HENRY CELE

Henry Cele (20 January 1941 -2 December 2007) was an actor and South African football player.

He played as a goal keeper in South African Soccer League till 1978. He auditioned unsuccessfully in 1981 to play the role of Zulu Warrior King Shaka kaSenzangakhona in a one-year stage production, and in 1986 reedited the role in the television miniseries Shaka Zulu, which has spread him fame throughout the world.

He subsequently featured in a series of movies and TV programs. He appeared in 2001 in the television adaptation of the film Shaka Zulu: The Last Great Warrior as Shaka 15 years after the first version. He passed away in 2007, following a 2 weeks hospitalization, after experiencing a chest infection.

Early life

Cele was born in Durban in KwaMashu. His was the name Ndosi (Bavela KwaMthetwa) or Magaye. His father passed away when he was young and He was raised by his grandmother and dropped out of school at 16 over financial difficulty and turned to sports.

Career
As an athlete

Being a goalkeeper, he was even called the Black cat. He also played in the 1960s SASL to play with Aces United in the First Division, followed by Lamontville Golden Arrows in Lamontville township and later became a coach of one of the professional clubs in South Africa. He used to play football on Saturdays in the Commercial Football League in Durban representing Dury Football Club. He did not play after 1978, he retired as he was too old, and he went to coaching and managing.

Apparently relying on the portrayal of Cele facially, statue of Shaka at Camden Market.

As an actor

Cele was auditioned in November 1981 to play on stage the part of Shaka, a Zulu King who fought against the British empire in the 1800s; the show lasted a year. Shaka Zulu is a ten-hour long miniseries, which aired in 1986. He was auditioned upon the recommendation of director Bill Faure, who saw him in the stage performance, and outshone 4,000 other actors who auditioned. He starred in 1988 in David Winters in Freedom fighters and Rage to Kill. He played the main role in a 1990 movie titled Curse III: Blood Sacrifice. He also starred in Stephen Hopkins in 1996 in The Ghost and the Darkness. He came back in 2001, playing Shaka in 2 part miniseries that were 3 hours long, Shaka Zulu: The Citadel, shot during winter 1827 and also available as a 2-hour telemovie Shaka Zulu: The Last Great Warrior.

Later years and death

Cele later relocated to his hometown, KwaMashu township, but this time he did not live in his suburban house in the Glenmore, and went back to the same town. He passed away on the 2 nd of December 2007 in Durban, a month after two weeks in the hospital with a chest infection. According to reports by the News24, he was agitated during his last few weeks with other patients and other employees at the St Augustine Hospital. He was interred at Stellawood cemetery in Durban metropolitan council in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Personal life

He married Jenny Hollander and had four children who were a product of an earlier marriage.

Filmography

Bush Shrink (1988) – Katimbilo
Blind Justice (1988) – Kamisu
Rage to Kill (1988) – Wally Arn
Freedom Fighters (1988) – Jaunde
The Last Samurai (1988) -General Zohani.
Shaka Zulu (1986-1989) -Shaka (TV mini-series, episodes 1-10).
In the Name of Blood (1989) – Pheto
The Tangent Affair (1989) -B.J. Rickson.
Schweitzer (1990) – Oganga
The Rutanga Tapes (1990) – Samaani
Killer Instinct (1990) – Samaani
Mletch, Curse III: Blood Sacrifice (1990).
Point of Impact (1990) – Titus
Sweating Bullets (1990) – Mosoeu
Deal of a Lifetime (1990) – Mosoeu
Ipi Tombi (1990) – Duke
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) Mahina.
Shaka Zulu (2001), The Last Great Warrior -Shaka Zulu.

Awards

Golden Plumes Award