Rufus Swart

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There are TWO theatre and film personalities with South African links bearing this name, though information on their film careers are often conflated it seems in some sources:

Rufus Swart (1959-1994), film actor

Biography

According to a statement in IMDb and TVSA, repeated in several other sources, he was born in South Africa in 1959 and died in a car accident in Hawaii on February 17, 1994 in Hawaii, USA.

Career

He has had roles a number of films, including in Space Mutiny (1988, as "Steve Codell"), Captive Rage (1988, as "Eddie"); River of Death (1989, as "Pare"), Purgatory (1989), The Fall of the House of Usher (1990), Massage in a Bottle (1993, as "Hollister"), Dust Devil (1993, as "Mark Robinson"), Cyborg Cop (1993, as "Cyborg").


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

Sources

TVSA https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=17885.

https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba87d7433

https://www.themoviedb.org/person/236336-rufus-swart

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

Rufus Swart (1960-). South African actor, director, playwright and teacher.

Biography

Born in November 1960 in South Africa, he studied drama at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, (1981 – 82), completing a BA Dramatic Art there. He also began working as a professional actor, director and writer in South African entertainment industry (1981 – 1992), including a year with the PACT company in 1984. In this period he occasionally took breaks for further training in theatre and performance with organizations and individuals abroad, including two years Meisner training at Joanne Baron Studio in Los Angeles (1989 – 1990), workshops on Augusto Boal's approach in England (1999).

He relocated to the UK in 1992 and between 1992 – 2004 he held various managerial positions in the IT industry abroad and also founded a junior acting company HYP (for 16 – 30 year olds) in West Sussex, England, with council funding. They offered weekly workshops in movement, scene study, voice and technique (based on the Meisner approach). He also attended the Herbert Bergof Studio in New York on two occasions (1995 and 1997),

In 2003 he attended Griffith University, Australia, as part of an MA Drama (Coursework), indertaking literary research into actor training - a course for which he was awarded the Griffith Award for Academic Excellence. In 2005-2008 he then

In 2005 he registered for an MA Drama (Practice as Research) at the University of Kent, England, which he completed (cum laude) in 2008. While there he also acted as Senior Resident/Warden, looking after undergraduate and post graduate needs. In this period he took various additional practical workshops on aspects of theatre, inter alia participating in "Tracing Roads Across", a project by the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards and doing workshops on textual analysis with Patrice Pavis.

In 2009 he registered for doctoral study at Stellenbosch University, completing the study in 2014 with thesis called Towards An Integrated Theory of Actor Training : Conjunctio Oppositorum and The Importance of Dual Consciousness. While studying he also taught acting classes. Subsequently appointed a senior lecturer in the department.

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

Rufus performed in ten student productions before turning professional.

He also performed in a number of workshop productions based on high school set works whilst a repertory player with the Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal (PACT) in ’84, including Macbeth. He acted in Superheroes at the Market Theatre in the early 1980s and as “Maxime” in Hotel Paradiso (PACT 1984), in William M. Hoffman’s As Is which was directed by Janice Honeyman in 1986, Carvings of Conflict (for CAPAB at the 1987 Grahamstown Festival) and in Corpse! 1987.

Film work included The Shadowed Mind (wrote screenplay, played "Paul", 1988);

He directed and starred in Softer than Rock, 1990.

He wrote the play Let the Spear Fit the Wound and is a co-writer of 'n Skewe Sirkel.

Rufus directed a student production of Roep van die Naguiltjie in 2010.

On television he is best known for his starring role as "Dekker Hattingh" in the TV1 drama series Sonkring, from 1991-1993. Other television series he has acted in include Die Rooi Komplot, Skoolplaas Stories, Ouens Soos Ons, Slimjanne, and Tropical Heat.

In later years he has guest starred in numerous television series including the role of Yster in the kykNET drama series Vloeksteen]], appearing in Season 1, Episode 2, which aired on 24 April, 2012.

The following year he guest starred in the kykNET crime drama anthology series Die Boland Moorde, playing the role of "Pierre" in Season 1, Episode 4 (which aired on 23 April, 2013).

Rufus next guest starred as Louis Saunders in the kykNET drama series Die Byl, appearing in Season 1, Episode 5 (which aired on 9 August, 2016).

Sources

CV of Rufus Swart (student file, University of Stellenbosch)

Tucker, 1997. 451.

TVSA https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=17885.

Go to South African Theatre/Bibliography

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