Eddie Eckstein (born 29 November 1939) is a

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 ...

n-born musician, comedian, film, television and theatre

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 is best known for his performances in the band The Bats. His career, starting in the 1960s, spans five decades.

Background

Eddie Eckstein was born in Bezuidenhout Valley, Johannesburg on 29 November 1939. He was schooled at Marist Brothers College in the suburb of

Observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

and after completing his matric he sought employment in Barclays Bank.

Music career

In addition to day work in the bank, his nights were taken up as a band drummer and vocalist. He would be a member of a number of South African bands in the early sixties such as the Al Willox Quartet, Flippie van Vuuren Band and the Jimmie Rayson Combo. After hearing

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

in Bulawayo,

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 ...

, he realised that this new music style was the future of music and on returning to Johannesburg, he met with Paul Ditchfield and formed the band The Bats in 1964. The group's first single, "All I Got", went to number 1 on both

Springbok Radio Springbok Radio (spelled ''Springbokradio'' in Afrikaans, ) was a South African nationwide radio station that operated from 1950 to 1986. History SABC's decision in December 1945 to develop a commercial service was constrained by post-war financia ...

and LM Radio. Eckstein would also perform a Paul Ditchfield composition at the 1972 Tokyo Song Competition with the song, "Oh God It’s Beautiful", reaching the finals. The Bats would break up in 1981 and the members pursue their own careers, but they reformed in 2000. In the late seventies, he would briefly manage a Johannesburg based all-girl group, Pantha, whose lead singer was

PJ Powers PJ Powers (born 16 July 1960, Durban) is a South African singer and performer. She became a household name in southern Africa after the widespread success of the song “Jabulani”. When she played at the Jabulani Amphitheatre in 1983 she was h ...

. In 2014, Eckstein took part in a musical performance with other well-known performers such as Bobby Angel and Billy Forrest called ''The Two Cowboys'', covering South African music over four decades and featuring country, rock, pop, duets and comedy.

Television career

When television first started in South Africa in 1976, a comedy show ran on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) called ''Biltong & Potroast'' which pitched South African- and British-born comedians against each other for points given for the best jokes. The show would run for five years on television. Eckstein starred in a revived version as a theatre show in 2010 which would feature four of the original stars. He would also star opposite Clive Scott and Annabel Linder in the South African family comedy ''Oh George'' in 1981. He was a celebrity host on the television ''Telly Fun Quiz'' in 1990s with quiz master Martin Bailie on the SABC.

Theatre career

He has appeared in a number of South African theatre productions during his long career including ''

I Love My Wife ''I Love My Wife'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Michael Stewart and music by Cy Coleman, based on a play by Luis Rego. A satire of the sexual revolution of the 1970s, the musical takes place on Christmas Eve in suburban Trenton, New ...

'', '' Little Shop of Horrors'', ''Pyjama Tops'', ''

Not Now Darling ''Not Now, Darling'' is a 1967 farce written by English playwrights John Chapman and Ray Cooney, first staged at the Richmond Theatre, in Richmond, England prior to a long West End run. The production starred Donald Sinden and Bernard Cribbi ...

'', ''Grin and Bear It'' and ''What about Love''. In July 2012, Eckstein was nominated for an Audience Choice award at the second annual Comics' Choice awards held at

Montecasino Montecasino, popularly shortened to ''Monte'', is a leisure and casino complex in Fourways, Sandton in Gauteng, South Africa. It was designed by American company Creative Kingdom Inc. and built by South African architects Bentel Associates I ...

resort, in

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 Demo ...

but lost out to Sifiso Nene.

Filmography

Films

* '' The Seven of Daran: Battle of Pareo Rock'' (2008) * '' Oh Schucks.... It's Schuster!'' (1989) * '' You Must Be Joking Too!'' (1987) * ''Magic Is Alive, My Friends'' (1985) * ''Verkeerde Nommer'' (1982) * ''Follow That Rainbow'' (1979)

Television

* ''Telly Fun Quiz (1990s) * ''Oh George'' (1981) * ''Biltong & Potroast'' (1976)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eckstein, Eddie 1939 births South African male television actors South African male film actors South African male stage actors 20th-century South African male singers Singers from Johannesburg Living people