Connie Chiume

Not to be confused with Connie Chung.

Connie Chiume
Chiume at the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiere in 2022
Born
Connie Temweka Gabisile Chiume

(1952-06-05)5 June 1952
Welkom, Orange Free State, South Africa
Died6 August 2024(2024-08-06) (aged 72)
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Occupation(s)Actress, filmmaker
Years active1977–2024
Children4

Connie Temweka Gabisile Chiume (5 June 1952 – 6 August 2024) was a South African actress and filmmaker.[1] She was known for her film roles in Black Panther, Black Is King and Blessers. On television, she appeared in S'gudi S'nyasi, Yizo Yizo 2, Zone 14, Rhythm City and Gomora.

Early life

Chiume was born on 5 June 1952 in the mining town of Welkom, South Africa.[2][3] Her father Wright Tadeyo Chiume (d. 1983) was from Nkhata Bay, Malawi and her mother MaNdlovu (d. 2020)[4][5] hailed from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Her cousin, Ephraim Mganda Chiume is a Malawian politician.[4]

Chiume spent her early childhood in Welkom. She completed her matric in the Eastern Cape and started training to become a nurse. However, she went on to graduate with a degree in teaching in 1976. In 1977, she left South Africa and became part of a touring musical group, visiting Greece and Israel with them.[2][1]

Career

Chiume began her acting career with roles in productions of Porgy and Bess, Ipi Ntombi, and Little Shop of Horrors.[2][3] She returned to South Africa as apartheid was ending.[2] She was cast as Thembi in the 1989 series Inkom' Edla Yodwa and then the 1990 film Warriors from Hell. In 2000, she won the award for Best Actress in a Drama Series at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA).[1]

In 2006, she starred in the stage productions of You Strike The Woman and You Strike The Rock.[3] From 2007 to 2015, Chiume gained prominence through her role as Stella Moloi in the SABC1 drama series Zone 14, which earned her another SAFTA.[3] She also received the Award for the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama during the 3rd SAFTA. In 2015, she appeared in the soap opera Rhythm City as Mamokete Khuse.[1]

In 2018, Chiume played Zawavari, the elder of a mining tribe in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther.[6][7][8] She starred in this role again in the film's 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.[8]

In 2020, Chiume landed the role of Mam'Sonto Molefe in the drama series Gomora and appeared in Beyoncé's film Black Is King.[9] In October 2020, she received a Feather Award nomination.[10] In 2022, she received the lifetime achievement award at the South African Film and Television Awards.[11]

Personal life and death

Chiume was married from 1985 to 2004. She was a mother of four, with two sons and two daughters.[3]

Chiume died at the Garden City Hospital in Johannesburg on 5 August 2024, at the age of 72.[12]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1990 Warriors from Hell Marita
1994 The Air Up There Mrs Urudu [4]
1999 Chikin Biznis ... The Whole Story! Thoko [4]
2000 I Dreamed of Africa Wanjiku [4]
2004 In My Country Virginia Tabata [4]
2013 Fanie Fourie's Lobola Zinzi
2015 Lerato Pastor Short film
2018 Black Panther Zawavari [13]
2019 Losing Lerato Gogo on Bus [14]
2019 Blessers Ma-Lerato [15]
2020 What Did You Dream? Koko Short film[2]
2020 Black Is King Sarabi [2][11]
2020 Seriously Single Dineo's Mom [16]
2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Zawavari [13]
2024 Heart of the Hunter [8]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref
1989 Inkom' Edla Yodwa Thembi Television film [13][11]
1994 The Line Rosie Television film
1997 A Woman of Color Government Official Television film
1998 Tierärztin Christine III:

Abenteuer in Südafrika

—

Mohlolohadi as thakane

Television film;

directed

2003 Soul City [11]
2004 Mazinyo Dot Q Ma Mavuso [17]
2007–2015 Zone 14 Stella Moloi [13]
2015 Rhythm City Mamokete Khuse [13][11]
2017 Thula's Vine Nothando
2020 Queen Sono Nana Rakau [18]
2020 Gomora Mam'Sonto Molefe [13]
2020 Choices [19]
2024 Soon Comes Night

Blood Legacy

Mohlolohadi as thakane

as Madlamini Ndlovu

Television film [20]

Achievements

South Africa Film and Television Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2024 Herself Best Actress in a Telenovela Pending [21]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Connie Chiume biography". briefly. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Chutel, Lynsey (7 August 2024). "Connie Chiume, 72, Dies; 'Black Panther' Actor Bridged S. Africa Eras". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Connie Chiume career". studentroom. 16 August 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Meet actress Connie Chiume". mwnation.com. 26 April 2016. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Former 'Rhythm City' actress Connie Chiume mourns the death of mother". news24. 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  6. ^ "South Africa's film industry needs to reach for the stars". news24. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Local actress Connie Chiume 'ready to meet co-stars' at Black Panther premiere". news24. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  8. ^ a b c "Connie Chiume, South African actor known for 'Black Panther' role, dies at 72". Los Angeles Times. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Connie Chiume on Black is King and her role as a fussy mother in Netflix's Seriously Single". news24. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Actress Connie Chiume honoured with first Feather Award nomination". news24. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d e "'Black Panther' actress Connie Chiume dies aged 72". euronews. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  12. ^ Live, Sowetan (6 August 2024). "Veteran actress Connie Chiume dies". Sowetan Live. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Connie Chiume: South African TV star dies aged 72". www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  14. ^ Staff Writer (2 July 2020). "Losing Lerato (2019)". Showmax Stories. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  15. ^ PHETO, BELINDA (27 October 2019). "Connie Chiume on blessers: It's the young girls who end up losing out". timeslive.
  16. ^ "'Seriously Single' Review: Netflix's South African Rom-Com Brings Fresh Energy to Genre". Indie Wire. 29 July 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  17. ^ World, Sunday (11 August 2024). "'She was fearless and loved to dance'". Sunday World. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Queen Sono: Inside the star studded premiere". www.gq.co.za. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Mamokete back to South Africa". times. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  20. ^ Engelbrecht, Leandra. "Connie Chiume takes her final bow in upcoming Netflix family drama Blood Legacy". news24.
  21. ^ Ferreira, Thinus (5 September 2024). "2024's SAFTA nominations announced: See all the dominators and new categories at this year's event". South Africa: News24. Retrieved 6 September 2024.