Charlene Chiedza 'Chi' Kudzai Mhende (born 19 October 1991), is a Zimbabwean actress, director and voice over artist.[1] She is best known for shocking audiences with her convincing male portrayal of 'Wandile Radebe' on the South African soap opera Generations.

Chi Mhende
Born
Charlene Chiedza Kudzai Mhende

19 October 1991
Harare, Zimbabwe
NationalityZimbabwean
Other namesChi
Alma materAFDA Cape Town
Occupation(s)Actress, voice artist
Years active2009–present
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

Personal life

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Mhende was born on 19 October 1991 in Harare, Zimbabwe.[2]

Career

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In 2015, she joined the South African soap opera Generations where she played the role 'Wandile Radebe', a male role.[3] The show became a hit and continued to 4 seasons including 1000 episodes.[4]

In 2006, Mhende moved to Cape Town to study at The School for the Creative Economy. She started theater acting with the role 'Lady Capulet' in an Artscape production Romeo and Juliet. With the brilliant performance in it, she was selected for many theater plays such as K. Sello Duiker's The Quiet Violence of Dreams, JM Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew, The Comedy of Errors, and Richard III. She made the appearance in Generations:The Legacy where she played a male role.[1] In 2008 she won the award for the Best Actress at AFDA awards.[5]

She later worked with organisations such as the 'Bonfire Improv Theatre Company' and the 'Zakheni Arts Therapy Foundation' and contribute to the drama in South Africa. She is also renowned as the voice of 'Siyaya' and Al Jazeera's global health series 'Lifelines'. In 2014, Mhende made her maiden cinema appearance with the film Love the One You Love. The film had its premier at the 2014 Durban International Film Festival where she has played the role 'Sandile' where she became the Best Actress.[1] In 2015, she was nominated for Promising Young Artist award at Africa Movie Academy Awards.[5]

Filmography

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Year Film Role Genre Ref.
2015 Generations Wandile Radebe TV series
2010 The Tunnel Monica Short film
2014 Love the One You Love Terri Film
2014 Bridging Waters Narrator TV Mini–Series documentary
2014 Homeland Aide TV series
2014 Scribblings Viva Short film
2015 Siyaya: Come Wild with Us Narrator TV series documentary
2015 Lazy Susan Susan Short film
2015 Jamillah and Aladdin Physician TV series
2016 Detour Hospital Receptionist TV series
2020 Queen Sono Miri Dube TV series

References

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  1. ^ a b c "10 Things You Never Knew About The Zimba Actor Chiedza Mhende, Who Plays A Man On Generations". iharare. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  2. ^ Rauel, TJ (9 August 2021). "Chiedza Mhende biography". Safrolebs. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Man or woman?". sundaynews. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Chiedza Mhende does it like a dude". sowetanlive. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Chiedza Mhende". pindula. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
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