Ben Kruger (25 March 1957 – 26 May 2021) was a South African actor and author, best known for his roles in the popular serials ''Snake Island'', ''

Binnelanders ''Binnelanders'' (previously ''Binneland'' and ''Binneland Sub Judice'') is a South African Afrikaans soap opera. It is set in and around the fictional private hospital, Binneland Kliniek, in Pretoria, and the storyline follows the trials, trau ...

'' and ''Zero Tolerance''.

Personal life

He was born on 25 March 1957 in

Bothaville Bothaville is a maize farming town situated near the Vaal River in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality, Lejweleputswa DM of the Free State (South African province), Free State province, South Africa. It is situated 60 km east of the Vaal, ...

, South Africa. His father was a pastor in the local AGS congregation. His mother was from

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...

. At the age of two, he moved to Cape Town with his family. Then at the age of four, he moved to

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

where he completed his schooling at Helpmekaar Boys' High School. After school, Kruger served in the South African Navy for 18 months, as he was

conscripted Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

for

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

, after which he obtained his BA (Drama) at the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 ...

. On 26 May 2021, Kruger died at his home in

Brooklyn, Pretoria Brooklyn is a suburb of the city of Pretoria, South Africa. It is a well-established area, lying to the east of the city centre, encompassing high-end residential properties and several upmarket mall developments. It borders the University of Pre ...

at the age of 64, as a result of COVID-19 complications.

Career

Helped by his drama teacher, Kruger began his acting career by performing in the theater, as well as in radio plays and advertisements. Notable stage performances in his career were the plays ''Die Huigelaar'' as Cleante for TRUK in 1986, ''It's a Boy!'', ''Siener in die Suburbs'' as 'Jakes' at the State Theatre, Pretoria. In 2000, he performed in the play ''Hartebees'' directed by Alexander Strachan. He later directed the play ''Heart Like a Stomach'' produced by Ian Fraser at the Windybrow Theatre. His film debut came in 1973, with the role of Dirkie Uys in the Dave Millen film '' Die Voortrekkers''. He is the co-writer of the play ''Kaspar in Kasablankah'' along with Chris Pretorius. In 1995, he starred in the film ''Cry, the Beloved Country''. Later he also starred in the feature films: ''Snake Island'' in 2002 and ''Stander'' in 2003. Then he played the role 'Neef Gert' in the serial '' 7de Laan'' and then as 'Sakkie Bezuidenhoudt' in the series, ''Zero Tolerance''. In 2011, Kruger began his best-known role, playing 'Okkie Ferreira' in the serial ''

''. He remained in that role until his death in 2021.

Award nominations

In 2006, Kruger was nominated for the Golden Horn Award for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Drama Series for the role 'Sakkie' in ''Zero Tolerance''. He did not win the award, however, being beaten by Jody Abrahams. In 2007, he was again nominated for a Golden Horn Award for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Comedy, for ''Gabriël''. He was beaten again, this time by

Alan Committie Alan is a South African comic actor and qualified high school teacher. has performed on stage, television, radio and the Internet. In addition to his own, self-written shows, has performed a number of other stage productions including Rob B ...

. His role as 'Okkie Ferreira' in ''Binnelanders'' eventually brought him a third Golden Horn nomination, in 2020, this time in the TV Soap category. He did not win, however, the award instead going to Mncedisi Shabangu.

Partial filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kruger, Ben 1957 births 2021 deaths South African television actors South African male actors South African film actors South African Navy personnel White South African people People from Lejweleputswa District Municipality Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa