John Matshikiza Movies and Career Information

John Matshikiza (26 November 1954 – 15 September 2008) was a South African actor, theatre director, poet and journalist. John Matshikiza was born in Johannesburg, South Africa to Todd Matshikiza and Esme Matshikiza. Todd was a renowned jazz pianist, composer and journalist. Due to apartheid, the Matshikiza family went into exile in London in 1961. John was only seven at the time he boarded the ship for London. Later the family moved to Lusaka, Zambia where John completed his schooling and took a degree in economics and politics. He returned to London to the Drama Centre London to train in drama. While in the United Kingdom, he worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Glasgow's Citizens Theatre company and also worked in television and film. He became active in the exiled African National Congress. John also lived in the United States, Netherlands and various African countries including Senegal, where he was director of the department of culture of the Gorée Institute. While in exile John had two books published, South Where Her Feet Cool on Ice (1981) and Prophets in the Black Sky (1986). When the African National Congress was unbanned in South Africa in 1991, John returned to