Gys de Villiers

Born in Roodepoort, Gys de Villiers is a South African actor and musician who also works as a sculptor and writer. He began acting in Windhoek with a small part in the stage play The Three Van der Walts and, after completing studies at the University of Cape Town, became a professional performer. He spent 1983 and 1984 with the Transvaal Council for the Performing Arts and later, with Christo Leach, staged Die Spinner at the Market Theater, earning AA Vita and DALRO prizes for best actor in an Afrikaans play. His film work started with Maneuvers in 1984, and subsequent credits include Tarzan and the Lost City (1998), Vehicle 19 (2013), Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013), Traitors, On the Wire, Inside Out and Paljas. On television he is known for Binnelanders and 7de Laan, and his stage honors also include a Johannesburg City Theater Award for The Businessman of Venice.