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Trevor Noah: From Soweto to US TV stardom

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Trevor Noah (AFP)
Trevor Noah (AFP)

Johannesburg - The child of a prohibited relationship between a black woman and a white Swiss father in apartheid South Africa, Trevor Noah has travelled a long way in a short time to take over one of the biggest shows in US television.

With his razor-sharp wit that transcends South Africa's many social and racial divides, Noah, 31, rose to prominence by tackling stereotypes and leaving his audiences laughing and squirming in their seats.

During his regular sold-out shows, he often relates stories of his upbringing in Soweto as a mixed-race boy among black children in the tough township where both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu once lived.

His ability to switch between several ethnic languages during his stand-up routine quickly turned him into a much-loved household name in South Africa, where his surprise new job was welcomed as a major national triumph.

Before bursting into the country's small comedy scene, Noah dabbled in acting and radio before starting his comedy career only as recently as 2007.

Noah released his first DVD, The Daywalker, in 2009 which became the country's biggest selling comedy video, and he began hosting his popular comedy television talk show, Tonight with Trevor Noah, in 2010.

President Jacob Zuma, a polygamist with over 20 children, has on many occasions been the butt of his jokes, often via a brilliant parody of the president's mangled manner of speech.

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