Jerry Mofokeng

About

South African actor, director, writer, and theatre producer known for his work in film, television, and stage productions over several decades including appearing in films such as Cry, the Beloved Country, Tsotsi, Lord of War, Mr. Bones, Mama Jack, and Safe House along with appearing in multiple television series including Scandal!, Isidingo, The Book of Negroes, The Republic, Trackers, and Blood Legacy. He is also known for having worked as a theatre director, lecturer, and arts administrator and serving in leadership roles at institutions such as the Market Theatre, Johannesburg Theatre, and the State Theatre.

Before fame

He attended Orlando West High School. He became involved in community theatre during the 1970s and was influenced by the work of Gibson Kente. He studied drama at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1983. He then received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Columbia University in New York where he earned a master's degree in theatre directing. He worked as a lecturer at Wits University after returning to South Africa and began building his career in theatre as both a performer and director before transitioning into film and television. He made his film debut in The Line in 1994. He began appearing in early television roles in shows such as Soul City and Isidingo. He started gaining recognition after appearing in the film Cry, the Beloved Country in 1995. 

Trivia

He appeared in the Oscar-winning film Tsotsi in 2005 which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He received the SAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of the Free State in 2019. He wrote and published his memoir I Am a Man in 2021 followed by Nna Ke Monna in 2023. He wrote and directed the stage production Mantsopa which returned for performances in 2024 and 2025.

Family life

He was born and raised in Soweto, South Africa. He married his wife Claudine in 1979, and they have five children together. He is also the uncle of fashion designer Thabo Makhetha-Kwinana. He added "wa Makhetha" to his name later in life after discovering the identity of his biological father.

Associated with

He appeared in Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage in 2005. He appeared in Safe House alongside Denzel Washington in 2012.