Lydia Lindeque, born Rachel Alida du Toit (15 January 1916 – 16 July 1997), was a South African actor of

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

descent. Initially known by the stage name Alida du Toit, she started touring at the age of seventeen with Paul de Groot's acting company. Soon adopting the name Lydia Lindeque, she worked with many stars of the era over the following decades, including

Taubie Kushlick Taubie Kushlick (1910–1991) was a South African actress and producer. She became characterized as the self-styled "First Lady of Theatre".William 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 ...

's ''

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 ...

'', and, in 1945, travelled to Egypt and Italy to direct stage plays for the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

troops stationed there. She was married to the playwright

Uys Krige Mattheus Uys Krige (4 February 1910 – 10 August 1987) was a South African writer of novels, short stories, poems and plays in Afrikaans and English. In Afrikaans literature, Krige is counted among the '' Dertigers'' ("Writers of the Thirties"). ...

in 1937, later separating and marrying John Mantel. After retiring in 1976, she died in Andorra in 1997.

Career

Rachel Alida du Toit was born on 15 January 1916 in Petrusburg in the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Trans ...

, into an

family. She attended school locally before leaving home to join Paul de Groot's acting company, starting touring at the age of seventeen. Initially, she performed in

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

under the stage name Alida du Toit, but later adopted the name Lydia Lindeque. By 1936, she was a regular performer 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 ...

, appearing alongside actors like Andre Huguenot. In 1938, she acted in

's first play, ''Magdalena Retief'', the first in an increasingly productive collaboration between the two. Her repertoire expanded, and so did her profile. In 1942, she starred in an Afrikanns translation of ''

Ladies in Retirement ''Ladies in Retirement'' is a 1941 American film noir directed by Charles Vidor and starring Ida Lupino and Louis Hayward, who were married at the time. It is based on a 1940 Broadway play of the same title by Reginald Denham and Edward Percy t ...

'' alongside Berdine Grunwald. The following year, she performed in

William 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 ...

's ''

'', her first performance in English. In 1945, she travelled to Egypt to direct entertainment for the troops of the

left in the country as their involvement in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

ended. The first production, of ''Die Rooi Pruik'', was performed on 3 August. She subsequently also directed performances in Allied-occupied Italy during the year. At the end of this service, she returned to South Africa and, in 1952, she starred alongside Vivienne Drummond in the Greek political comedy '' Lysistrata''. She continued to work with new directors and, in 1958, she appeared alongside Leon Gluckman in

Taubie Kushlick Taubie Kushlick (1910–1991) was a South African actress and producer. She became characterized as the self-styled "First Lady of Theatre".1916 births 1997 deaths 20th-century South African actresses South African people of Dutch descent South African stage actresses