Leleti Khumalo Complete Bio & Career
Like most black families there, Khumalo's lived in dire poverty. Her father died when she was three years old. Her mother supported the family by working as a domestic laborer. Khumalo and her three siblings lived in a home whose sole piece of furniture was a bed. In spite of these harsh circumstances, Khumalo found happiness in music and dance. She was a born performer. At an early age, she participated in Amajika, a backyard dance troupe organised by entertainer Tu Nokwe, a member of one of South Africa's most celebrated musical families.
At age 15, Khumalo was swept out of obscurity in almost fairy-tale fashion. When South African musician, actor, and playwright Mbogena Ngema was looking for new talent for a musical he was developing, he came to the garage in which her youth group was rehearsing to scout for performers. After seeing what Khumalo could do, Ngema simply asked if she wanted to do a play. She said yes. The musical eventually evolved into the international blockbuster Sarafina! Ngema cast Khumalo in the title role, and neither her career nor her personal life has slowed down since.
Sarafina! came to Hollywood in 1991, with Khumalo reprising her title role alongside costar Whoopi Goldberg in a production directed by Darrell James Roodt. The movie was distributed all over the world, and become the biggest movie ever released in Africa.
In 2005 Khumalo announced that she was taking on the small screen. That year, she joined the cast of Generations, a popular South African soap opera. She signed on to play the role of Busiswe Dlomo, the sister of a power-hungry businessman. While television presented an intriguing new challenge for Khumalo, she indicated that she did not intend to make TV acting a long-term habit.