Annelisa Weiland

Annelisa Weiland (1949-) is a stage, film and television actress.

Her name is sometimes incorrectly given as Annelise Weiland

Biography

Born Annelisa Dora Deborah Weiland in Sea Point, Cape Town, on 15 February 1949, she is the daughter of Ewald Paul Weiland and his wife Stienie Hoogenhout Goosen. Her father came from Bielefeld in Germany at the age of 22 to help install textile machinery, but after initially returning to Germany, he soon came back to South Africa to settle.

Annelisa grew up in Durbanville and in 1966 she matriculated from the Durbanville Hoërskool, where she was head girl and attended drama classes by Babs Laker. She went to the University of Cape Town to study drama, where Janice Honeyman, Paul Slabolepszy, Bill Flynn and Grethe Fox were contemporaries and Robert Mohr was her lecturer.

In 1969 she was cast by Mavis Taylor in the role of the daughter in Strindberg’s The Father. She played in Dieter Reible’s version of Titus Andronicus in 1970 and was Ophelia in Robert Mohr’s production of Hamlet, both for CAPAB.

In 1973 she started acting for PACT and the following year she became a permanent member of its Afrikaans company, until early 1977, when she became a freelance actress.

A versatile performer, she featured in everything from Shakespeare to risqué extravaganzas and from 1976 onwards also turned to television, acting in many plays and numerous series. Many of them were directed by her friend Stephan Bouwer and by Ken Leach, with whom she had a seven-year relationship. In 2002 she made her first appearance in Danie Odendaal’s long-running soap opera 7de Laan as Hilda de Kock, a role with which she was identified for 17 years. In the series she was later ostensibly married to Septimus “Oubaas” van Zyl (Pierre van Pletzen), but when Oubaas was written out of the series the excuse was he had discovered that their marriage was not legal. In addition she did occasional radio work and was the voice of Heidi in the Afrikaans version of the Japanese animated television series.

Credits

Theatre

1969 – Die Drie Van Der Walts (Director: Francois Swart for PACT), 1969 – The Father (Director: Mavis Taylor for CAPAB), 1970 – Titus Andronicus (Director: Dieter Reible for CAPAB), 1973 – Hamlet (Director: Robert Mohr for CAPAB), 1973 – Toiings (Director: Francois Swart for PACT), 1973 – Tartuffe (Director: Francois Swart for PACT), 1974 – Plaston: DNS-Kind (Producer: Francois Swart for PACT), 1974 – Troilus and Cressida (Director: John Hussey for PACT), 1974 – Hay Fever (Director: John Hussey for PACT), 1974 – Elizabeth I (Producer: Robert Mohr for PACT), 1975 – The Crucible (Producer: Barney Simon for PACT), 1975 – The Tempest (Producer: Robert Mohr for PACT), 1975 – The Story of an African Farm (Producer: Ken Leach for PACT), 1976 – Falstaff (Producer: Ken Leach for PACT), 1976 – Our Town (Producer: John Hussey for PACT), 1976 – A Flea in her Ear (Producer: Ken Leach for PACT), 1976 – The Rape of the Belt (Producer: Francois Swart for PACT), 1977 – Fangs (Producer: Ken Leach for PACT), 1978 – A Feydeau Suite (Director: Bill Flynn for PACT), 1981 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Producer: Robert Mohr for PACT), 1982 – Bedroom Farce (Producer: Ken Leach), 1982 – Knockers! (Producer: Nigel Vermaas), 1983 – Amdram Festival Overflow Show (Producer: Nigel Vermaas), 1983 – Forbidden Fruits (Producer: Janice Honeyman), 1984 – Skelmpie Kom Vanaand (Producer: Pieter Fourie for CAPAB), 1984 – True Confusions (Producer: Janice Honeyman), 1984 – Tons of Money (Producer: Michael McCabe), 1985 – En die Son Skyn in Suid-Afrika (Directors: Dawie Malan & Louis van Niekerk), 1992 – Mirakel (Producer: Stephan Bouwer), 1993 – When the Cat’s Away (Producer: Rex Garner for Pieter Toerien), 1994 – Is the Mouse Boss? (Alhambra Theatre), 1997 – Shear Madness (Directors: Malcolm Terrey & Rex Garner), 1998 – Absurd Person Singular (Producer: Rex Garner for Pieter Toerien), 1999 – Inkleurboek vir Twee (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 2001 – On the Lake (Director: Reza de Wet for First Physical Theatre Company), 2007 – Sophia Mentz Beredder Haar Boedel (Director: Sandra Prinsloo), 2011 – The Slap Koejawel (Director: Robert Whitehead), 2014 – 4000 myl (Director: Hennie van Greunen), 2015 – Ma! (Director: Gert van Niekerk).

Film

1973 – Die Sonvreter (Director: Ian Strauss), 1974 – Babbelkous (Director: Koos Roets), 1976 – Daar Kom Tant Alie (Director: Koos Roets), 1979 – Plekkie in die Son (Director: William C. Faure), 1979 – 40 days (Director: Franz Marx), 1979 – Skelms (Director: Jan Scholtz), 1983 – Funny People II (uncredited) (Director: Jamie Uys), 1985 – Boetie op Manoeuvres (Director: Regardt van den Bergh), 2017 – Meerkat Maantuig (Director: Hanneke Schutte), 2018 – Susters (Director: Corne van Rooyen).

Television

1976 – Liesbeth Slaap Uit (TV movie) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1976 – Dokter, Dokter (TV series) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1976 – Dis Koud Hier (TV movie) (Director: John de Kock), 1978 – Heidi (TV animated series) (voice only). 1978 – Die Koster (TV play) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1978 – Drama Drama (TV series - episode: ‘n Ster Word Gebore) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1979 – 99 Caroline Street (TV series) (Producer: Ken Leach), 1980 – Meulenhof se Mense (TV mini-series) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1980 – The Memorandum (TV movie) (Director: Ken Leach), 1981 – Ntunzini-Spa (TV series) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1981 – Drome van Gruis (TV series) (Director: George Canes), 1981 – Die Avonture van Joachim Verwey (TV series) (Director: Katinka Heyns), 1982 – Die Dame met die Kamelias (TV play) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1982 – Sterretjie (TV series) (Director: Jan Scholtz), 1983 – Die Kersietuin (TV play) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1983 – Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (TV play) (Director: Ken Leach), 1983 – Wilna Varieté (TV variety show) (Episode 2) (Producer: Merwede van der Merwe), 1984 – Juffrou Julia (TV play) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1984 – Drie Susters (TV play) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1985 – Koöperasie Stories (TV series - episode: Hansie se Wiel) (Director: Koos Roets), 1985 – Señor Smith (TV series) (Director: Carl Fischer), 1986 – Doffel Babbel en Bekkie (TV children’s series) (voice only) (Director: Roelna Louw), 1987 – Huisjakker (TV series) (Director: Stephan Bouwer), 1988 – Dot en Kie (TV series) (Director: Henry Mylne), 1989 – Saartjie (TV series) (Director: Danie Odendaal), 1993 – Glaskasteel (TV series) (Directors: Peter Goldsmid, Friedrich Stark & Alwyn Swart), 1994 – Torings (TV series) (Director: Danie Joubert), 1997 – Triptiek II (TV series) (Director: Jan Scholtz), 1998 – Die Vierde Kabinet (TV series) (Director: Jan Scholtz), 1999 – Iemand om Lief te Hê (TV series) (Director: Jan Scholtz), 2000 – Going Down Gorgeous (TV series - episode 11: The class of 50-something) (Director: Robert Davies), 2002-2019 – 7de Laan (TV series) (various directors), 2015 – Sandra op ‘n Drafstap (TV documentary series – one episode) (Director: Jan Groenewald), 2018 – Mense Mense (TV series - one episode) (Director: Pierre van Pletzen), 2018 – Elke Skewe Pot 2 (TV series – one episode) (Director: Liesel Harris-Krüger) 2018 – Oppi Kassie (TV documentary series) (Director: Johan Lategan), 2019 – Suidooster, Season 5 (TV series) (various directors), 2019 – Lui Maar Op, Belinda (TV series) (Director: Corné van Rooyen), 2020 - Suidooster, Season 6 (TV series) (various directors), 2021 - Lui Maar Op, Belinda, Season 2 (Director: Ben Heyns), 2023 - Lui Maar Op, Belinda, Season 3 (Director: Ben Heyns).

Awards

1971 – Three Leaf Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Titus Andronicus 1978 – Artes Award for Best Actress for Die Koster 1993 – DALRO Award as Best Supporting Actress on the Afrikaans stage for Mirakel 2014 – Tempo Award for Soap Actress of the Year for 7de Laan

Sources

Rand Daily Mail (numerous issues)

Sunday Times (numerous issues)

SACD 1974.

Skelmpie Kom Vanaand, 1984, programme notes.

Go to ESAT Bibliography

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