Russel Savadier

Russel Savadier (19*-). Actor and playwright.

Training

He graduated from UCT in 1979.

Career

During his student years he worked at The Space and also took part in touring productions. He was contracted to CAPAB for five years after graduating.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

As writer he was a co-creator, (with Geraldine Aron, Peter Snyders and others) of The Final Sting of the Dying Wasp (Performed at The Space, 197*, directed by Mavis Taylor).

As actor he starred in The Government Inspector, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth (CAPAB 1981), The Comedy of Errors for PACT, William M. Hoffman’s As Is which was directed by Janice Honeyman in 1986, The Boys Next Door (Baxter Theatre, 1986), Simon Gray’s The Common Pursuit directed by Ken Leach at the Alhambra Theatre in 1987, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, 1988, Lanford Wilson’s Burn This at Upstairs at the Market in 1989 and in Never the Sinner which opened at the Leonard Rayne Theatre on 28 September 1991, Night Sky (1992),

Other productions include In Two Minds (The Space 1979), Kaspar (CAPAB 1981), the double bill Lone Star and Pvt. Wars (People's Space 1982), On the Razzle (CAPAB 1983), Bremen Coffee (CAPAB 1985), Dangerous Obsession (1990), Popcorn (1999), Crashing the Night (Aardklop 2000), The Tale of the Allergist's Wife (as Ira, 2002), played Dudley Moore in Pieter Toerien's production of Good Evening in 2007.

He directed the CAPAB production of The Woods in 1985.

Ruusel went on to become a well known television and film comedian, i.a. in the long running SABC sit. com. Fishy Fêshuns, He played in Heroes, Thicker than Water, People Like Us, John Ross Story, The Big Time. He had taken part in feature films like Steel Dawn with Patrick Swayze, Journey, Inside Out and Options.

He co-operated with Neal Sundstrom in writing the screenplay for the film Finding Lenny.

Awards, etc

He was nominated for a Fleur du Cap Award and won a Vita Award (National) for his role as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, 1991.

Sources

Tucker, 1997.

Lone Star and Pvt. Wars theatre programme, 1982.

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour theatre programme.

Photograph (Vita Award) held by NELM: Photograph collection [Collection: FNB VITA]: 2005. 74. 10. 5. 2.

The Star, 17 March 1999.

Cape Times, 12 September 2007.

IMDb [1].

TVSA [2].

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