Ben Voss (born 3 May 1973) is a

South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and satirist. He has been a professional actor, playwright and producer since 1998 and is best known for his portrayal of fictional character, Beauty Ramapelepele, his comedy Sketch shows and performances in Pantomime. He has also starred in films alongside the likes of

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...

and

Troye Sivan Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his thi ...

. He has starred in the TV series Desert Rose due for release on

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

and

Showmax Showmax is an online subscription video on demand (SVOD) service which launched in South Africa on 19 August 2015. Showmax uses a localisation strategy to take on established video on demand competitors with a focus on local content and partner ...

in 2022.

Formative Years

He was born in

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

and educated at

Uthongathi School uThongathi School was a high school near oThongathi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The school opened in January 1986. The school was the first nonracial school established by the New Era Schools Trust (NEST). It opened with 107 pupils of all races. ...

, Natal,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, where he matriculated in 1990. He then went on to complete an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering at the then University of Natal. He followed that with a post-graduate degree in Human Resources at the same institution. After a gap year in South East Asia he returned to

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

to take up a post as an engineer in the paper industry.

Performing Arts Career

Voss became disillusioned with his engineering career and, in January 1997, he started a career in acting despite no formal training in the performing arts. In addition to Voss's contributions to the South African comedy circuit, he is also an accomplished actor and script-writer with particular accolades for his performances in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

in 2001 and the title role in

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

in 2002. He is also multiple Naledi Award and Fleur du Cap winner and nominee. Stage On stage Voss is a satirist. He set up the production company, Mamba Productions and together with John van de Ruit (of Spud fame), produced and performed the

comedy skit Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...

shows ''Green Mamba'' and ''Black Mamba''. Both won many of South Africa’s major comedy and theatre awards and played in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, with acclaimed runs at the

Wimbledon Theatre The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on the Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Grade II listed Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J. B. Mulholland. Built on the site of a large hou ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Voss is arguably best known for his portrayal of the fictional South African business woman, Beauty Ramapelepele. Voss uses the alter-ego of Ramapelepele to deliver satirical social commentary on life in post-

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. His shows, ''Beauty and the B.E.E.'' and ''Bend it like Beauty'' (commissioned by the Oval House Theatre in London) have played in South Africa and abroad. His run at the Oval house theatre in London was featured on BBC world news and he was commissioned to perform at events in honour of the South African Soccer World Cup. Voss has also shared the stage with

Pieter-Dirk Uys Pieter-Dirk Uys (; born 28 September 1945) is a South African performer, author, satirist, and social activist. One of his best known roles is as Evita Bezuidenhout, an Afrikaner socialite. Background and early life Uys was born in Cape Town o ...

's "Evita" on his DVD release of Elections and Erections. His latest one man show Benny Bushwhacker played over 100 shows throughout southern Africa. In 2018 he played the Evil Queen in the pantomime stage show of Snow White, directed by internationally acclaimed director Janice Honeyman at the Joberg theatre. In 2021 he was top billed, as one of the ugly sisters, alongside

Desmond Dube Desmond Dube is a South African singer, actor, mime artist and entertainer. He is known for his work in ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'', ''Hotel Rwanda'', '' Friends Indeed'', '' Suburban Bliss'' and '' Joburg Blues''. He is a trained t ...

in Janice Honeyman’s latest spectacular, Cinderella. FILM Voss’s film credits include ''the Spud'' series of movies where Voss plays Mr Lily, Spud's art teacher and under-14D/E rugby coach alongside Troye Sivan and John Cleese. He also Played the lead in Robert Fraser’s Game and the supporting lead in Craig Friemond’s acclaimed drama Beyond the River in 2017. TELEVISION In 2021, Voss turned his attention to television and played a lead role in the

MNET M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

and

production of Dessert Rose which is due for international release in 63 countries in early 2022.

Awards

Naledi Award – Best comedic performance Naledi Award – Best South African Script. FNB Vita award – Best Supporting actor FNB Vita award – Best Actor

Fleur du Cap The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are annual South African theatre awards focusing on professional productions staged in and around Cape Town. Awards are presented in 20 categories. History The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards were originally known a ...

award – Best Actor 3 Ovation Awards – National arts festival

References

External links

Interview
with John van de Ruit and Ben Voss about the comedy 'Green Mamba'
Ben Voss's website

Mamba Productions website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voss, Ben Living people 1974 births University of Natal alumni South African dramatists and playwrights South African male comedians White South African people South African drag queens South African male actors Actors from Durban Writers from Durban 21st-century South African LGBT people