COVID-19 loss of casting legend Moonyeenn Lee (1944-2020), daughter of Shirley Hepburn

by Nina Morris Lee, Johannesburg, South Africa

Introduction: Moonyeenn Lee (1944-2020), daughter of actress Shirley Hepburn, who became a casting powerhouse known for putting together actors in films such as BLOOD DIAMOND, the Oscar-nominated MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM, as well as HOTEL RWANDA, has died. Moonyeenn was nominated for two Emmy Awards for “The Looming Tower” and “Roots;” her legacy continues with director daughter Cindy Lee and her son David Lee. She succumbed to COVID-19 related symptoms on Saturday.

– Screenmancer Staff

Celebrating the Life of Moonyeenn Lee

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of the legendary South African agent and casting director, Moonyeenn Lee. She passed away on Saturday morning, 18th of July 2020 in Johannesburg. Her death was due to complications caused by the coronavirus.

Her 47 years in the film industry earned her a formidable reputation. In 2003 Moonyeenn was nominated to the National Executive Committee of the Independent Producer’s Organisation and to the Film Board of Create South Africa. In the same year, she formed Khulisa Productions to make South African films. The first film produced by Khulisa was Promised Land. Moonyeenn’s passion for South African stories and local talent was well known. Over the years, she would travel around the world introducing producers and directors to South African actors. She would always do everything in her power to convince them to rather cast local actors over foreign actors. Her dedication eventually paid off as many international productions trusted her to cast locally.

She was renowned as one of South Africa’s leading agents and represented some of South Africa’s best-known actors through her company, Moonyeenn Lee & Associates (MLA). She cared deeply for actors and was a fearless defender of their rights.

Work was central to her life. Her actors were her family. The directors and producers she worked with were all her friends. She was brutally honest, a bit too much for some, but she believed in saying things as they were. Her quick wit, her wicked sense of humour and deep understanding of her craft made her interesting company. Her family and friends will remember her for her generosity and kindness to those in need, for her fighting spirit as well as for her unwavering commitment to the local industry.

She received the Lionel Ngakane Lifetime Achievement Award from the South African Film & Television Awards in 2017. A highlight in her illustrious career was when she became the first South African member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which votes for the Oscars and the Television Academy, which votes for the Emmys.

She managed the casting of films such as The Bang Bang Club, Disgrace, the Oscar-winning Tsotsi, Fanie Fourie’s Lobola, the Oscar-nominated Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, Hotel Rwanda and Blood Diamond; the Oscar-shortlisted Black Panther and Life, Above All; the Golden Globe nominees Machine Gun Preacher and Mandela and De Klerk; and Emmy-winning series like Homeland, as well as nominees like The Prisoner and No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, among others. Moonyeenn was nominated for two Emmy Awards for The Looming Tower and Roots.

Moonyeenn helped shape the lives of many actors, directors and writers through her fierce honesty and passion. The South African film industry has lost an icon and a formidable champion of the arts. She will be sorely missed by us all.

– Nina Morris Lee

She is survived by her daughter, Cindy Lee, her son, David Lee and her pets, Hitchcock, Eva and Spice.

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