Robert Jeremy Clayton Mansfield (August 15, 1963 - October 31, 2022), most famously known as Jeremy Mansfield, was a prominent South African radio and television personality. Known for his engaging personality and distinctive voice, Jeremy left an indelible mark on the South African media landscape.
He was famous for his fun personality and his voice. Jeremy worked on many radio stations and hosted several TV shows. He was also a talented voice actor.
South Africa
Early Life and Education
Mansfield was born in Grahamstown, South Africa. He attended Kingswood College, a well-known school in the area. After completing his schooling, he remained in Grahamstown to pursue higher education at Rhodes University.
Radio Career
Jeremy Mansfield had a long and successful career in media. He was known for his work on both radio and television. Jeremy started his radio journey in 1985. He was still a student at the time. His first job was at Capital Radio 604 in Durban.
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In the same year, he was awarded the AA Vita Award as The Most Promising Young South African Actor. In 1990, Mansfield left Capital Radio (then broadcasting from Johannesburg).
He moved to Johannesburg. He joined Super Sport on M-Net. He also started doing sports reports for the John Berks show. Jeremy's popularity grew quickly.
In 1993, he became a regular host. He presented 702's Saturday Afternoon program. In 1997, Mansfield moved to 702 Talk Radio's sister station 94.7 Highveld Stereo where he created and hosted the hugely popular weekday breakfast show, The Rude Awakening which at its peak was the most commercially successful show in southern Africa with over 1.5 million listeners.
In June 2010, Mansfield announced he would be leaving the show. Jeremy Mansfield returned to radio in November 2018 as the host of the breakfast show, "Mansfield in the Morning", on community radio station, Hot 91.9fm.
Jeremy Mansfield from - Hot 91.9FM Radio
In 2019, his show won several awards. It won Best Breakfast Show and Best Content Production. Jeremy also won Best Breakfast Show Presenter. These awards were in the Community Radio category.
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Television Career
In the mid-1990s, Mansfield started appearing as a features contributor and guest presenter on South African Pay television channels M-Net for Front Row and SuperSport.
In 1998 he left the channel and started presenting A Word or 2 on SABC 2. In 2005, Jeremy co-presented a comedy show called Laugh Out Loud on M-Net. In 2010, Jeremy even voiced a character. He was the voice of Lifer in Disney's Toy Story 3. From 2010, Jeremy hosted his own finance show. It was a weekly show called Mansfield's Moneysense. You could watch it on CNBC Africa.
Writing and Music
Jeremy Mansfield was a talented writer and musician. He released five music CDs. These CDs featured characters he created on his radio shows. They also had funny stories and songs. Many of the songs he wrote himself.
Jeremy wrote several joke books. His book Vrot Jokes (ISBN: 978-1-86872-335-5) was a huge bestseller in South Africa. He also wrote award-winning cookbooks. With his wife, Jacqui, wrote the multi award-winning contemporary cookbook titled Zhoozsh! (ISBN 978-1-77007-785-0) in February 2009. It won over seven awards including Best Cook Book in South Africa and Third Best Cook Book in the World at the Gourmand Awards. Their second cookbook, Zhoozsh! Faking It (ISBN 9781770078659) is also an award-winner.
Charity Work
Jeremy Mansfield was also well-known for his charity work. The Christmas Wish: Jeremy started an annual charity drive. It helped people across South Africa. It focused mainly on Johannesburg. The charity helped pay school fees. It also covered financial expenses and hospital bills. It even supplied homes. The Christmas Wish was broadcast live on The Rude Awakening.
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Hear for Life Trust: This trust was created from the Christmas Wish. It helped people get Cochlear implants. These are special devices that help people hear. He was a patron for The Sunflower Fund. This means he supported them. Jeremy was an Honorary Member of the NSPCA. Former South African president Nelson Mandela thanked Jeremy personally. This was for the charity work he had done.
Health and Passing
In 2009, he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and received six months of medical treatment. Mansfield was diagnosed with liver cancer in January 2022. Jeremy Mansfield passed away on October 31, 2022.
Awards and Recognition
Jeremy Mansfield received numerous awards throughout his career, showcasing his talent and popularity.
- 1985: AA Vita Award as The Most Promising Young South African Actor.
- 1996-2010: Best Radio Personality of the year.
- 1996-2010: Best Radio Show.
- 2008: His cookbook Zhoozsh! won three awards, including Best Cook Book in South Africa and Third Best Cook Book in the World at the Gourmand Awards.
- 2019 Liberty Radio Awards: He won Best Breakfast Show Presenter.
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