Sasha and Lesley-Ann
South African celebrities have been known to make it in the International scene. Did you know that these Hollywood celebrities are actually South Africans?
1.Lucifer star Lesley-Ann Bandt
The 39-year-old actress known for her role as the demon, Mazikeen in Lucifer was born in Capetown. She is fluent in Africans. Her family moved to New Zealand from Capetown when she was 18. She landed her first TV role in New Zealand and grew her career from there.
2.Sasha Pieterse
The Pretty little liars star’s surname may be a massive giveaway that she is originally from South Africa. Sasha was born in Johannesburg in the year 1996. When she was 5years old in 2001, her family relocated to Las Vegas. Her parents were in an acrobatic dance team, so she was homeschooled and graduated at 14 years. Sasha started her TV career at 4, doing modelling and being featured in commercials.
3.Charlize Theron
The actress was born in born in 1975 in Benoni, Gauteng province (then Transvaal province). She was born to an alcoholic father who abused her and her mother, and her mom shot and killed her father in self-defence. At 16, she started modelling and then moved with her mother to Milan. They moved to the States, where she struggled for some time before she met talent agent John Crosby in a bank after the teller had refused to cash her cheque. Crosby then introduced Charlize to acting school, and then her acting career began. Her first language is Afrikaans.
4.Troye Sivan
This musician was born in Johannesburg to a model and an estate agent. He grew up in Perth, Australia, in a Jewish family. Troye started his music career in 2006, and Troye was a finalist in StarSearch 2007. He is also an actor and starred in X-men Origins: Wolverine as young James Howlet.
5.Adhir Kalyan
This actor, who is best known for his role in rules of engagement, was born in Durban. Before he moved to London in 2005 to pursue his career, he had already started acting in his home country. He was featured in theatre productions of Oliver Twist and Macbeth. From there, he landed several TV roles in shows like Rules of engagement, No strings attached, Second chance, etc.
There are other Hollywood celebrities who are South African making it in the industry like Trevor Noah, Dave Bailie, etc.
6.Sasha Pieterse
She’s Alison DiLaurentis in Pretty Little Liars and is loved by viewers for her warm, easy-going style. She’s also South African. Sasha was born in Johannesburg in 1996. She and her family moved to Los Angeles in 2001.
Her parents also come from an entertainment background, being acrobatic dancers – the reason for the family moving to LA in the first place! It seems her parents big break in dancing, was also her big break.
7. Tammin Sursok
This beautiful woman, who stars as Jenna Marshall in Pretty Little Liars, has South African roots. She lived in South Africa until she was four years old when her parents made the decision to move to Australia. She has also starred in Rules Of Engagement, and Crossing Over, and is a producer. She is happily married, with two children.
8. Dean Stanley Geyer
This Glee star lived in Johannesburg, South Africa for the first 15 years of his life. He subsequently moved to Australia, and after starring in Australia Idol, made a breakthrough in his career.
His song ‘Change’ was inspired by his big move from South Africa, a country which he loved but which his family left because of the high crime rates. It seems for Dean the move was in his favor, and he has become overwhelmingly successful in a relatively short period of time.
9 Charlene, The Princess Of Monaco
This beautiful princess was a successful Olympic swimmer and a member of the South African swimming team.
She was born in Zimbabwe and her family relocated to South Africa in the 1980s. She’s now mom to twins and married to Prince Albert, whom she met while swimming for South Africa at a competition in Monaco (2000). Charlene, or rather, Princess Charlene, has fitted well into royalty and carries herself with the grace and poise of a real princess.
10 JRR Tolkien
The talented mastermind behind The Lord Of The Rings series was in fact a South African, born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Tolkien established fantastical worlds of warfare and wonder through his works, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion and The Lord Of The Rings, putting South Africa on the map in the world of literature. Tolkien was also an acclaimed university professor.
11. Roger Federer
Who would have believed Roger Federer, tennis champion, in fact, has South African roots. But it’s true, the tennis champ has a South African mother. His father is Swiss, making for an interesting cultural combination but nonetheless, the tennis player has a big place in his heart for South Africa, since Mom’s heart is there. Mom, Lynette, was born in Kempton Park, on the East Rand, adjacent to Johannesburg.
12. Madeleine Petsch
This Riverdale star’s full name has a distinctly South African flavor to it: Madelaine Grobbelaar Petsch. She grew up ‘between countries’, spending time in both America and South Africa – but continues to have an affinity with South Africa. She has established a good name for herself as Cherry Blossom in Riverdale.
13. Trevor Noah
This comedian has caused a stir on international stages, for his role in The Daily Show. He lived and worked as a comedian in South Africa, before securing the role in 2014. Trevor grew up in Johannesburg, with a half-African, half-Jewish mother, and a Swiss father. It’s this kind of eclectic rainbow mix which make him a proudly South African comedian and a true representative of the Rainbow Nation. He has a way of taking serious issues and showing them in a fresh light.
14. Charlize Theron
15. Sienna Miller
Sienna’s mom, Josephine, was a South African model – and it seems her daughter shares in her beauty and love for South Africa. The talented actress has become famous through acclaimed films, among them G.I.Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra, Alfie and The Foxcatcher. She’s also received nominations for her work, including for the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards.
