Biography
EARLY LIFE
Rapulana Seiphemo was born on 4 November 1967 in Meadowlands, a township in Soweto, Gauteng, South Africa. He was raised there with three brothers and a sister. He attended Anchor Comprehensive High School in Orlando West, Soweto. In 1989 he began his professional stage career starring in Athol Fugard’s My Children! My Africa! (as Thami Mbikwana), which toured South Africa and England. In 1991 he travelled to the United States to study towards a BA in Theatre Arts. He returned to South Africa in 1995.
CAREER
Seiphemo’s career spans theatre, television, film, teaching, producing, and directing, beginning in 1989. Theatre: Early credits include My Children! My Africa! (1989, Athol Fugard), The Merchant of Venice (1991), Saturday Night at the Palace (Paul Slabolepszy, 1993), The Piano Lesson (August Wilson, 1996), and The Blacks. He has directed stage works including Athol Fugard’s Master Harold… and the Boys (Market Theatre, 1998) and Five Past Two (Sibikwa Community Theatre, 1996). Teaching and mentoring: After returning from the US in 1995 he taught at Fuba Academy, then joined the Sibikwa Community Theatre Group in 1996, and became a tutor at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1997. With business partner Kenneth Nkosi he co-founded Stepping Stone Pictures (active roughly 2003–2015) and Fumba Academy for Acting. Television: He is best known for playing Tau Mogale in Generations / Generations: The Legacy (long-running lead role from the mid-1990s/early 2000s, with a return in 2023–present after a stint elsewhere). Other major soapie roles include Godlieb Mofokeng in Isidingo (1998–2001) and Pheko Mokoena in Muvhango (from 2006). He later played Hector Sebata in The Queen (Mzansi Magic, approx. 2020–2022). Additional credits include Task Force (as Joseph Ndlovu; also produced), Tjovitjo (Bra Terror), Room 9, Silent Witness, Unseen, Boo & TT, and hosting/judging roles on Ambush and Class Act. Film: Notable appearances include Jump the Gun (1996), Hijack Stories / Highjack Stories (2000, Cannes selection), Tsotsi (2005, as John; the film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film), Gangster’s Paradise: Jerusalema (2008, as Lucky Kunene), White Wedding, How to Steal 2 Million (2011), Paradise Stop (produced and starred with Stepping Stone Pictures), Themba, and others. Producing: Through Stepping Stone Pictures (with Kenneth Nkosi) he produced Paradise Stop, the SABC1 drama series Task Force, content for Mzansi Magic (including Laugh Out Loud), and other projects. He has also been involved in more recent arts education initiatives, including the Serakatuma House of Arts and Culture in Rustenburg (focused on training youth from mining communities in film and television skills).
PERSONAL LIFE
Seiphemo married Olga Ruberio in 2003. They have three children together, including daughter Katlego Seiphemo, who has followed him into acting (the two appeared together in Paradise Stop). He has generally kept his family life private. In February 2016 he was involved in a serious car accident and was hospitalised (reports mention Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg); he recovered and continued his career. He has three brothers and a sister.
Filmography
No filmography available for this person yet.
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