# Pacharo Mzembe

Pacharo Mzembe is an Australian actor. He has performed on stage, in several television series and in feature films.

## Early life

Mzembe's parents originate from Malawi, but he was born in Zimbabwe. He migrated to Australia at the age of six to the state of Queensland.

## Acting career

Mzembe is an alumnus of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), after being accepted when he was 17 years old. In the summer of 2012, he undertook a run across Australia, which he founded and named the Run of Awareness, with the aim of highlighting the inequality of educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Australia and around the world.
Mzembe started his career in theatre, but has since appeared in numerous television and movie roles, including Monster Problems, Channel Nine’s Here Come the Habibs, Harrow on the ABC, and SBS's Safe Harbour. On the stage, he played Martin Luther King Jr. in The Mountaintop, as well as appearing in Prize Fighter, for which he won a Green Room Award and was nominated for the Sydney Theatre and Helpmann Awards for his portrayal of an ex-child soldier turned boxing contender.
Mzembe is also passionate about youth empowerment and filmmaking.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2010 | Summer Coda | Monty |
| 2020 | Love and Monsters | Ray |
| 2022 | Black Site | Ben Jordan |
| 2024 | Sleeping Dogs | Isaac Samuel |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | The Diplomat | D.C Terry Ayyar | Television film |
| 2011 | Underbelly | Nuggett | 12 episodes |
| 2011 | Terra Nova | Alverez | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Spirited | Ghost Tang | Episode: "Changes" |
| 2011 | Sinbad and the Minotaur | Karim | Television film |
| 2015 | Texas Rising: The Lost Soldier | Joe | Episode #1.2 |
| 2015 | Danger 5 | Pierre | 7 episodes |
| 2017 | Here Come the Habibs | Kanye | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | The Family Law | Aaron | Episode: "Matters of the Heart" |
| 2018 | Safe Harbour | Matou | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Harrow | Jacob Diallo | Episode: "Abo Imo Pectore" |
| 2020 | The End | Detective Sharma | Episode: "With Sparkles" |
| 2021 | La Brea | Tony Greene | 10 episodes |
| 2021 | Wakefield | Rohan Achebe | 5 episodes |
| 2021 | Young Rock | Fireman | Episode: "Working the Gimmick" |
| 2022 | God's Favorite Idiot | Dr. Stephens | Episode: "Tom the Baptist" |
| 2024 | Nautilus | Boniface | 10 episodes |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Venue / Co. |
| | Class Enemy | | NIDA |
| | Sweet Charity | | NIDA |
| 2007 | Can't Pay? Won't Pay! | Giovanni | NIDA Parade Theatre, Sydney |
| | Once on This Island | | NIDA |
| | Romeo & Juliet | | NIDA |
| | The Cherry Orchard | | NIDA |
| | The Ramayana | | NIDA |
| | Steppingstone Company | | NIDA |
| 2008 | Antigone | Pach | Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney |
| 2008 | An Oak Tree | | Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney |
| 2009 | Rockabye | Tobias | Southbank Theatre, Melbourne with MTC |
| 2010 | Gwen in Purgatory | Father Ezekiel | Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney, Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane with La Boite |
| 2013 | Solomon and Marion | Solomon | Fairfax Studio, Melbourne with MTC |
| 2014 | The Mountaintop | Dr Martin Luther King Jr | Playhouse, Brisbane with Queensland Theatre |
| 2015 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Demetrius / Flute | Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane with La Boite |
| 2015; 2018 | Prize Fighter | Isa | Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane, Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney, Logan Entertainment Centre, Northcote Town Hall, Melbourne, IMB Theatre, Wollongong with La Boite |
| 2016 | The Tragedy of King Richard III | | Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane with La Boite |
| 2019 | L'Appartement | Serge | Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane with Queensland Theatre |
| 2023 | Bloom Girl | Director / Producer | Thomas Dixon Centre, Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane with PM Collab Operations |

## Awards

| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result |
| 2009 | Kind of Man | South Australian Screen Awards (SASA) | Best Performance | Nominated |
| 2009 | Kind of Man | St Kilda Film Festival | Best Actor | Nominated |
| 2016 | Prize Fighter | Helpmann Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated |
| 2019 | Pacharo Mzembe | Green Room Award | Theatre Companies Best Performer Award | Won |