Fiona Coyne

COYNE, Fiona (1965-2010) [1]. South African actress, publicist and playwright. Best known for her role as the host in the South African version of the television game show The Weakest Link. Studied drama at the Pretoria Technikon. Also has an B.A. Honours degree in Clinical Psychology and is well known for her work in conservation, including a period with the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. Joined CAPAB Drama Company as an actress in 1986, performing in both English and Afrikaans till 1992, when she left for Kenya. On her return to South Africa in 1996, she became a freelance actress, worked with her husband Willie Fritz in advertising and began writing plays. The first was As the Koekie Crumbles (1998) which was created as part of the Baxter Theatre’s New Writing Programme. It was directed for the Baxter by Ralph Lawson, later reworked for radio and broadcast on SAfm as Little White Lives. In 2000 she wrote Glass Roots, another play in the New Writing Programme, directed for the Baxter Theatre by Roy Sergeant. As an actress Coyne won the Pretorium Trust Award for Most Outstanding Student at the Technikon, and has been nominated for the Fleur du Cap award (1992) and the Vita Award (1999 for Alarms and Excursions). In 2000 won a Fleur du Cap Award for Best New Indigenous Script for Glass Roots.

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