Biography
John Matshikiza (1954–2008) was a South African actor, theatre director, poet and journalist. Born in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, he was the son of jazz pianist, composer and journalist Todd Matshikiza. Following the family's exile due to apartheid, he completed schooling and a degree in economics and politics in Lusaka, Zambia, before training at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
In the United Kingdom he performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Glasgow Citizens Theatre, and appeared in television and film. He was also active in the African National Congress's cultural unit Mayibuye while in exile. His film roles included Mapetla in Cry Freedom (1987) and Walter Sisulu in the television film Mandela (1987). He returned to South Africa in 1991 after the unbanning of the ANC.
Matshikiza continued to work in film, television and theatre in South Africa, with credits including Dust Devil (1992), There's a Zulu On My Stoep (1993), The Air Up There (1994), Beyond Borders (2003) and Shake Hands with the Devil (2007). He also wrote poetry and worked as a journalist. He died of a heart attack in Johannesburg in September 2008.
