Lorcia Cooper

Lorcia Emmarslade Cooper-Khumalo (née Cooper, born 9 November 1978) is a South African actress and dancer. She is best known for her roles in the popular television serials Backstage, Scandal!, Lockdown (2017-2020) and Red Ink, and in films Hey Boy (2003) and Zulu Wedding (2017).

Personal life She was born on 9 November 1978 in Cape Town, South Africa. She is married to Mandla Khumalo. The couple has one daughter and one son.

In 2019, she suffered from swollen lymph nodes in her thyroid and had to take carbon dioxide injections to reduce the puffiness around her eyes.

Career When she was four years old, her parents enrolled her in a dancing class. At the age of five, she won her first competition in a provincial championships for both Ballroom and Latin American dances. Aged eight, she attended the Academy of Dance and studied dancing under choreographer Debbie Turner, who became her mentor. Later she joined the North West Arts Council's Dance Academy. When she was 19 years old, she won the FNB Vita Best Female Dancer Award.

She later joined SABC2 channel as a host of Travel Xplorer. During this period, she took on the lead role of Cindi in the film Hey Boy (2003) directed by Andre Odendaal.

In 2008, she was appointed as one of the judges in the dancing competition, Dans! Dans! Dans! aired on ykNET. That same year, she became the choreographer and judge of the reality competition, High School Musical: Spotlight South Africa aired on M-Net.

In 2024, Kumalo appeared in the role of Detective Morapadi in the Showmax crime series Red Ink, an adaption of Angela Makholwa's novel of the same name.

In December 2024, Kumalo will appear in Neelan & Kevin, a South African comedy action film.

Television roles

Actress 2000 - 2007— Backstage 2009-13 — Scandal as Erin 2017-20 — Lockdown as Tyson 2020 — Housekeepers as Mkhonto 2020 — Still Breathing as Lucille 2021-23 —The Estate as Jo Mohammed 2023 — Nikiwe as Mimmimi Cooper 2024 — Red Ink as

Host/Presenter/Guest Karektas as a celebrity guest judge Change Down as a celebrity guest judge Eish! Saan as a celebrity prankster It's OK We're Family as herself The Bantu Hour as a guest The Comedy Central Roast as herself Host of Season 2 of Showville Presenter of Seasons 11 and 13 of The South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA)

Film roles 2003 — Hey Boy as Cindi 2017 — Zulu Wedding as Marang 2020 — New Material as Laylah (sequel to the 2012 Material) 2022 — Nandi as Jayan 2024 — Neelan & Kevin as Mercia Holby