Wena Naudé

(1905-1978) Actress for stage and screen and company manager.

Biography

Born 31 December, 1905 in Volksrust, Transvaal, and baptised Agnes Alwena Naudé. She died in Pretoria on 6 September 1978.

One of the truly great Afrikaans actresses of stage and screen.

Her first appearance was as a servant girl in Huis Toe for Paul de Groot in 1925. In June 1926, when Hendrik Hanekom and Paul de Groot amalgamated, she became a member of the new Paul de Groot Toneelgeselskap. For them she did Oorskotjie (1926), In 1928 she was given a second company, with which she toured under the De Groot banner, playing . In 1928 the company split and she joined Hendrik Hanekom's Afrikaanse Toneelgeselskap, for whom she did Oorskotjie and the lead in Onskuldig Veroordeel (a role in which she was billed as "the Mary Pickford of South Africa") in 1928-29, Die Uur van Vergelding ("The Hour of Retribution" ostensibly by "Friedrich Gunter") in 1930. In 1930 she married her Willem van Zyl, and later the year they became Hendrik Hanekom's partners when the company was renamed the Hanekom-Van Zyl Geselskap. She did Wie is Wie (Who is Who by Will Evans) and Die Silwer Koning (The Silver King by H.A. Jones) for this company in 1931. She also played By die ou Meulstroom for André Huguenet's new company in 1938. . See *** by **. Involved in the professionalization of theatre. For example in 1936 she was on the first executive of the shortlived Toneelbond founded by the F.A.K. and an advisor to its Toneelburo (1937). *** NAUDÉ, Wena. Actress. She starred in an Afrikaans translation of John Van Druten’s I Remember Mama in 1954. It was directed by Taubie Kushlick and also starred Johann Nell and Mathilde Hanekom.

She received the "Erepenning vir Toneelkuns" from the Academy in 1954.

Tucker, 1997.

Helikon, 4(16), 1954.

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