A South African actor, voice actor, dramatist, and director with the name of John Kani. After playing King T’Chaka in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies “Captain America: Civil War” and “Black Panther,” he attained widespread recognition. When he joined an acting troupe named Serpent Players in 1965, he began his career as an actor. Kani had begun producing plays by the 1970s. The Tony Award-winning plays “The Island” and “Sizwe Banzi Is Dead” are among his best-known plays. He is also well-known for his appearances in a number of plays and TV shows. He was chosen in 2017 to play Rafiki in the upcoming 2019 live-action adaptation of Disney’s “The Lion King.” Kani is regarded as one of the most accomplished playwrights/screenwriters in the modern entertainment industry and a gentleman. His approachable nature and endearing temperament never fail to dazzle the public.
Career
John Kani joined the “Serpent Players” acting company in Port Elizabeth in 1965. He continued to write plays with the group, which were produced to positive reviews despite never being published. He collaborated on the play “Sizwe Banzi is Dead” with Winston Ntshona and Athol Fugard in 1972. The drama ‘The Island’ was written by the group the following year. Both of these plays enjoyed great success and earned their creators a Tony Award.
Kani made his screen debut in 1978 with the British action movie “The Wild Geese.” He had an appearance in the drama movie “Marigolds in August” two years later. The actor appeared in the film “Killing Heat” in 1981. After that, he appeared in the plays “Master Harold… and the Boys” and “Saturday Night at the Palace.” In 1989’s historical drama “A Dry White Season,” he played Julius again. Kani appeared in several films between 1992 and 1998, including “Sarafina,” “The Ghost and the Darkness,” and “Kini and Adams.”
He played a character in the 2001 movie “Final Solution,” which was based on the real life of Gerrit Wolfaardt. He wrote ‘Nothing but the Truth’ the next year, marking his solo playwriting debut. 2003’s Fleur du Cap Award for best new South African play went to this play. The actor appeared in the TV show “Hillside” from 2005 to 2008.
In 2009, he played the lead in the drama movie “Endgame.” In 2011, he next made an appearance in the movie version of “Coriolanus,” by William Shakespeare. Kani was given the role of T’Chaka in the 2016 blockbuster movie “Captain America: Civil War” from the MCU. He returned to this role in the movie’s follow-up, “Black Panther,” two years later. He was hired in August 2017 to play the character of Rafiki in Disney’s “The Lion King” as a voice actor.
Individual Life
On August 30, 1942, John Kani was born in New Brighton, Eastern Cape, South Africa. After performing in “Sizwe Banzi Is Dead,” a play that decried apartheid, he returned home and was attacked by South African police, during which he lost his left eye. Kani survived despite having been severely beaten. Later, for the play, he received a 1975 Tony Award. The playwright/actor currently lives with his wife Mandi and son Atandwa.
John Kani Net Worth
John is among the wealthiest and most well-liked actors in movies. Our study of John Kani’s net worth from Forbes, Wikipedia, and Business Insider revealed a $5 million figure.