Gray Hofmeyr (born 6 February 1949 in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

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 ...

) is a South African film and television director. In a career that spans almost three decades, Hofmeyr's films have touched many themes and genres.

Biography

Gray Hofmeyr is considered to be one of the foremost film and television

directors Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and writers in

. He has won more awards than any other in South Africa and over twenty actors and actresses have won best performance awards under his direction.

Career

Hofmeyr began his career in television in the 1970s in the United Kingdom where he was a

floor manager A floor manager or floor director is a member of the crew of a television show. The floor manager is responsible for giving information from the director in the control room, to the crew on the studio floor, and then back to the director. Duties * ...

at the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

. He began directing for television in 1975 and in 1992 began an award-winning scriptwriting career. He was a key figure in the early days of television in South Africa, having directed the hit series ''The Villagers'' and popular comedy series ''People Like Us'', '' The Big Time'' and '' Suburban Bliss''. He also directed the made-for-TV films ''The Outcast'', '' Two Weeks in Paradise'' and ''Thicker than Water''. Hofmeyr also created and produced the popular South African

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Isidingo ''Isidingo'' is a South African soap opera, with dialogue mostly in English and isiXhosa. The series premiered on SABC 3 in July 1998 and was broadcast evenings on SABC 3 from Monday to Friday at 19:00. Until 2001 it was titled ''Isidingo: The ...

''. which has become the flagship series for

SABC 3 SABC 3 (stylised as S3) is a South African free-to-air public television network owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). It carries programming in English and, few in other South African languages. It has a number of its own re ...

and has captured audiences across the cultural spectrum. In addition, he created a daily youth soap for the independent free-to-air channel

eTV ETV may stand for: Television * e.tv, a South African terrestrial television channel * Educational Television (Hong Kong), a television series * Educational television, the use of television in education * Enhanced TV, an interactive television ap ...

. He has directed twelve feature films, eight of which he co-wrote. He directed

Leon Schuster Leon Ernest "Schuks" Schuster (born 21 May 1951) is a South African filmmaker, comedian, actor, prankster and singer. Early life Schuster was drawn to the filmmaking process at an early age. As a child he and his brother would play practical ...

's ''

Sweet 'n Short ''Sweet 'n Short'' is a 1991 in film, 1991 Leon Schuster movie made in South Africa. It was directed by Gray Hofmeyr. Plot In South Africa, Sweet Coetzee wins an award for 20 years service as a sportscaster on his 40th birthday, beating his ...

'', ''

There's a Zulu On My Stoep ''There's a Zulu On My Stoep'', known as ''Yankee Zulu'' internationally, is a South African comedy film directed by Gray Hofmeyr. Released in 1993, the film is the highest grossing South African film in the country's box office history. The fi ...

'', ''

Mr Bones ''Mr. Bones'' is a 2001 slapstick comedy film made and set in South Africa. Leon Schuster starred in the title role. He also created the story and co-wrote the screenplay. The film sets African "tradition" in opposition to forces of ambition ...

'' and ''

Mama Jack ''Mama Jack'' is a 2005 South African comedy film by Leon Schuster. It was directed by Gray Hofmeyr and distributed by Nu Metro. It is one of Leon Schuster's most successful films Plot Set in Cape Town, South Africa, Mama Jack is the story of ...

''. He has also directed the film of Sir Percy Fitzpatrick's classic novel ''

Jock of the Bushveld ''Jock of the Bushveld'' is a true story by South African author Sir James Percy FitzPatrick.The Bystander">''The Bystander'', Volume 16 2 October 1907, page 38 The 1907 book tells of FitzPatrick's travels with his dog, Jock, a Staffordshire Bu ...

'' and ' which starred

Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is a British actor, producer, and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Alex DeLarge in ''A Clockwork Orange.'' He was born in the Horsforth suburb of Leeds and raised in ...

and

Susan Strasberg Susan Elizabeth Strasberg (May 22, 1938 – January 21, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Imagined to be the next Hepburn-type ingenue, she was nominated for a Tony Award at age 18, playing the title role in ''The Diary ...

. In January 1997 Hofmeyr became Head of Drama for

Endemol South Africa Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...

, a division of Dutch-based

Endemol Entertainment Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...

, one of the largest television companies in Europe. During 2021 he released Little Big Mouth.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1986) *''

'' (1992) *''

'' (1993) *''

'' (2001) *''

'' (2005) *''

Mr Bones 2 ''Mr. Bones 2: Back from the Past'' is a 2008 South African comedy film directed by Gray Hofmeyr, co-written by Hofmeyr and Leon Schuster, and starring Leon Schuster, Tongayi Chirisa, Leeanda Reddy, Kaseran Pillay, Meren Reddy. It is the sequel ...

'' (2008) *''

Schuks Tshabalala's Survival Guide to South Africa ''Schuks Tshabalala's Survival Guide to South Africa'' is a 2010 comedy film directed by Gray Hofmeyr, co-written by Gray Hofmeyr and Leon Schuster, and starring Leon Schuster and Alfred Ntombela. The film was created to coincide with the 2010 FI ...

'' (2010) *''

Mad Buddies ''Mad Buddies'' is a 2012 South African comedy film directed by Gray Hofmeyr, co-written by Gray Hofmeyr and Leon Schuster, and starring Leon Schuster, Kenneth Nkosi, Tanit Phoenix and Alfred Ntombela. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures acquir ...

'' (2012) *Schuks! Your Country Needs You (2013) *Schuks! Pay Back the Money! (2015) *Frank & Fearless (2018) *Little Big Mouth (2021)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hofmeyr, Gray 1949 births Living people People from Cape Town South African film directors