The Spotlight On... Terry Pheto

What's Hot: The Spotlight On... Terry Pheto

By ZAlebs on 03 February 2016 at 11:47 · Comments

This week's spotlight focuses on an actress who is flying South Africa’s flag high on the international scene.

3 February 2016

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Actress Terry Pheto is one of South Africa’s biggest stars!

The award-winning actress has earned a name for herself in Hollywood, and splits her time between SA and LA.

Despite her fame, Terry remains humble, and continues to be a fan favourite.

READ: All the times Terry Pheto proved she’s a leading lady

The basics…

Full name: Moitheri Pheto

Birthday: 11 May, 1981

Place of birth: Johannesburg, South Africa

What does she do? Actress, producer

So who is Terry?

Terry Pheto is best known for her role as Miriam in the critically acclaimed film, Tsotsi. The 2005 movie went on to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and was also nominated for a Golden Globe. The international attention turned Terry into an instant hit, and the rest is history.

Terry comes from humble beginnings and grew up in a shack in Soweto, Johannesburg. She got her big break when she was spotted at a theatre group by Tsotsi’s casting director.

The 34-year-old has proven that she is more than just a one hit wonder, and has several high profile movies under her belt. She starred in the 2006 film, Catch a Fire, opposite American actors Tim Robbins and Derek Luke. The movie was written by Shawn Slovo, the daughter of apartheid activists Joe Slovo and Ruth First. It was released internationally and received favorable reviews.

READ: How Terry Pheto stays on top of her game

Terry starred alongside British actor Idris Elba in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom in 2013. She also made a TV appearance in the hit US soapie, The Bold and the Beautiful, in 2011.

Her other movie credits include How to Steal 2 Million, Goodbye Bafana, Mafrika, and Cuckold.

In 2015, Terry produced her first feature film, Ayanda. The Los Angeles Film Festival awarded the movie with the Special Jury Prize. Hot on the heels of the movie’s successful release, Terry was announced as a juror at the 2016 International Emmy’s in New York.

READ: Pics: Celebs at Ayanda Movie premiere

She told ZAlebs in August 2015 that she never gets tired of getting invited to glamourous events. "You can never get used to it, if anything, you just hope for it. You always want projects that will take you to the next step and I've been very fortunate to have an option to choose projects that I want to be a part of."

READ: Terry Pheto, Mzansi is proud of you!

Terry Pheto proved she was “worth it” in 2008 when she was the face of international beauty brand, L'Oréal – joining the likes of Beyoncé and Jennifer Aniston. She is also a regular in top magazines, and has featured on the covers of Marie Claire, True Love, Bona, and Destiny.

Her love life is also doing well. She recently told 5FM’s DJ Fresh that everyone in her life believes he is “the one”.

Terry says she is driven to succeed in her career by the fact that there are people depending on her, and look up to her. "I think that's reason enough for me to wake up and show up,” she told DJ Fresh.

What Terry has said…

On being destined for fame (Previdar): “I always knew that there was something special about me even when I was young, but I couldn’t place it. I always felt like I had a bigger purpose than my circumstances at the time. I knew that one-day people will know my name but I had no idea what that meant as a kid.”

About her favourite fashion item (ZAlebs): "Oh boy! You can never go wrong with a pair of heels, but I will be honest and say I have this gorgeous black leather jacket. I'm so obsessed with it, it's been with me for a couple of years and has never let me down. I hope to keep it for a very long time and keep it for my daughter one day. That jacket has so much character, if it could talk it would tell you so many stories."

Her career highlights (Marie Claire): “Tsotsi winning an Oscar, signing with L’Oréal Paris and being one of the first African actors to be featured on E! News Special. LOW POINT: Not getting ‘that’ one role.”