Schalk Jacobsz

Schalk Jacobsz (1936-2016) Afrikaans actor and director.

Biography

He was born in Cape Town. Went to the University of the Free State to train as an architect, but drawn back into theatre in the late 1960’s. He was married to the actress Elma Potgieter. He passed away on 6 June 2016 due to a heart condition.

Youth

Training

Career

He made his debut in 1959 for Huguenet’s company. As a young man worked for the National Theatre Organisation, i.a. in Nie vir Geleerdes (N.P. van Wyk Louw) 1960, Die Vonkel in haar oë! - 'n Spel van my kontrei (Beukes, 1960). He later joined PACT.

In 1976 he also put in a tender for the old Newtown Market, but did not get the building as his tender for an Afrikaans theatre was seen as to limited. (The building went to The Company, and would become The Market Theatre.)

A strong (though controversial) Afrikaner nationalist, he struggled for to found a professional Afrikaans company in Johannesburg (Die Bywoners*?).

From 1980 he and his wife, Elma Potgieter, aimed at producing independent , indigenous works and so did a number of Afrikaans versions of Athol Fugard’s plays,

In the 1980s he became a supporter of and the very successful speech coach for the former politceman-playwright and right-wing politician Eugène Terre'Blanche, famous for his rousing and inflamatory oratorical gifts.

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

Perhaps one of his greatest roles was that of “Charley” in P.G. du Plessis’s powerful drama Die Nag van Legio (196*). According to the author the role of “Jakes” in Du Plessis’s 1971 Siener in die Suburbs was originally written specifically for Jacobsz, but that he was unavailable and that plum role went to Marius Weyers.

He starred in Leonard Schach’s production of Lang Dagreis na die Nag in 1970.

Did a number of Afrikaans versions of Athol Fugard’s plays, including Hallo en Koebaai (Athol Fugard's Hello and Goodbye, directed by Jan Engelen and also starring Elna Potgieter, Upstairs at the Market, 1981); and later Boesman en Lena. Other works include Die Eensame Vlug, Darling Blossom, etc.