David Isaacs

ISAACS, David. (19**-) Actor / Writer / Producer Djamaqua Productions.

Biography

He was born in Parkwood, Cape Town, into a family of musicians, and started playing piano at the age of four. His passion for music started at the age of seven when he sang for the St Georges’ Cathedral choir. His stage debut a little later was in the operetta Old King Cole in which he appeared alongside his older brother, Roger Isaacs. Still shy of the stage and being more on the quiet side, David’s two career choices was to be, either, a doctor or a classical pianist. The turning point, however, came after performing in High School production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht. David was bitten by the bug and encouraged by his Drama teacher/mentor. He then enrolled at UCT Drama Dept to take his discovered passion further.

Training

Graduated at UCT Drama School in 1995 with a Performer's Diploma in Speech and Drama.

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

David worked with Oscar Petersen and Heinrich Reisenhofer to develop Suip! Fruit of the Vein, which formed the basis for the professional production that, later, won extensive critical acclaim. After leaving University, where he did numerous drama school productions including Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Harold Pinter's The Caretaker and Reza de Wet's Diepe Grond. David was cast in his first professional production for the then CAPAB, Kinkels innie Kabel, a musical by André P. Brink. Thereafter, also for CAPAB, he played in Elizabeth by Dario Fo and Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. David's television career started with Skerpioen onder die Klip, a documentary by Idol Pictures about the history of the Afrikaans language in four parts, which he narrated. His first T.V. drama in 1996 was Hagenheim Streng Privaat for SABC, thereafter he was cast in Penguin Films' Fishy Feshuns a sit-com in which he played the character Dino. In 2000 he teamed up with Oscar Petersen & Heinrich Reisenhofer to create Joe Barber and later that same year, David starred in another sit-com, SOS for eTV, playing the character Colin Abrahams.

His work also includes feature films of which Cape of Goodhope is currently touring the world film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival and The Tribeca Film Festival (Robert De Niro's festival in New York).

Performed in Meet Joe Barber with Oscar Peterson and Heinrich Reisenhofer at Skokiaan Theatre Bar, Cape Town 1999.

Awards, etc

For this role as Dino in Fishy Feshuns he was given an Avanti nomination for best supporting actor in a comedy. In 2001 he won the Avanti Award for Best Actor in a TV role and in 2002 he received an FNB Vita theatre nomination for Best Comedy Actor.

Sources

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

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