Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was born in 1918 in South Africa and spent 27 years in prison from 1962 to 1990 for fighting against apartheid and racial segregation. Mandela is celebrated for his leadership in dismantling apartheid and establishing a multi-racial democracy in South Africa. He received numerous honors for his work, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.