Frances Fuchs

Frances Fuchs (b. Smithfield, Orange Free State, 29/07/1919 – d. Strand, Western Cape, 14/07/2007) was an actress. Also credited as Francis Fuchs.

Biography

Frances Holland was born in 1919 to Gerald Southern-Holland and his wife, Francina Swanepoel. In 1938, at the age of 19, she married Douglas Fuchs, who was to become Director General of the SABC. At the time she was on the staff of the SABC in Pretoria. In 1946 she acted in the play Die Peswolk, presented by Die Maskers at the Library Theatre in Johannesburg and that same year she appeared in the film version of Fritz Steyn’s play Die Wildsboudjie, directed by Arthur Bennett and Louis Knobel.

In 1952 there was a national competition to select the actress who was to play Maria van Riebeeck opposite the great André Huguenet as Jan van Riebeeck at the festival celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Dutch landing in Table Bay. Under her maiden name of Frances Holland she won the part, though it probably didn’t do any harm that at the time her husband, then Regional Director of the SABC in Natal, was the Chairman of the Durban Van Riebeeck Festival Committee. Her acting appearances were infrequent, but she played in three more films: Die Tweede Slaapkamer (Gordon Vorster/1961), Debbie (Elmo de Witt/1965) and Boemerang 11:15 (Ivan Hall/1972).