Jennifer Hudson (Winnie Mandela)

An Academy Award®-winning actress, Grammy Award-winning recording artist and best-selling author, Jennifer Hudson is an extraordinary talent.  She plays the title role of activist, politician and ex-wife to South African President and revolutionary, Nelson Mandela.

Coming from humble beginnings, she’s gone on to worldwide acclaim. In 2007, Hudson won an Academy Award® for her role as “Effie” in the smash hit Dreamgirls, an adaptation of the Broadway musical.  Her breakout film performance also garnered a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA and an NAACP Image Award.  

Hudson has made the same kind of impact in the world of music that she has made in film with the successful release of both of her Arista Records albums.  Her 2008 debut self-titled album won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, as well as three additional nominations including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song.  

She performs the Winnie Mandela title track Bleed for Love alongside The Soweto Gospel Choir.  The song was written by one of the most prolific and successful songwriters of our time, Diane Warren.

Terrence Howard (Nelson Mandela)

The multi-talented Terrence Howard is best known for his Golden Globe and Academy Award®-nominated work in Hustle & Flow, as well as for his supporting role in Crash, for which he received a National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. 

Howard is one of the most prolific actors of his generation.  His feature film credits include diverse roles in Valerie Flake, Best Laid Plans, the Academy Award®-nominated Ray, Pride, The Brave One, August Rush, and Ironman.   A self-taught musician, Howard plays both the piano and the guitar.  He displays his musical talents in Ray as Ray Charles’ one-time guitarist, Gossie McKee, and in Hustle & Flow as the rapper Djay.  For the movie, Howard performed all the tracks for his character, including It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp, which won the Academy Award® for Best Original Song.

Terrence's recent projects include starring alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. and Bryan Cranston in George Lucas’ Red Tails, released in January of 2012.  Also in 2012, Terrence appeared in On the Road alongside Garrett Hedlund and Vigo Mortensen.

When not acting, Terrence has involved himself in numerous other projects.  He is a philanthropist, father of three and an ambassador for EIF and Stand Up 2 Cancer.  He has been very involved in cancer research and has done many public service announcements for the cause.

ELIAS KOTEAS (Major DeVries)

Elias Koteas broke out as an internationally known actor with his starring role in David Cronenberg’s Crash.  Koteas has portrayed notable roles in many other films including Gattaca, starring Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke and Jude Law; Fallen, opposite Denzel Washington; Apt Pupil, with Sir Ian McKellen; Terrence Malick’s Academy Award®-nominated war drama The Thin Red Line; Zodiac, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo; Shooter, with Mark Wahlberg; Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island with Leonardo DiCaprio; and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

He recently wrapped production on Dream House, a thriller directed by Jim Sheridan that stars Daniel Craig.

WENDY CREWSON (Mary Botha)

One of Canada's premier actresses, Wendy Crewson has garnered critical and popular acclaim, as well as multiple awards, for her extensive body of work in film and television.

A few of her big screen credits include The Santa Clause opposite Tim Allen; Wolfgang Peterson's Air Force One opposite Harrison Ford; A Home At The End Of The World with Colin Farrell and Sissy Spacek; The Clearing with Robert Redford; The Last Brickmaker In America with Sidney Poitier; Bicentennial Man with Robin Williams; and The Sixth Day with Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

Crewson is also featured in the upcoming film, The Vow, with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum.