Ken Gampu was one of the first black South Africans to be featured in
Hollywood films, working alongside such stars as Edward G. Robinson and Burt Lancaster. A
former schoolteacher, law clerk and interpreter, he spoke seven native
dialects in addition to English and Afrikaans. Discovered by playwright
Athol Fugard, he was cast in the play "No Good Friday" in 1958. In the 60s
he moved to films and earned international distinction for his role in
the movie adventure Ein Fall für Tom Davis (1964). He earned excellent notices as well a year
later in Cornel Wilde's African adventure Der Todesmutige (1965) as a warrior leader.
Several of his films have earned cult status with time, including
Zulu Dawn - Die letzte Offensive (1979) and Die Götter müssen verrückt sein (1980).
