Nnete Matima

Nnete Matima was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nnete is the only child of a pharmacist and social worker. Her family immigrated to the United States when she was a child. Nnete showed a love for the arts from a very young age. At the tender age of two, Nnete would stand on top of the dining room table dancing and singing to entertain relatives and guests. At the age of seven, Nnete's parents enrolled her in gymnastics classes as well as dance classes for tap, jazz, and ballet. Nnete also scored very high on her aptitude tests and was invited to join the Gifted Students Program when she was in the first grade. In high school, Nnete excelled academically as a member of the National Honor Society. Nnete was also elected as the first black Student Council President. Nnete played the trumpet in the school band and excelled in athletics as a star gymnast as well as track and field, softball, soccer, and cheer-leading squad. Nnete was also voted Homecoming and Prom Queen. Nnete was "bit" by the showbiz bug when she auditioned for and received a callback for The Lion King on Broadway, with virtually no previous vocal training. Although Nnete greatly loved the arts, she wanted to fulfill her academic goals of becoming a lawyer before pursuing a career in the arts. Nnete earned her B.A. in Legal and Policy Studies, Magna Cum Laude from Fordham University. Nnete excelled academically as a member of the Honors Program and was elected Student Government Association President. Nnete went on to earn her J.D. from the University of Massachusetts School of Law and was also elected the first black, female President of the Student Bar Association. After years in the corporate world, Nnete decided to finally pursue a career in her first love, the arts. Nnete landed a role in "Tony 'n Tina's Wedding", Off-Broadway, as well as several feature film roles, commercials and television. Nnete is a lawyer, writer, actor, singer, and dancer in theatre, film, and television.