She worked in the South African entertainment, film and TV industry for over decades and had her first film acting role in 1976's Snake Dancer, a biopic about the exotic dancer and stripper Glenda Kemp.
As actress other films included 40 Days (1979), City Lovers (1982) and Eendag vir Altyd (1985), Die Prins van Pretoria (1992) and several more, while she also appeared in numerous TV series, among others Konings, Oos-Wes, Die Losprys, Die Mannheim Sage, Kampus and Mattewis and Meraai.
Christine Basson lived at the Ekklesia Park retirement village the past three months and passed away on Monday morning at 04:45, a day after her 78th birthday on Sunday 9 June.
A friend Danie Pienaar, told Netwerk24 that Christine Basson's health had deteriorated rapidly over the last few months after she had fractured her coccyx in April and that she had endured a lot of pain due to osteoporosis.
Christine Basson had been "fading away" the last while as her various organs slowly stopped functioning.
Christine Basson was extremely reluctant during her career to do any media interviews and hardly ever granted interviews to the press, shunning the spotlight and the media events to concentrate on her work on-set and behind-the-scenes.
M-Net in a statement told TVwithThinus that "M-Net is saddened to hear of the passing of one of the most talented and beloved actresses the country has ever seen".
"Christine Basson contributed immensely to the success of South Africa’s first daily soap Egoli in the iconic role of Nora Naudé, and had a special place in our viewers’ living rooms - and more importantly, hearts - for many years."
"Passionate and dedicated legends like Christine were the original magic on which M-Net was built on. Rest in Peace, Christine. We will always love you."
Actress Lizz Meiring on social media said that the "Legendary actress Christine Basson has died. She was a true legend and an icon. She had taught me so much as a mentor when I was a young actress".
Liz Meiring told Jacaranda FM that Christine Basson was "in the high care unit and was struggling to breathe. She was not swallowing anymore" shortly before she died.
"Most of the South African public will remember her for working commercial English theatre, in Afrikaans, in a myriad of film and television productions. She was a magnificent actress, a true pro and an absolute icon. And we will miss her and the ilk of the Christine Bassons dearly."
Reinet Louw Kemp, a close friend and writer, on Facebook wrote that: "Our beloved friend Christine Basson - for many the strong motherly figure Nora Naudé from Egoli - peacefully went home this morning. She will be missed."
Following the end of Egoli in 2010, Christine Basson worked as a dialogue coach for a few years on the Danie Odendaal Productions Afrikaans weekday soap 7de Laan broadcast on SABC2 from 2011 to 2014.
"Christine was an extremely talented and a familiar face in the South African television industry. I remember when Egoli started she was one of the leading actresses who carried the role out with the utmost professionalism and passion," friend Annie Basson told TVwithThinus on Monday.
"In her time at 7de Laan when she was a dialogue coach she honed and sharpened our actresses and actors' skills and
talents through her meticulous guidance. She is one of the most
professional people I have encountered in this industry."
Danie Odendaal, founder and producer of 7de Laan says "Christine Basson’s passing is a
great loss to us. She has made a valuable contribution to 7de Laan in her years as a dialogue coach. I can recall that even over a cup of coffee, how
she would give one feedback and her honest opinion about the characters and the
show. I could always trust her judgement 100%."
Henry Mylne, a longtime friend and industry acquaintance of Christine and currently the series director at 7de Laan says "I met Christine Basson when I was a student at Stellenbosch University and she
was an established professional actress working mainly in Cape Town".
"I
insisted on introducing myself after a performance in the old controversial Space Theatre of Pieter-Dirk Uys' Selle Ou Storie. It won her the Fleur du Cap
in Cape Town and the Computicket Prize in Johannesburg for Best Actress. It was
apartheid in its heyday."
"Yet she repeated her successful collaboration
with Pieter-Dirk Uys in his 2 banned plays Karnaval and God's Forgotten. She
continued in this trend throughout her career by working always as a freelancer for the old Performing Arts Councils, CAPAB, Pacofs, Pact and even for
SWAPAC in Namibia."
"Her stage roles varied from leads in the classics, for instance as
Princess Eboli in Maria Stuarda by Schiller to farces like Die Drie Van der Wlts in the plum comedic interpretation of "Sofie Maaiburg" which I
directed for Pacofs to Martha in Edward Albee's neo-classic Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
"She
appeared in many South African feature films like the title part in Die Spaanse Vlieg, Decision to Die - the first South African film that concerned itself with
euthanasia), Glenda (in which she played the real-life stripper Glenda Kemp's
mother) and again she never flinched to dare as the old apartheid censorship board came down heavily on the last 2 movies," says Henry Mylne.
"Christine Basson branched into television when it started in South Africa, playing a variety of parts
in English and Afrikaans drama productions till she became a household
name as Marietjie in Franz Marx's hit series Agter Elke Man."
"I directed
her for the first 8 golden years as Nora in the first South African hit soap
Egoli. She literally closed the studio doors on the last day when Franz
stopped shooting Egoli. After that she willingly retired
from acting."
"She
was however coaxed back for a few years to 7de Laan by Danie Odendaal where we
again worked with me as director and she as a dialogue coach. Here she could
impart her vast knowledge of acting to all permanent and guest artists."
"Our
friendship never dented over 30 years," says Henry Mylne.
"I was blessed to have the privilege
of directing her so many years in our industry. She was a
consummate professional who referred to "acting" as "a job to get on with". She did not suffer unprepared actors gladly."
"She was precise in her delivery and a one-taker on film and television
sets. She had very high demands for friendships as long as you and she
worked on it otherwise she would delete you at the drop of a hat."
"She had the
sharpest wit and a high voltage sense of fun for life. Christine was adored by
arts managements, film makers and the public alike. She always dyed her hair
a ravishing blonde and was always attired in black."
"She used to say: 'I come from an era where a gal was either coiffed chestnut brown or pitch black or in my case bottle blonde' - like bank tellers were forced to do in the old defunct South African Trust Bank of the seventies".
"She used to say: 'I come from an era where a gal was either coiffed chestnut brown or pitch black or in my case bottle blonde' - like bank tellers were forced to do in the old defunct South African Trust Bank of the seventies".
"Christene
died at the early age of 78. She carried this profession and was
constantly in demand. She leaves dozens of colleagues in the industry in
deep mourning of a highly respected talent and a straight-down-the-line person
who never spoke anything but the truth in her direct 'take no prisoners' demeanour. As she would put it: 'I don't care, but I have a problem with that!"
