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 = , motto = , established = 1949 , type = Public , staff = , 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 * ''

'', 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