Athol Fugard (1932-), South African playwright, actor, novelist and film-maker

Sitter in 2 portraits
South African playwright, director and actor. Fugard's work, performed internationally, is permeated by South African politics. His first plays were written in 1958 when he was associating with black writers and intellectuals in Johannesburg. In the 1960s and 70s he wrote his 'family plays', including Blood Knot (1961) which was adapted for British television, and his 'workshop plays' such as Sizwe Bansi is Dead (1972) and Statements after an Arrest under the Immorality Act (1972). He has written and directed plays at several London theatres in recent years. Films include The Guest(1977), Marigolds in August (1980), Road to Mecca (1991) and acting parts in Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979) and Gandhi (1982).