Age: 82
male
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Bonsile John Kani (born 1943) is a South African actor, director and playwright. He was born in New Brighton, South Africa. Kani joined The Serpent Players (a group of actors whose first performance was in the former snake pit of the zoo, hence the name) in Port Elizabeth in 1965 and helped to create many plays that went unpublished but were performed to a resounding reception. These were followed by the more famous Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island, co-written with Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona, in the early 1970s. He also received an Olivier nomination for his role in My Children My Africa! Kani's work has been widely performed around the world, including New York, where he and Winston Ntshona won a Tony Award in 1975 for Sizwe Banzi Is Dead and The Island. These two plays were presented in repertory at the Edison Theatre for a total of 52 performances. Nothing but the Truth (2002) was his debut as sole playwright and was first performed in the Market Theatre in Johannesburg. This play takes place in post-apartheid South Africa and does not concern the conflicts between whites and blacks, but the rift between blacks who stayed in South Africa to fight apartheid, and those who left only to return when the hated regime folded. It won the 2003 Fleur du Cap Awards for best actor and best new South African play. In the same year he was also awarded a special Obie award for his extraordinary contribution to theatre in the USA. Kani is executive trustee of the Market Theatre Foundation, founder and director of the Market Theatre Laboratory and chairman of the National Arts Council of SA. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Kani, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
John Kani
Rafiki
for Rafiki in The Lion King 1 1/2 (Live-Action)
Suggested by milanthaitlach399338342
Set after the events of the second film Timon and Pumbaa watch the original film in a theater, Timon decides to fast-forward to his scenes. Pumbaa's protest over this eventually prompts Timon to share his backstory (going way back, to before the beginning of the first movie). Timon is a social outcast in his meerkat colony on the outskirts of the Pride Lands due to frequently messing things up by accident. Though he is unconditionally supported by his mother Ma, Timon dreams for more in life than his colony's bleak existence hiding from predators. One day, he is assigned as a sentry, but his daydreaming nearly leads to the death of his Uncle Max by hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. This becomes the last straw for the colony, prompting Timon to leave to find a better life. He meets Rafiki, who teaches him about "Hakuna Matata" and advises him to "look beyond what you see". Timon takes the advice literally and observes Pride Rock in the distance. Believing Pride Rock to be his paradise home, Timon ventures there and encounters Pumbaa on his way. The two quickly form a bond and Pumbaa accompanies Timon. The pair arrive at Pride Rock during the presentation of Simba to the Pride Lands' animals. As they make their way through the crowd of onlookers, Pumbaa explosively passes gas, causing nearby animals to faint but prompting animals further away to bow to Simba. Following this, Timon and Pumbaa make multiple attempts to set up homes throughout the Pride Lands, but wind up being forced away every time after witnessing several events from the original film, such as Simba singing "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", Mufasa's fight with the Hyenas, and Scar's conspiring with the hyenas. Eventually, the pair are caught in the wildebeest stampede that killed Mufasa in the original film, and are thrown off a waterfall. Exhausted, Timon decides to give up, until Pumbaa discovers a luxurious green jungle. The pair finally settle there with the philosophy of "Hakuna Matata". Eventually, Timon and Pumbaa encounter Simba in a nearby desert, nearly dead. The pair rescue him and decide to raise him under their philosophy. Years later, Nala appears after chasing Pumbaa and reunites with Simba. Believing "Hakuna Matata" to be in jeopardy, Timon and Pumbaa attempt to sabotage their dates, but fail. After witnessing Simba and Nala's argument, Simba disappears, to Timon's horror. Nala and Rafiki explain that he had run off to challenge Scar, and that they need their help. Hurt that Simba left them, Timon unsuccessfully tries to persuade Pumbaa to stay, but Pumbaa follows Simba and Nala. Timon indulges in the jungle's luxuries by himself, but loneliness starts to overcome him. Rafiki appears again and helps Timon realize that his true Hakuna Matata is with the ones he loves, prompting Timon to take off after Simba, Nala, and Pumbaa. Timon catches up and reconciles with Pumbaa, before they journey onward to Pride Rock. After helping Simba and Nala distract the hyenas, Timon and Pumbaa run into Ma and Uncle Max, who came looking for Timon. Timon proposes that they all help Simba by getting rid of the hyenas. Whilst Simba battles Scar, Ma and Uncle Max are directed to construct a series of tunnels beneath the hyenas, and Timon and Pumbaa use various tactics to distract them while the tunnel is being made. When the tunnels are finished, Max knocks down the sticks, breaking the ground under the hyenas. However, the last few get stuck, prompting Timon to dive underground and break them himself. The cave-in commences, and the hyenas are ejected through the tunnels. Immediately afterwards, Scar is defeated by Simba. Simba accepts his place as king of the Pride Lands, thanking Timon and Pumbaa for helping him. Timon takes Ma, Uncle Max, and the meerkat colony to live in the predator-free jungle to complete his "Hakuna Matata"; and he is praised as their hero. Once Timon finishes his backstory, Ma, Uncle Max, Simba, Rafiki, and eventually many other Disney characters join him and Pumbaa to rewatch the film in the theater in which Pumbaa tells Timon that he still doesn’t do well in crowds.
