Charlbi Dean, the South African model and actor who stars in the Palme d’Or-winning Triangle of Sadness and recurred on the CW’s Black Lightning, died Monday in New York City of an unexpected sudden illness. She was 32.
Deadline has confirmed her passing.
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Until her co-starring role opposite Harris Dickinson and Woody Harrelson in the celebrated Ruben Östlund film, Dean was best known for playing Syonide, a recurring character she played for two seasons on The CW’s DC Comics-based series Black Lightning.
Other credits include the films Spud (2010), Death Race 3: Inferno (2013), Blood in the Water (2016), Don’t Sleep (2017) and Porthole (2018).
Triangle of Sadness is an official selection of the 2022 Toronto Film Festival and has been selected for the 2022 New York Film Festival. It’s set for an Oct. 7 theatrical release in the U.S.
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In the film, Dean plays model Yaya, one of the guests invited aboard a superyacht that becomes the setting for chaotic developments.
Dean signed with UTA last January and was also repped by Silver Lining Entertainment.
Born on February 5, 1990 in Cape Town, Dean got her start in the 2010 South African boarding-school comedy Spud, starring John Cleese and Troye Sivan from writer-director Donovan Marsh. She reprised her role for the 2013 sequel and went on to appear in the 2010s films Blood in the Water, Don’t Sleep, An Interview with God and Porthole.
After guesting on a 2017 episode of CBS’ Sherlock Holmes drama Elementary, she was cast in the CW’s Black Lightning as Syonide, an orphan-turned-assassin who was trained by Tobias Whale (Marvin “Krondon” Jones III). Dean appeared in nine episodes of the series’ first two seasons, form the 2018 pilot to the first episodes of Season 2.
As a mode, she covered the South African editions of GQ and Elle in December 2008 and July 2010, respectively.
Additional information of her death and survivors was not immediately available.
Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.