SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: After six years of living in Los
Angeles, California, Tongayi Chirisa has already worked with a number of major
networks in Hollywood such as Warner Brothers, FOX, FX, CBS, NBC and ABC. This
month he adds TV Land to his impressive resume where he will be starring in
The Jim Gaffigan Show as Father Nicholas Ngugumbane. The show
premiers on 15 July 2015 on TV Land.
Chirisa plays a charismatic Zimbabwean priest in the series, which follows the life of Jim Gaffigan, a successful comedian
trying to survive while obsessing about food and living with his wife and five
children in their two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Chirisa speaks fondly of
his time filming in New York City recalling a lot of laughter with cast members; Jim
Gaffigan, Ashley Williams, Adam Goldberg and Michael Ian Black as well as
Boardwalk Empire star Steve Buscemi and child actor Macaulay
Culkin.
Chirisa was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, where his acting career began in 2002 with
a role in the country’s first soap opera, Studio 263. Two years later he
starred in the local feature film, Tanyaradzwa, which solidified his
desire to study acting. In 2006 he relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa, where
he enrolled at The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live
Performance (AFDA). In 2008 Chirisa featured in several South African
commercials; a feature film about his homeland titled Zimbabwe;
Skin directed by Anthony Fabian; as well as Leon Schuster’s Mr
Bones 2: Back from the Past. That same year he was cast in the role of
Friday in NBC’s action drama series Crusoe, which launched his career
in America and encouraged him to move to Hollywood.
To date Chirisa has featured in various films and television series such as:
Crusoe, Sleepy Hollow, American Horror Story and NCIS:
LA to name a few. He most recently played the role of Gary Houston in
Whitney, a biographical film for TV which is based on the late Whitney
Houston’s life. The film was directed by Angela Bassett and released in the US on
17 January 2015.
Follow Tongayi Chirisa on twitter @Tongayic
Written by: Nicola Quinn
