Richard Lukunku (born 29 May 1986) is a Congolese-South African actor who played the character of Joshua on Black Sails.

Early life

Lukunku moved to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

with his family as a child. He cultivated an early interest in performance art and went on to earn a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in Live Performance from

AFDA AFDA is a South African private Higher Education institution that offers higher certificates, undergraduate, and postgraduate degrees in film, television, performance, business innovation and technology, radio and podcasting, and creative wri ...

, The School for the Creative Economy, in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

. Lukunku speaks six languages—English,

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

Setswana Tswana, also known by its native name Setswana, is a Bantu language indigenous to Southern Africa and spoken by about 8.2 million people. It is closely related to the Northern Sotho and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalaga ...

, Zulu,

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

—which has helped him take on a diverse range of roles.

Career

2010–2013: Early South African television

Lukunku made his on-screen debut in the crime drama ''Inkaba'', followed by a starring role as Detective Phaka in ''Mshika-shika'' (2012). He appeared in the telenovela '' Ashes to Ashes'', earning a SAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a TV Soap/Telenovela in 2016.

2014–2017: International break and feature films

In 2014, he joined the main cast of the Starz series ''Black Sails'' as Joshua, a role he held for two seasons. He went on to portray

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba ( ; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 192517 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic o ...

in the Michael Bay-produced film '' The Siege of Jadotville'' (2016) and featured in the romantic comedy ''Happiness Is a Four-Letter Word'' (2016) and its 2020 sequel. His film credits also include ''The Lucky Specials'' (2017).

2018–present: Leading roles and fantasy epics

Back in

, Lukunku landed a leading part on the long-running

SABC3 SABC 3, also branded as S3, is a South African free-to-air television channel owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Since March 2024, it carries programming in English language, English and Afrikaans only. History On 1 Janu ...

drama ''

Isidingo ''Isidingo'' was a South African soap opera, with dialogue mostly in English and isiXhosa. The series premiered on SABC 3 in July 1998 and was broadcast evenings on SABC 3 from Monday to Friday at 19:00. Until 2001 it was titled ''Isidingo: The ...

'' (2023–present). In 2022 he starred as Senator Jabari in

Showmax Showmax is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service that launched in South Africa on 19 August 2015. Its majority owner is MultiChoice, which owns 70% of the Showmax group, while American conglomerate NBCUniversal owns 3 ...

’s fantasy epic ''Blood Psalms'', which earned multiple award nominations on the continent. He appeared in the television shows "The Looming Tower" and "The Girl from St. Agnes", "Blood Plasms" and "Professionals".

Personal life

Lukunku is married to actress and director

Nozipho Nkelemba Nozipho Nkelemba (born 1991), is a South African actress, casting director, director, brand endorser, and scriptwriter. She is best known for the roles in the television serials such as; ''Rhythm City'', ''Mzansi Love'' and ''Heartlines''. Pers ...

; the couple have two children. In 2023, the two were reported to have been separated. His multilingual fluency (six languages) is frequently highlighted in interviews as key to his versatility.

Filmography

Television

* Inkaba * Mshika-shika * Ashes to Ashes * The Mirage of Life * The Quest * Rhythm City *

* The road * Trueuground * The Girl from St. Agnes * Strike Back * Flight of the Stocks * Black Sails

Films

* Happiness is a Four-Letter Word * Blink * Night Drive * History of America * Superhelde * Invisible Children * Skyf the Movie * Mister BOB * Thina Sobabili * The Siege of Jadotville * Black Sails * Zama Zama

Awards and nominations

* Richard Lukunku was nominated for a Golden Horn Award in 2013 * Nominated for Best supporting Actor in 2016 *

African Movie Academy Awards The Africa Movie Academy Awards is an annual entertainment award ceremony presented to recognize excellence among African and non-African professionals, who have contributed to the African film industry. The award was founded by Peace Anyiam-Osi ...

(AMAA) in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukunku, Richard 1986 births Living people 21st-century South African actors