Eugene Khumbanyiwa is a Malawian[1] South Africa-based stage, television, film and voice actor, popularly known for playing the role of Obesandjo in the 2009 Oscar nominated sci-fi hit District 9.[2]
Eugene Khumbanyiwa | |
|---|---|
| Wanangwa | |
| Born | December 26, 1976 Zomba, Malawi |
| Alma mater | Universal Group of Colleges |
| Known for | District 9, Chappie, Death Race: Inferno |
Career
editHe started his acting career as an extra in the 2004 Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda,[3][4] starring Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo, playing one of the hotel staff members. After that he worked sporadically, hustling his way in the film industry by appearing in TV commercials and prime-time soaps like Generations, Scandal, and also had a role in South African independently produced hit film Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema[5] before landing a role as an underground warlord in the Peter Jackson-produced and Neill Blomkamp-directed four-times Oscar-nominated sci-fi hit District 9[6][7][8] Upon gaining critical acclaim for his performance in District 9, he attracted new international attention and even appeared in an American TV commercial for a famous cyber fraud security product called 'Identity Guard.[9]'.
He went on to feature in Hollywood movies like Death Race 3: Inferno,[10][11] alongside stars like Danny Trejo and Luke Goss, also appeared in Chappie[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] starring Sharlto Copley, Hugh Jackman, Dev Patel and Sigourney Weaver. He teamed up with director Blomkamp again and Sigourney Weaver playing lead role Amir the saviour in a short sci-fi film called Rakka.[20][21][22] Khumbanyiwa has appeared in three of Hollywood director Neill Blomkamp's films.
He played Pastor Peter in a two time BAFTA-winner Damilola, Our Loved Boy,[23] a British television film about the events surrounding the 27 November 2000 death of Damilola Taylor. The film aired on BBC One on 7 November 2016, and was written by Levi David Addai, directed by Euros Lyn, and starred Babou Ceesay and Wunmi Mosaku. He also appeared in the critically acclaimed US TV miniseries The Looming Tower,[4] directed by Alex Gibney which premiered on Hulu on February 28, 2018, starring Jeff Daniels and Peter Sarsgaard, based on Lawrence Wright's 2006 book of the same name. He played a Kenyan security guard at the US Embassy in Nairobi who survived the embassy bombing and became a crucial witness.
He has over 25 screen acting credits to his name. He does voices for both TV and radio. His voice work credits include the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON2013) soccer tournament's "hello" radio ads campaign for the City of Johannesburg.
On 9 July 2016, Khumbanyiwa was awarded the Best Achiever in Entertainment at the Malawi Achievers Awards- South Africa.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Hotel Rwanda | Hotel staff (uncredited) |
| 2008 | Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema | Drug Dealer |
| 2009 | District 9 | Obesandjo |
| 2009 | Crime Safari | Subre |
| 2011 | Paradise Stop | Malawian trucker |
| 2013 | Death Race: Inferno | Nero |
| 2013 | Algiers Murders | Ferdinand |
| 2014 | SEAL Team 8: Behind Enemy Lines | Arms Cache Manager |
| 2015 | Chappie | King |
| 2017 | Harry's Game | Moggomo |
| 2017 | Rakka | Amir |
| 2018 | The Roar | Poacher |
| 2018 | Beautifully Broken | Augustine |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Scandal | Motor Examiner | Etv |
| 2006 | Generations | Henchman | SABC1 |
| 2009 | 7de Laan | Derin | SABC2 |
| 2010 | 4Play: Sex Tips for Girls | Moeke | Etv |
| 2011 | Laugh Out Loud | Prince | Mzansi Magic |
| 2011 | Rhythm City | Carlos | Etv |
| 2014 | Muvhango | Kanu Nkosi | SABC2 |
| 2015 | Getroud met rugby | Troy | KykNET TV |
| 2016 | Damilola, Our Loved Boy | Pastor Peter | BBC One |
| 2016 | 90 Plein Street | Kenyan Ambassador | SABC 2 |
| 2017 | Ses'Top La | Akina Nix | SABC1 |
| 2017 | Lockdown | Jones | Mzansi Magic |
| 2018 | The Looming Tower | Trenton Okuru | Hulu (USA) |
References
edit- ^ "Malawi Goes To Hollywood | The Nation Online | Malawi Daily Newspaper". 26 October 2013.
- ^ "Eugene Khumbanyiwa speaks movies - The Times Group Malawi". Archived from the original on 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
- ^ Chappie: Eugene Khumbanyiwa Interview on YouTube
- ^ a b "Eugene Khumbanyiwa In New Hollywood Movie | The Nation Online | Malawi Daily Newspaper". 24 April 2018.
- ^ Stevens, Michael. ""Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema"- Take Your Dreams By Force".
- ^ "District 9 -- Film Review | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. 28 July 2009.
- ^ Busch, Anita (April 12, 2018). "'Beautifully Broken' Gets Theatrical Release In August".
- ^ "Nigeria 'offended' by sci-fi film". September 19, 2009 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Malawian actor shines in new Hollywood flick: Eugine Khumbanyiwa". www.nyasatimes.com. 6 February 2013.
- ^ https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/the-sunday-independent/20151025/281530814878488 – via PressReader.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Eugene Khumbanyiwa satisfied with Malawi's new movie Fatsani | Malawi 24 - Malawi news". February 4, 2020.
- ^ "Hugh Jackman Set For Chappie". Empire. September 29, 2013.
- ^ "StackPath". www.thehollywoodnews.com. 9 July 2013.
- ^ "Blomkamp casts sci-fi legend". The Citizen. 30 October 2013.
- ^ Kriedemann, Kevin (March 6, 2015). "Neill Blomkamp Puts South Africa in the Spotlight with 'Chappie'".
- ^ "Malawi actor Khumbanyiwa in new Hollywood movie 'Chappie'". www.nyasatimes.com. 30 December 2014.
- ^ "Neill Blomkamp's new movie CHAPPIE - 5FM".
- ^ "Murmures | Africultures : Khumbanyiwa dreams on".
- ^ "Sigourney Weaver joins cast in new SA sci-fi film". All4Women. October 30, 2013.
- ^ "Watch Sigourney Weaver Fight Aliens in Neill Blomkamp's 'Rakka' Short". Movieweb. June 15, 2017.
- ^ Liptak, Andrew (June 14, 2017). "Director Neill Blomkamp breaks down his new sci-fi short Rakka". The Verge.
- ^ "RAKKA (2017) Short Film: Aliens Have Invaded, Enslaved Humanity, & Terraformed Earth". June 15, 2017.
- ^ "Damilola, Our Loved Boy – the 16 years of agony behind one boy's shocking death". the Guardian. November 7, 2016.