Thamela Mpumlwana Is All Grown Up, Facts About The Akilla’s Escape Star

At such a young age, Thamela Mpumlwana can boast of a robust career. From the little lad we saw in his debut as Cheik on Arthur, the Canadian actor is all grown up and still getting the needed attention to keep his career going. Thamela is known for his roles in big projects such as Star Trek: Discovery (2017), Akilla’s Escape (2020), and In the Dark (2019). Beyond that, he has recorded up to 26 credits in his filmography and still counting. Keep reading to learn interesting details about the young actor.

Thamela Mpumlwana has Canadian nationality but his origins can be traced to South Africa

June 18, 2001, is Thamela Mpumlwana’s date of birth and though his actual place of birth is not known as the actor has not shared it, it is assumed that he was born in Canada. Though a Canadian by nationality, Thamela is originally from South Africa and he is proud of his African roots. We can’t say how his family came to Canada but they are apparently immigrants who have made the country their home.

For his education, he studied something related to his craft as an actor but the name of the institutions he attended have not been made public. The name of Thamela’s father is not known but among his parents, his mother – Patience Mpumlwana, is the most visible. She raised him to have the fear of God and he has grown to retain his strong faith. Thamela’s mom runs her own company known as Mpumlwana Artists Events.

He has a younger sister who is also into acting

Thamela Mpumlwana shared his childhood with a younger sister named Shechinah. He has always been a role model to his sister who followed his footsteps in the entertainment industry. She has landed a good number of roles and is known for her performances in Rookie Blue and Creeped out. The actress notably worked with her brother on these projects.

Growing up, the siblings would practice together to perfect their talents and some of the videos can be seen on the family YouTube channel. They literally grew together in the craft and this has helped their bond to grow stronger. Thamela maintains a close relationship with his sister and mother.

Thamela Mpumlwana began acting professionally in 2011

His first recorded role as a professional actor came in 2011 when he played Cheik in Arthur, a short TV series. The actor wasted no time in landing his next role, a voice role in The Magic Hockey Skates. From 2013 to 2014, he appeared in three projects, including Rookie Blue where he appeared in one episode as Marcus Riggs. Within the same period, Thamela played his first big role in 22 episodes of Peg+Cat as Ramone.

At this time, he was gaining prominence in the industry as an actor to watch. In 2015, he played Vin in three episodes of Rogue. He also landed a short stint on Star Trek: Discovery (TV Series) as Young T’Kuvma. Another TV series that had him for three episodes is Frankie Drake Mysteries from 2017 to 2018. In 2019, Thamela gave expression to the role of Tyson / Tyson Parker as part of the cast of In the Dark TV series.

image source

Akilla’s Escape won him an award nod

His most recent roles can be found in Akilla’s escape (2020) and Pretty Hard Cases (TV series), the latter of which he joined in 2022.

For his role as Sheppard / Young Akilla, in Akilla’s Escape, Thamela Mpumlwana clinched a nomination at the 9th edition of the Canadian Screen Awards for Best Supporting Actor. At the rate he’s climbing the ladder of success, Thamela is bound to attract more attention from award bodies.

Thamela Mpumlwana’s movies and TV shows

TV series

• Arthur as Cheik – 2011
• the Magic Hockey Skates as Bernie (voice) – 2012
• Rookie Blue as Marcus Riggs – 2014
• Peg+Cat as Ramone – 2013-2014
• Rogue as Vin – 2015
• Saving Hope as Samuel Lokos – 2017
• 21 Thunder as Sly Lolo – 2017
• Star Trek: Discovery as Young T’Kuvma – 2017
• Murdoch Mysteries as Artie – 2017
• Frankie Drake Mysteries as Jacob Clarke – 2017-2018
• Creeped Out as Dave Stevens – 2018
• 2nd Generation as Jahmarley – 2018
• Ransom as Liam – 2018
• Wayne as Corey – 2019
• In the Dark as Tyson / Tyson Parker – 2019
• Departure as Owen Carter – 2019
• Transplant as Trey – 2020
• Pretty Hard Cases as Richie Clark / Richie Clarke – 2022

Movies

• The Warrior and the Savior as Ibutho Silongo – 2013
• The Gabby Douglas Story (TV movie) as John 9-14 Years – 2014
• Group Home (TV Movie) as Caleb – 2016
• A Man’s Story (Short) as Young Kam – 2016
• Mobnile Homes as Miles – 2017
• GUION (Short) as Guion Bluford Jr. (Young) – 2018
• The Burglar (Short) as Young Donald – 2019/I
• Akilla’s Escape as Sheppard / Young Akilla – 2020

Aside from acting, Thamela Mpumlwana loves singing and dancing

From such a young age, Thamela started showing his talents which include dancing and singing. A video of him singing a cover of I Want You Back by The Jackson 5 shows off his great singing voice. He has also used his gifted voice to execute voice roles as a voice actor.

In addition to singing, Thamela also loves to dance. With the advantage of age being on his side, the young entertainer might add a music career to his portfolio soon and he actually has what it takes to hold his own in the industry. Another hobby that makes the actor stand out is his interest in Parkour.