Susan Africa

Susan Africa
Africa in 2020
Born (1959-08-20) August 20, 1959 (age 65)
Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Alma materUniversity of Santo Tomas (BFA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • writer
  • painter
  • beauty queen
  • television host
Years active1983–present
Known forOlongapo... The Great American Dream (1987)
Mara Clara (1992)
A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (2016)
Kadenang Ginto (2018)
Height1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1989; died 2018)​
Children3[1]

Susan Africa (born August 20, 1959) is a Filipino screen and stage actress, writer, painter, beauty queen and former television host with a career spanning four decades. After placing first runner-up at the 1980 Binibining Pilipinas pageant, she pursued a career in showbusiness. A prominent figure in soap operas, she rose to fame in the television series Mara Clara (1992) and is noted for playing impoverished maternal characters. She won Best Supporting Actress at the 1987 Metro Manila Film Festival for her portrayal in Olongapo... The Great American Dream and has been involved in several international productions such as Noriega: God's Favorite (2000), Blood Surf (2000) and Under Heavy Fire (2001).

Africa also served as the host of PTV4's For Art’s Sake (1989) and Sesame (1984).[2] Among her acclaimed performances include Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis (2016) which competed at the Berlin International Film Festival and earned praises from Meryl Streep.[3] She served as the Corporate Development Director of Ballet Philippines Foundation for 14 years and Associate Director of Alumni Relations at Asian Institute of Management (AIM).[4][5] Her other memorable roles include Manang Esther in Kadenang Ginto (2018) and Nita Dimaculangan in Batang Quiapo (2023).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Scions was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ What's on TV?. Manila Standard. 1989. p. 19.
  3. ^ "Cherie Gil says Meryl Streep praises Susan Africa". Tempo. March 21, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Lo, Ricky. "Batang West Side won't be at Cinemanila fest after all". Philstar.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  5. ^ "Susan Africa is not your typical poor nanay on TV". ph.celebrity.yahoo.com. September 18, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2023.