Dieudonné Kabongo
{{short description|Congolese-Belgian comedian, humorist, musician and actor}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Dieudonné Kabongo
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = 1950
| birth_place = Katanga, Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo)
| death_date = {{death date and age|2011|10|11|1950}}
| death_place = Jette, Brussels, Belgium
| nationality = Congolese-born Belgian
| occupation = Comedian, humorist, musician, actor
| known_for = First widely known Belgian comedian of African descent; role in Lumumba
| awards = First Prize, Festival International du Rire de Rochefort (1984); Lifetime Achievement Award, Africa Filmfestival (2010); Magritte Award nomination
}}
Dieudonné Kabongo (1950 – October 11, 2011) was a Congolese-born Belgian comedian, humorist, musician, and actor. Kabongo co-starred in the 2000 film, Lumumba, portraying Godefroid Munongo.{{cite news|title=Belgium: Congolese actor Dieudonnné Kabongo dies on stage |url=http://www.afriquejet.com/belgium-congolese-actor-2011101324865.html |work=PanaPress |publisher=Afrique en ligne |date=October 13, 2011 |accessdate=2011-10-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614064819/http://www.afriquejet.com/belgium-congolese-actor-2011101324865.html |archivedate=June 14, 2012 |df=mdy }} He was the first comedian of African descent to achieve widespread popularity in Belgium.{{cite news |title=Dieudonné Kabongo, A Great Actor Died on Stage |url=http://www.afrikafilmfestival.be/en/home/item/115-dieudonn%C3%A9-kabongo-overleden-tijdens-show-in-jette |work=Afrika Filmfestival |date=October 13, 2011 |accessdate=2011-10-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203121902/http://www.afrikafilmfestival.be/en/home/item/115-dieudonn%C3%A9-kabongo-overleden-tijdens-show-in-jette |archivedate=December 3, 2011 |df=mdy }}{{cite news |first=Hegel |last=Goutier |title=A day in the life of Dieudonné Kabongo |url=http://www.acp-eucourier.info/Um-dia-na-vida-de-Di.168.0.html%3F%2526L%3D0 |work=The Courier (ACP-EU) |date=December 2007 |accessdate=2011-10-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111218205854/http://acp-eucourier.info/Um-dia-na-vida-de-Di.168.0.html%3F%2526L%3D0 |archivedate=December 18, 2011 |df=mdy }}
Biography
Kabongo was born in 1950 in Katanga, Belgian Congo, which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He immigrated to Belgium in 1970. He originally studied electromechanical engineering in Virton, Belgium, before embarking on a self-apprenticeship in theater and writing.
In 1984, Kabongo and fellow actor Mirko Popovitch jointly won the First Prize at the Festival International du Rire de Rochefort. His film credits included Identity Pieces in 1998, the 2000 film Lumumba, directed by Raoul Peck, and the 2005 film, Le Couperet, directed by Costa-Gavras. He was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the Africa Filmfestival in 2010. For his role in The Invader, he received a Magritte Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Kabongo collapsed and died during a performance on stage at a cultural center in Jette, a district of Brussels, on October 11, 2011, at the age of 61.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0434090|name=Dieudonné Kabongo}}
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Category:20th-century Belgian male actors
Category:Belgian male film actors
Category:Belgian male comedians
Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to Belgium
Category:People from Katanga Province