Catherine Kamau (born February 3, 1987)[1] is a Kenyan award-winning actress, popularly known as "Celina"[2] (or "Selina"[3]) and "Kate Actress".[4][5][6]
Catherine Kamau | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 February 1987 Kenya |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Other names | Selina |
| Alma mater | MultiMedia University of Kenya |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Known for | Sue Na Jonnie (2017) Disconnect (2018) Plan B (2019) |
| Spouse |
Phillip Karanja (m. 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
She came into the limelight for her role in the Citizen TV show, Mother In-Law where she played Celina. She has also featured in other films such as Sue na Jonie, Nafsi, Plan B, and Disconnect.
Catherine attended Chogoria High School where she joined the drama club and became well known for her talent, before moving to Loreto Convent Msongari where she won the 'Miss Loreto' Award.
She has a Diploma in Communications, majoring in public relations from Kenya College of Communication and Technology which was upgraded to MultiMedia University of Kenya.
Kamau is the brand ambassador[7] for Harpic Kenya and the Nice and Lovely Petroleum Jelly.
She was married to Phil Karanja but are divorced as of 19 September 2023.
Career
editKamau played the role of Selina (or Celina) the wife of Charlie (Patrick Oketch) on the Citizen TV drama series Mother-in-Law[3][4][8] which began in 2006. She then left the show for the Swahili language TV series Sue Na Jonnie, in which she played the role of Sue.[9][10]
She won the Best Lead Actress in the TV Drama Series category in the Kalasha Awards 2017 and again received a nomination in 2018, for her role in "Sue Na Jonnie".[11][12] She was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress in a Film category of the Kenya Film Commission Kalasha Awards 2018 for her role in the film Disconnect.
She played the role of Joyce in the 2019 romantic comedy film, "Plan B", produced by Sarah Hassan and directed by the Nigerian film maker, Dolapo Adeleke (Lowladee).[13][14] For her role as Joyce, she was once again nominated for the Best Supporting Actress in Film category in the 9th edition of the Kenya Film Commission Kalasha Awards 2019.[15]
Catherine Kamau has also recently featured in two movies The Grand Little Lie (GLL) as part of the main cast. The movie premiered in October 2021.[16]
She is also a content creator and a YouTuber. On her YouTube channel, she speaks on fashion, style, acting, lifestyle and motherhood. She is passionate on the issue of teenage pregnancies. Having been a teen mother, and has a dubbed phrase 'Queens must wait', in which she encourages young girls to wait first before deciding to be mothers.[17]
Personal life
editKamau has been married to Phillip Karanja (alias Phil or Melvin), a film director and former Tahidi High actor from November 17, 2017, to September 2023 when they officially announced their separation and divorce plans[18]. Their honeymoon was celebrated in Seychelles.[2]
In an earlier relationship while at Kampala International University in Uganda, at the age of 19, she gave birth to her first son, Leon Karanja, in 2006[1] who Phillip adopted.[19] In September 2019, it was revealed by several news media that she and her husband were expecting their first child together.[20][5][21] The actress was said also to have hosted a baby shower in December of that year to celebrate the pregnancy which was predicted to be a baby girl.[22] They went on a babymoon in The Maldives. She shared how she almost gave up getting pregnant again.[23] She later revealed on 15 December 2019, that her husband's first child with her was a baby girl Njeri ("Baby K").[24][25][26]
Kate and Philip Karanja announced their divorce on 19 September through a joint statement posted on their respective Instagram accounts[18].
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Plan B | Joyce | Netflix film |
| 2018 | Disconnect | TK | Netflix film |
| 2017 - 2019[27] | Sue Na Jonnie | Sue | TV series |
| 2006 - date | Mother-in-Law | Selina (Celina) | TV series |
| 2021 | Nafsi | Shiko | Netflix film |
| 2021 | A Grand little lie | Film |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kalasha Awards | Sue Na Jonnie | Sue | Best Supporting Actress[28] |
| 2017 | Kalasha Awards | Sue Na Jonnie | Sue | Best Actress TV Drama[28] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Celina: No apologies for getting a child at a tender age". Nairobi News. February 3, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "Catherine Kamau (Celina) and Hubby Share Photos From Their Honeymoon". Naibuzz. November 21, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Mutsoli, Vivian. "Mother-in-Law: Synopsis, characters, and their real names". Tuko. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "Award winning actress CATHERINE KAMAU advises single mothers to accept and move on using her own experience". Daily Post. July 10, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "PHOTOS: Catherine Kamau, hubby Philip Karanja expecting first child together". The Standard. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Catherine Kamau (Kate Actress) teaches how to balance work and family". Kenyan Digest. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Size 8, DJ Mo and other Kenyan celebrities with ambassadorial jobs (Photos)". Pulselive Kenya. 2019-05-21. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
- ^ ""He has never been a drunk" Celina heaps praise on her television sweetheart as he turns a year older". Ghafla!. June 13, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Celina reveals why she left Tv show Mother-in-law". Ghafla!. February 26, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Sue Na Jonnie". IMDb. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ Njoroge, Mike (October 18, 2018). "Kalasha Awards 2018: Kenyan film submitted for Oscars bags 12 nominations". Business Today. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Selina, Plan B and more Kalasha Awards 2019 winners to stream on Showmax". Showmax. December 5, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Plan B". Paukwa. January 30, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Plan B". Nollywood Reinvented. February 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ Ambani, Sylvania (November 2, 2019). "Kalasha Awards deal with Star Times irks actress Catherine Kamau". Nairobi News. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ A Grand Little Lie (2021) ⭐ 8.0 | Drama. Retrieved 2024-08-24 – via m.imdb.com.
- ^ "Kate Actress - Celina - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ^ a b Salasya, Bill Cyril (2024-02-13). "Phil and Kate Actress relationship timeline and divorce". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ Simi, Jumoke (May 27, 2019). "Catherine Kamau Offers Solid Advice To Single Moms On Finding Love Again". Motherhood in-Style Magazine. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ Matiko, Thomas (September 24, 2019). "Catherine Kamau reveals pregnancy with hubby Philip Karanja". Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Baby onboard! Former Mother-in-Law actress Catherine Kamau and husband expecting their first child together". ghafla!. September 24, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ Ambani, Sylvania (December 4, 2019). "Kenya: Actress Cate Kamau Celebrates Second Pregnancy With Lavish Baby Shower". All Africa. Nairobi News (Nairobi). Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ "Actress Catherine Kamau reveals she almost gave up getting pregnant". E-News. October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ Wako, Amina (January 18, 2020). "Kate Actress reveals baby's birth date". Nairobi News. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ Anyango, Diana. "Catherine Kamau shares first glimpse of her newborn baby girl". The Standard. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ Muli, Davis. "Kate the Actress shows off daughter, Baby K, for first time". Standard Entertainment and Lifestyle. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ "Sue Na Jonnie (TV Series, 2017 –2019)". Filamu. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
- ^ a b "Catherine Kamau". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
External links
edit- Catherine Kamau Biography Archived 2020-10-21 at the Wayback Machine
- Catherine Kamau Awards
- Catherine Kamau at IMDb