Peggy Phango (28 December 1928 – 7 August 1998) was a South African actress and singer, who from the 1960s was based in England.

Early life

Peggy Phango was born at

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

, South Africa. She trained as a nurse, but also sang in jazz clubs, as a young woman.Tom Vallance
"Obituary: Peggy Phango"
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' (2 September 1998).Michael Knipe
"From Tradesman's Daughter to Stage Queen"
''Mail & Guardian'' (21 August 1998).

Career

In 1959, Phango was cast to replace her cousin,

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...

, in the female lead of the musical ''

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'', about a South African boxer. Phango first appeared on the London stage in 1961, in the same show. In 1988, she played "Bloody Mary" in a London revival of '' South Pacific''. She was in a vocal group with fellow ''King Kong'' cast members, Patience Gowabe and Hazel Futa, called the Velvettes; they sang backup for

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and his All-Stars in clubs in the 1960s. She also recorded an album with

Dudu Pukwana Mthutuzeli Dudu Pukwana (18 July 1938 – 30 June 1990) was a South African saxophonist, composer and pianist (although not known for his piano playing). Early years in South Africa Dudu Pukwana was born in Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth, S ...

's band Zila. Phango also acted in non-musical roles on stage, including such shows as '' You Can't Take it With You'', ''

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'', ''

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'', and ''Fishing'', the first play by

Paulette Randall Paulette Randall, MBE (born 1961) is a British theatre director of Jamaican descent.

. She toured as Rose in '' Stepping Out'' in the 1980s, and was one of the South Africans who both appeared in and contributed their personal experiences to the show ''Ekhaya'' in 1991. She appeared on British television regularly, notably in ''

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'' and an adaptation of ''

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''. Her appearances in television dramas about South Africa included roles in ''Victims of Apartheid'' (1978), ''Prisoners of Conscience'' (1981), ''The Biko Inquest'' (1984), and ''Death is a Part of the Process'' (1986), the last based on a novel by

Hilda Bernstein Hilda Bernstein (15 May 1915 – 8 September 2006) was a British-born author, artist, and an activist against apartheid and for women's rights. She was born Hilda Schwarz in London, England, and emigrated to South Africa at the age of 18 years, ...

. Shortly before her death she appeared as the character Mrs Wald in the first episode of a long-running television show,

Lynda La Plante Lynda La Plante, CBE (born Lynda Titchmarsh; 15 March 1943) is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the ''Prime Suspect'' television crime series. Early life Lynda La Plante was born Lynda Titchmarsh on ...

's ''

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''.

Personal life

Peggy Phango married English jazz pianist Johnny Parker in 1965, as his second wife. They had two daughters, Abigail and Beverly. Phango died in 1998, aged 69, in London.Peter Vacher
"Johnny Parker Obituary"
''The Guardian'' (21 June 2010).

References

External links

*
Peggy Phango's listing in BFI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phango, Peggy 20th-century South African women singers South African stage actresses 1928 births 1998 deaths South African television actresses South African expatriates in the United Kingdom 20th-century South African actresses Musicians from Johannesburg