by Thinus Ferreira
The prolific and veteran Afrikaans actor and director Louis van Niekerk has died after losing his battle again cancer. He was 87.
Louis van Niekerk died on Tuesday in the Netcare Milpark hospital in Johannesburg.
NvR Management in a statement says "It's with deep sorrow that we heard tonight about the passing of Louis van Niekerk. Sincere condolences to all his family, friends and colleagues. Our culture and arts are poorer. A big tree has fallen today".
The talented actor appeared in multiple South African TV series on the SABC and kykNET like Egoli, Amalia, Die Vierde Kabinet, Fees van die Ongenooides, Agter Elke Man, Hartland, Zero Tolerance, Villa Rosa, 7de Laan, Grondbaronne, The Fourth Reich and several films from Die Voortreflike Familie Smit to Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom over decades.
Most recently Louis van Niekerk appeared on kykNET (DStv 144) in the Getroud met Rugby Afrikaans soap as the character of Festus, and also gave his voice to numerous Afrikaans radio dramas.
At Franz Marx's long-running soap Egoli on M-Net Louis van Niekerk worked as supervising producer until August 2009.
He appeared on stage in plays ranging from King Lear, Skoene-Skoene, The Lion in Winter, The Road to Mecca, Siener in the Suburbs, Nag van Legio, All my Sons, Julius Ceasar, Don Gxubane Onner die Boere, The Duck Variations and Mattewis en Meraai to Othello and many more, and was the director of multiple plays like Die Rebellie van Lafras Verwey, Kanna Hy Kô Hystoe, Die Vader, Die Dagboek van Anne Frank, Die Swanesang van Majoor Sommer and Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
Louis van Niekerk who was born on 27 June 1935 started his acting career at 12 with his first role in Babs Laker's Ek onthou vir Mamma.
Louis van Niekerk moved to Pretoria in 1955 where he initially worked as a freelance actor, doing plans for a number of years.
He joined PACT in 1964 where he not just appeared on stage in roles but eventually directed over 200 plays as PACT's head of drama since 1978.
He was married to Lettie Scheepers who died in 1983 and the couple had two sons, Gert and Drikus.
