20 June 2005. The character departed on 23 July 2006, while Charles was suspended f ...
(played by Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian, television and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera ''Coronation ...
). It would later be discovered that Lloyd was the biological father of Mandy's daughter Jenna.
In 2013 she published an autobiography, ''Dancing to the Beat of the Drum: In Search of My Spiritual Home''.[Andile Ndlovu]
Ex-Generations star reveals messy personal life
''Sowetan Live'', 17 January 2013.
Nomvete practices Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism ( ja, 日蓮仏教), also known as Hokkeshū ( ja, 法華宗, meaning ''Lotus Sect'') is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of ...
.[
]
Film appearances
* '' Born Free: A New Adventure'', 1996
* ''Zulu Love Letter
''Zulu Love Letter'' is a 2004 film.
Synopsis
Thandeka, a young Black journalist, lives in fear of Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city ...
'', 2004
* ''Sometimes in April
''Sometimes in April'' is a 2005 American made-for-television historical drama film about the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, written and directed by the Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck. The ensemble cast includes Idris Elba, Oris Erhuero, Carole Karemera ...
'', 2005
* ''Lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
'', 2021
Stage appearances
* ''Now or Later'' by Christopher Shinn
Christopher Shinn (born 1975) is an American playwright. His play ''Dying City'' (2006) was a finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and
''Where Do We Live'' (2004) won the 2005 Obie Award, Playwriting.
Early life
Shinn was born in Ha ...
at the Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...
, 2008
* ''Welcome to Thebes
''Welcome to Thebes'' is a 2010 play by Moira Buffini. It premiered on 15 June 2010 in a production at the Olivier Theatre of the Royal National Theatre in London directed by Richard Eyre.
Plot
Set in 'a city named Thebes, somewhere in the 20 ...
'' by Moira Buffini
Moira Buffini (born 29 May 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor.
Early life
Buffini was born in Cheshire to Irish parents, and attended St Mary's College at Rhos-on-Sea in Wales as a day girl. She studied English and Drama at Gold ...
at the Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...
, 2010
References
External links
*
Pamela Nomvete Pamela Nomvete
'' Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance (ESAT)''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nomvete, Pamela
1964 births
Living people
South African soap opera actresses
South African film actresses
South African stage actresses
Ethiopian emigrants to South Africa
20th-century South African actresses
21st-century South African actresses
Alumni of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Nichiren Buddhists