Shaleen Surtie-Richards (7 May 1955[1] – 7 June 2021[2][3]) was a South African television, stage, and film actress, perhaps best known for her starring roles in the 1988 film Fiela se Kind and the long-running series Egoli: Place of Gold. She performed in both Afrikaans and English.
Shaleen Surtie-Richards | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 May 1955 |
| Died | 7 June 2021 (aged 66) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1984–2021 |
| Known for |
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Early life and career
editSurtie-Richards was born in Upington, Cape Province, Union of South Africa, on 7 May 1955 and attended school both there and in Cape Town. Her father was a school principal, and her mother was a teacher.[4] Despite growing up during the Apartheid era, she has stated that her background was not a disadvantaged one.[5] As a child, when a local music school would not admit her because of her colour, her father bought her a piano and hired a teacher.[5] She also took ballet and tennis classes.[5]
Qualifying as a kindergarten teacher, Surtie-Richards taught in Upington and Cape Town between 1974 and 1984.[1] She took many roles in several amateur stage productions between 1974 and 1981 and was also active in productions of the South African Department of Education's Theatre-in-Education from 1982 to 1984.[1] She launched her professional acting career in 1984.[5]
Television career
editSurtie-Richards had a starring role in Egoli: Place of Gold. She appeared in most of the show's 18-year run as Ester (Nenna) Willemse.[1]
She also appeared in a number of other South African television programmes, including the soap opera's 7de Laan, Villa Rosa, and Generations.[1] In 2000, she hosted her own talk show, Shaleen, on South Africa's M-Net channel.[6]
Surtie-Richards was also a judge on the reality competition television series Supersterre from 2006 to 2010.[1]
In 2013, she appeared as one of the "roasters" in The Comedy Central Roast of Steve Hofmeyr, the inaugural roast conducted by the Comedy Central South Africa channel, which was hosted by Trevor Noah.[7]
Film career
editSurtie-Richards played starring or supporting roles in the following films:[8]
- Fiela se Kind (1988)
- Mama Jack (2005)
- Egoli: Afrikaners Is Plesierig (2010)
- Knysna (2014)
- Treurgrond (2015)
- Twee Grade van Moord (2016)
- Vaselinetjie (2017)
- Slay (2021)
Theatre career
editSurtie-Richards appeared on stage throughout South Africa and in London.[9][10] She also appeared at major theatre and arts festivals in South Africa and abroad, including the Aardklop Festival,[11] the Klein Karoo Festival,[12] the Grahamstown Festival,[1] Suidoosterfees,[13] and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[14]
She appeared on stage in works by Shakespeare,[15] Willy Russell,[16] Athol Fugard,[4] and Pieter-Dirk Uys.[9]
Awards
editDuring her career, Surtie-Richards won more than 40 awards.[5]
Surtie-Richards won the Best Actress Award at the 1985 Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards for her role as Hester in Athol Fugard's Hallo en Koebaai (Hello and Goodbye).[4] In 2009, she won another Fleur du Cap Award for her 2008 performance in Shirley Valentine.[5] In 2008, for her performance in Shirley Valentine, she also won the Herrie Prize for most popular production at the Klein Karoo Arts Festival.[12]
At the 2014 Royalty Soapie Awards, Surtie-Richards received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her 30-year contribution to television and her roles on series such as Egoli: Place of Gold, Generations, and 7de Laan.[17] Surtie-Richards was also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress for her role in Villa Rosa at the 2014 awards.[18]
Surtie-Richards was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Naledi Theatre Awards.[19]
Death
editSurtie-Richards died on 7 June 2021, aged 66. She died during the night in her sleep and had been suffering from multiple health issues. Her family have denied rumours that her death was a result of suicide.[20]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Shaleen Surtie-Richards". TVSA: Television South Africa. TVSA. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ Naidoo, Deepika; Thakurdin, Karishma (7 June 2021). "Shaleen Surtie-Richards has died". Sowetan Live.
- ^ "Actress Shaleen Surtie-Richards dies". ENCA. Johannesburb. 7 June 2021.
- ^ a b c De Villiers, Basheerah (12 December 2014). "'What you see is what you get; I cannot be pretentious,' says Shaleen Surtie-Richards". The South African. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Cohen, Robyn (14 March 2010). "Veteran of the Fleur du Caps; Shaleen Surtie-Richards is set to be a highlight of the awards at which she made history 26 years ago". Argus Weekend (South Africa).
- ^ Chanetsa, Benhilda (10 September 2000). "African touch on M-Net". Africa News Service.
- ^ "Steve Hofmeyr Roast a ratings hit". Channel24. 24.com. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ "Shaleen Surtie-Richards". IMDb: Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ a b Paton, Maureen (2 November 1989). "Play Reviews: Just Like Home". The Stage and Television Today (5664): 15.
- ^ "Funny festival to light up London on the Boards". Weekend Argus (South Africa). 10 May 2014.
- ^ "Drama, farce centre stage at fest". The Pretoria News. 4 August 2015.
- ^ a b Cavernelis, Dennis (22 April 2008). "Bye's Yellowman wins best KKNK production". Cape Times. Independent Online (South Africa).
- ^ "Diverse Drama at Suidoosterfees". The Argus (Cape Town). Independent Online (South Africa). 16 April 2016.
- ^ Doudai, Naomi (31 August 1989). "Edinburgh Takes the Stage". Jerusalem Post.
- ^ "Maynardville celebrates six decades with 'Othello' staging". The Argus (Cape Town). Independent Online (South Africa). 26 January 2016.
- ^ "Cooking up a potent Cape curry". The Argus (Cape Town). Independent Online (South Africa). 28 January 2012.
- ^ "Isibaya wins big at Royalty Soapie Awards". Channel24. 24.com. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ "Nominees announced for the Royalty Soapie Awards". Channel24. 24.com. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ "Marikana the Musical triumphs with six Naledi Theatre Awards". News24. 24.com. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ Head, Tom (7 June 2021). "Shaleen Surtie-Richards: Family address 'suicide rumours'". TheSouthAfrican.com. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
