Sello Motloung

Sello Motloung (4 November 1969 – 15 September 2024) was a South African actor, presenter and MC.^[1] He is best known for the roles in the television serials such as; Backstage, Mamello and Ring of Lies.^[2]

Motloung was born on 4 November 1969 and died on 15 September 2024, at the age of 54.^[3]

In 1998, he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Award at the M-Net All-Africa Film Awards for his role in Chikin Biznis. In 2001, he appeared in the fifth season of the SABC1 education drama series Soul City Soul City. Then he played the role "Nkabi" in the SABC3 drama The Lab in 2006. In the same year, he made supporting roles in two more serials: season three of ITV series Wild At Heart with the role "Lungi" and CBC series Jozi-H with the role "Dumisani".^[4] In the preceding years, he appeared in many television serials such as; The Long Run, Ollie, Zulu Love Letter, Skilpoppe, Man to Man, Faith's Corner, Jerusalema, Invictus, Chanda's Secrets, Tirza and How to Steal 2 Million. Meanwhile, he played the role of "Mpumi" in the e.tv soap opera Backstage. He continued to play the role for 18 months with popularity.^[5]

In 2004, he acted in the Canadian mini-series Human Cargo. In 2007, he joined the SABC1 mini-series After Nine and played the role of "Kutloano Maema". In the same year, he played the lead role in the SABC1 Christmas Eve one hour teledrama Second Chance. In 2012, he played the lead role of "David" in the e.tv drama series Our Stories. In 2015, he joined the cast of SABC2 drama Mamello and played the role of "Mr Thobejane" for three seasons. In 2016, he joined the Mzansi Magic telenovela Ring of Lies to play the role of "Thabelo". He reprised the role in second season in 2017.^[5][6]

Apart from cinema and television, he also made several theatre productions since the 1990s, such as; Street Cleaners (1990), The Awakening (1991), The Good Woman of Sharkville (1996), The Cherry Orchard (1997), Master Harold And The Boys (1998), Cold Stone Jug (2004) and Socks & Toothpaste (2006).^[7] For his role in the play The Good Woman of Sharkville, he was nominated for a Vita Award for Best Supporting Actor as well.^[5]

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he appeared in the SABC2 telenovela Lithapo where he played the role of "Thapelo". After a drought in the drama industry due to the pandemic, he was seeking new job opportunities.^[8][9] However, in 2021, he got the opportunity to play in the SABC3 telenovela The Estate with the role "Elias Nkosi".^[10]

• Sello Motloung at IMDb