Mpho Osei-Tutu (pronounced Mm-paw O-seyi Tutu) was born in Paris to a Mosotho mother and Ghanaian father and has lived in South Africa, Lesotho, France, England, Togo, Ghana and the United States.

His love of drama began at the tender age of eight. He holds a B.A. (Hons) in Dramatic Art from Wits University, where he majored in Performance, Television and Screenwriting and is a familiar actor on the South African stage and screen.

On stage, Mpho has performed in Mike van Graan’s When Swallows Cry (2018 Naledi Awards Best Play). He also played Mr. Grove in Reza de Wet’s African Gothic (2018 Broadway World Awards Best Play and Best Actor in a Featured Role). His portrayal of multiple roles in Wajdi Mouawad’s Scorched earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 2017 Naledis and he was part of the 2013 Naledi Best Play ensemble of Moliere’s The Miser. He enjoyed success with his self-penned Convincing Carlos (2010 Standard Bank Ovation Award) and has enjoyed multiple runs with Zakes Mda’s The Mother Of All Eating, Paul Slabolepsky’s For Your Ears Only and Athol Fugard’s The Island. He also played Ramabanquo in Pieter-Dirk Uys’ MacBeki.

On screen, Mpho has starred in TV shows, films and commercials. He currently plays the role of fallen Mayor of Joburg, Shivambu, on Mzansi Magic’s Isithembiso and played twins Tebza and Gary in the second installment of the popular anthological series The Imposter (on Showmax). He received Best Actor nominations in the form of Peter Bishai’s internationally acclaimed A Million Colours/Colors of Heaven (on Netflix) and the Mzansi Magic sitcom Samsokolo at the SAFTAs (South Africa’s Oscars) in 2013 and 2014 respectively. In 2007 he was part of the cast for the International Emmy nominated Home Affairs. He has acted in TV shows for HBO, BET, BBC, Endemol and Discovery Channel and has worked with acclaimed winning directors Phillip Noyce, Peter Bishai, Bronwen Hughes, John Irvin, Julian Jarrold and Akin Omotoso

Mpho is a voice over artist who has voiced radio and TV commercials, corporate events, telephone IVRs, audio books and radio plays. He was part of the cast of the MTN Radio Award Winning radio Radio Vuka.

He is also an award winning screenwriter, a director and a producer with sitcom, drama and talk show credits to his name. He has been on the following SAFTA winning teams: Thuli no Thulani (2019 Best Writing in a Comedy), Ga Re Dumele (2016 Best Directing in a Comedy), Check Coast (2015 Best Writing in a Comedy) and Rhythm City (2009 Best Writing in a Soap). He was on the writing team of the 2010 International Emmy Nominated Hopeville, co-created the sitcom Kota Life Crisis (12 SAFTA nominations and 1 win for season 1 and 2) and wrote two seasons of the late night talk show WTF Tumi which earned him a Comics Pen nomination at the Savanna Comics Choice Awards.

Mpho served as a trustee of Johannesburg’s longest running Schools Drama festival The Raps One Act Play Festival from 2010 till its winding up in 2018. He was also on the board of The South African Guild of Actors from 2012 to 2014.