Benu Mabhena

A native from Ndebele Tribe, she was born in the London but raised in many African countries. Her parents and five brothers were born in Zimbabwe and younger sister was born in London. After two years in Zimbabwe, the family went to Botswana for a year. Then moved to South Africa and stayed for several years. They moved back to Botswana and back again to South Africa, and finally moved to Lesotho. She later moved to California, USA with her family when the US government granted the family asylum.[4]

She studied in Diablo Valley College and started performed community theater, and in school films and play. In the meantime, she wrote and recorded songs in the studio as well. She also has an Associate Degree in Education.[4]

In 2006 she acted in the Hollywood blockbuster Blood Diamond directed by Edward Zwick. In the film, she played the role "Jassie", Hounsou's wife. The film received critics acclaim and world-wide awards. During this period, she along with Jennifer Connelly visited and contributed in volunteer services at an orphanage in Mozambique. After that, she made a guest role in the web series Night Walkers telecast in KoldCast TV. In the same year, she acted in the film Princess produced by American Film Institute. In 2008, she acted in the television special Life on the Edge: A Global Crisis.[5][4]

• IMDb