From your fave girlfriend to fave aunty - Thembi Mtshali stills serves FIRE!

When we talk about legendary actors... we are talking about the likes of Thembi Mtshali whose track record in the industry speaks for itself. But even after being in the industry for over 30 years Thembi is still bringing the fire! 

TshisaLIVE recently caught up with the 68-year-old actress, who reflected on a thespian life well-lived, right before she takes on her latest role.

The actress bagged a lead role on new drama Imbewu: The Seed as Mandlovu, a character she said "challenged her" more than most because Mandlovu was such a ruthless woman.

In the spirit of celebrating living legends, TshisaLIVE travelled with Thembi down memory lane, where she reflected on some of her most iconic characters.

"I used to be the girlfriend on TV," she said in between giggles.

"Now I am the grandmother, with a lot of wisdom collected in between. I'm lucky that my calling doesn't have an expiry date and I can still tell stories, because I love it."

The actress laughed when we reminded her that she'd been in the industry for over three decades. She said looking back, she doesn't have a particular character she loved more than the others.

However, she admitted that some of her characters have been more iconic than others.

Thembi added that she was grateful different generations identified with different eras of her acting.

The 30-year-old will know: Thoko from 'Sgudi 'Snaysi

Thembi played an aspiring actress Thoko on the CCV sitcom 'Sgudi 'Snaysi, from 1986-1992. The charismatic character carried bucketloads of ambition and a charm many could not resist.

"My days as Thoko, were some of my best. I worked with giants of the acting industry, you know the likes of Joe (Mafela) and learnt so many things. I also made friends and formed part of a family from the industry I will forever cherish."

The born-frees will know: Hazel Dube from Stokvel

Hazel Dube was the popular singer turned shebeen queen in the SABC2 sitcom Stokvel. She was the blunt, take no-nonsense woman who made people tune in every Sunday.

Thembi said people still called her Hazel, she reckoned it was because more people had television sets during her Stokvel days.

"Hazel, was still in a sitcom and even though I had done a lot of things in between from my S'dumo days, I enjoyed the challenge. The cast was also amazing."

The new millennium aka Ma2000 will know: Aunt Thulile on The Queen

For those who never got a chance to see Thembi's greatness as Thoko or as Hazel (or the many other characters she's played), Thembi also plays the conservative aunt on Mzansi Magic's telenovela The Queen.

Even though Aunt Thulisile is not a lead role, she always brings the spice whenever she shows up.