By Mmaditaba
The curtain has come down on the career of one of the true legends of South Africa theatre and TV. Beloved actress Shaleen Surtie-Richards has died, aged 66.
Most recently, Surtie-Richards was seen in kykNet’s Arendsvlei and the Showmax film Swirl, but she deserves to be remembered for performances as Hester in Athol Fugard’s Hallo en Koebaai and in Shirley Valentine. Her breakthrough role was in the 1988 film Fiela se Kind and she starred in Egoli: Place of Gold for almost all of its 18 years run.
She appeared in several other South African TV soaps, including 7de Laan, Villa Rosa, and SABC1’s Generations. In 2001 she hosted her own TV talk show, Shaleen, on M-Net.
Surtie-Richards has shown the way for a new generation of actors.
Her body was found in a Cape Town lodge and the cause of her death is still under investigation.
According to a News24 report, she has had problems with her health and was struggling to breathe.
Born in Uppington, she was the daughter of a principal father and a teacher mother. Growing up during apartheid, a local music school would not admit her because of her skin colour but her father bought her a piano and hired a music teacher for her.
She also took ballet and tennis classes as a child, which paved the way for a career as an entertainer, finally going into acting as a career in 1984.
She will be remembered as a true master of her craft.
Image source: @Our_DA
