Henry Cele

Biography

Henry Cele IPA: [hɛnˈri ˈǀɛ:le] (January 30, 1949 – November 2, 2007) was a South African actor famous for his chilling portrayal of Shaka Zulu in SABC's Shaka Zulu miniseries. He was born in Durban, South Africa. He landed the role of Shaka Zulu after playing Shaka in a South African stage production of Shaka Zulu. Henry also played a minor role in The Ghost and the Darkness. After Shaka Zulu he held various minor roles in action films like Point of Impact, and The Last Samurai. He had major roles in South African movies and television series. His son is a South African musician. Prior to acting in Shaka Zulu, Henry 'Black Cat' Cele was a football (soccer) goalkeeper. He coached a professional soccer club in South Africa until his death. After his acting career, Cele moved from his suburban home in Glenmore, South of Durban, and went back to Kwamashu township. At the time of his death he had been in hospital for two weeks. [1] He was married to Jenny Hollander. His last name is pronounced [ˈǀɛ:le] with a dental click (similar to the English click "tsk-tsk" used for disapproval). In isiZulu, the letter c is a tenuis consonant.