Tine Balder

Tine Balder (1924-). Actress and teacher.

Biography
Born Clementine Cobbaut in Antwerp, Belgium, she became a well known Flemish and South African actress under her stage name of Tine Balder. She married Fred Engelen in 1944. The couple had three children, Bie, Jan, Katrijn. (See Jan Engelen)

Training
She studied at De Stedelijke Normaalschool in Antwerp and then did drama at Het Hooger Instituut voor Toneel en Regie.

Career
Taking the stage name of Tine Balder, she initially worked for the Jeugdtheater ("Youth theatre") under the direction of Fred Engelen.

From 1945 tot 1961 she was attached to the Koninklijke Nederlandse Schouwburg (the K.N.S.), as well as doing some TV and film work (e.g. Meeuwen sterven in de haven, 1955). With the K.N.S. she undertook three tours of the Belgian Congo and South Africa (1950, 1953 en 1956) and in 1959 she came to South Africa again to play the lead in Johanna, die Soldaat van God (Saint Joan by G.B. Shaw) for NTO and the University of Stellenbosch.

In 1961 her husband accepted a professorship at the University of Stellenbosch and they settled in South Africa. When her husband died suddenly in 1967, she remained in Stellenbosch for a while, but in 1973 returned to Antwerp to continue her career in Belgium.

Back in Belgium, she worked for the K.N.S. once more, now under the direction of Domien De Gruyter. She did film television,radio and film work, for instance in Maria Speermalie (1979), Een vrouw tussen hond en wolf (1979), Springen (1985), Brylcream Boulevard (1995). Television appearances in Candida (1973), Rubens, schilder en diplomaat (1977), Alfa Papa Tango, Recht op Recht and Flikken (the episode called Dikke vrienden of 2000).

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
Settled in Stellenbosch, Balder taught acting, puppetry and make-up, also helping out as costumier and wardrobe mistress and actress in the new Drama Department at the University of Stellenbosch, as well as acting for the National Theatre Organisation (NTO),  Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB) and later the Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal (PACT), performing both in English and in Afrikaans. On occasion she also did radio work for the SABC in Cape Town.

Stage roles:

She played the lead in many Afrikaans language productions, including Johanna, die Soldaat van God ( Saint Joan, G.B. Shaw, 1959), Elektra (Sophocles, 1966 - Gallery Club Trophy for the Best Actress ), Macbeth (University of Stellenbosch, 1967), Yerma (Lorca, 1967), Antigone (Sophocles), Die Fees van die Gekroonde Skoen (M. de Swaen), Lokval! (R. Thomas), Rashomon, Maria Stuart (Schiller), Don Carlos (Schiller), Lang Dagreis na die Nag (O'Neill), Siener in die Suburbs (P.G. du Plessis, 1971), Christine (Bartho Smit, 1973), Iemand Om voor Nag Te Sê (Chris Barnard,  1973).

She also did a few plays in English, including Mary of Nijmeghem, Anna Christie (O'Neill), The Rivals (Sheridan, 1967).

Awards, etc
Won best actress awards for her roles in Elektra. Christine and Iemand Om voor Nag Te Sê.

Return to
Return to ESAT Personalities B

Return to South African Theatre Personalities

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page