Zenobia Kloppers is a Namibian-South African actress, singer, voice artist, screenwriter, director, and producer known for her versatile performances across film, television, theatre, and radio. She is also a highly sought-after voice-over and dubbing artist, audiobook narrator, academic writer, and industry judge. A classically trained lyric soprano (bel canto technique), she enjoys blending her voice with diverse musical styles, particularly incorporating indigenous music.
In 2023, Kloppers filmed her first significant international role as Amico Nagoyin, an Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah, in "The Wheel of Time" (Prime Video, S3, 2025), appearing in a multi-episode arc. Premiering globally on March 13, 2025, this role marks her official entry into the global entertainment industry. As a devoted fan of the 15-book fantasy saga (which she has read three times since 2010!), this casting is more than just another role - it is an absolute dream come true.
Zenobia can also be seen on Amazon Prime in the hit SA comedy "Lucky Fish" in the role of aunty Sheila "with the crooked teeth from down the road". This film premiered at the 2025 Durban International Film Festival as the opening film and was released in cinemas around South Africa on 25 July 2025 until September. Zenobia's second film release for this year, "Finding Optel", premiered at the 2025 Silwerskerm Film Festival on 21 August 2025 and was selected for the 2025 BFI London Film Festival.
Kloppers gained international recognition for her award-winning portrayal of Fiela Komoetie in the 2019 feature film "Fiela se Kind" (Fiela's Child), directed by Brett Michael-Innes and based on Dalene Matthee's novel, which has been translated into fourteen languages. Her performance earned her the Best Actress Award at the 2020 South African Independent Film Festival (SAIFF) and Best Actress nominations at the 2020 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs), 2020 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAAs), and 2019 kykNET Silwerskerm Film Awards.
Other screen work includes "Unseen" (Netflix, S2, 2025), "Recipes for Love and Murder" (Showmax/Acorn, S2, 2025), "The Morning After" (Amazon, S1, 2024), and "Spinners" (Showmax/Canal+, S1, 2023). Kloppers remains a dynamic presence in South African television, with recurring roles in "Suidooster" (2018-2021) and "Arendsvlei" (2019-2021). Other notable TV credits include "Dinge van 'n Kind" (kykNET, 2021), "Die Sentrum" (SABC2, 2021), "Blood & Water" (Netflix, 2021), "Projek Dina" (kykNET, 2019), and "Sara se Geheim" (kykNET, 2019).
A distinguished theatre actress, Kloppers has portrayed strong female leads in critically acclaimed productions exploring identity, belonging, and resilience. In "Fiela se Kind" (2008, 2018), she played a Cape Coloured woman in 19th-century South Africa who raises a white baby as her own, only to lose him when census takers intervene. In "Klarabelle gaan Kaap Toe" (2002-2004), the first Khoi-themed play in Afrikaans, she embodied a woman of color struggling with memory loss, identity, and belonging. She portrayed Saartjie Baartman in "Sarah - The Story of Saartjie Baartman" (2006), dramatizing the Khoekhoe woman's tragic life as a freak show attraction in 19th-century Europe. In "Die Swerfjare van Poppie Nongena" (2006), she played a Xhosa woman fighting Apartheid oppression in a moving adaptation of Elsa Joubert's celebrated novel.
