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 jokes on his family and film it. He explained, in a 2010 interview about his early life in Bloemfontein, “I remember running down the aisle of the Ritz Theatre, playing cowboys & crooks, which was all the rage at the time. I also remember loving Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin and the Three Stooges. I was always acting things out, and pulling pranks. I used to fool my grandma into thinking I’d shot myself in the foot with my pellet gun…
tomato sauce
Tomato sauce (also known as ''salsa roja'' in Spanish or ''salsa di pomodoro'' in Italian) can refer to many different sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish, rather than as a condiment. Tomato sauces are c ...
everywhere, me squealing like a wild pig. Pranking is just in my nature, but I’d never thought I’d become a movie star… no, I’m not a movie star, I’m just a local
outjie that likes to entertain people.
Schuster studied for a
BA degree
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
at the University of the Orange Free State, where he played rugby for the first team.
He returned to Jim Fouché as a teacher for two years.
Career
Schuster began working for th
South African Broadcasting Corporation During his time at the SABC, he created the
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 ...
radio series ''Vrypostige'' ''Mikrofoon'' with Fanus Rautenbach – which involved disguising his voice and playing phone pranks on unsuspecting victims.
Music
In 1982, Schuster was approached by Decibel Records to compile a series of sports songs which resulted in his first record entitled, ''Leon Schuster'', having sold 10,000 units. His second album, ''Broekskeur'' ('trouser-tearing'), sold in excess of 40,000 units. This was then followed by ''Briekdans and Leon Schuster – 20 Treffers'', which sold more than 270,000 copies.
His hit CD ''Hier Kom Die Bokke'' ('Here Come The Boks') garnered an
FNB Sama Music Award for Biggest Selling CD of 1995. His following CD, ''Gatvol in Paradise'',
sold in more than 125,000 units and gave rise to the unofficial
Gauteng
Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...
anthem, "Gautengeleng". Hey Bokke! was re-released in 2019 - an adaptation of the 1960s song Hey Baby in the hope that lightning might strike twice. South Africa won the World Cup. The prolific South African songwriter
Don Clarke co-wrote the lyrics.
Film
Schuster's first feature, ''
You Must Be Joking!'',
produced in collaboration with Johan Scholtz and
Elmo de Witt, became popular with South African audiences and gave rise to the sequel ''
You Must be Joking! Too''.
These films were
candid camera
''Candid Camera'' is a popular and long-running American hidden camera reality television series. Versions of the show appeared on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes ...
sketches and Schuster made many more of these films as well as
slap-stick films, including ''
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 ...
'', his most successful film, which earned more than
R33 million at the South African box office.
On 16 September 2011 it was reported that Schuster's next movie, ''
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 ...
'', would be partly financed by the
Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
, which would also handle the distribution and marketing of the film. The film was released in 2012 and starred Schuster opposite funnyman
Kenneth Nkosi
Kenneth Nkosi (born 19 June 1973) is a South African actor and comedian. He portrayed Aap in the 2005 film ''Tsotsi'' (2005). He also appeared in the films ''White Wedding'' (2009) and '' Otelo Burning'' (2011), as well as ''Mad Buddies'' (201 ...
. It received poor reviews, and garnered
R4.5 million in the opening weekend from a budget of
R20 million.
[''IMDB: Mad Buddies'']
/ref>
Controversy
Six Leon Schuster films were targeted overseas for racial sensitivity issues.
Comedic style and blackface
According to Schuster, his appeal to the public stems from him making "them used to a certain style of comedy that they seem to like. They like trouble, and they know when Schuster is there, there is trouble. They also like me to rip off the topical stuff be risky and take chances.....and get ' moered!". In 2018, the comedian was "unapologetic about playing on every racial stereotype in his films", but openly admitted that he "does have some regrets about having profited from blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person.
In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
". He further stated: "I'm so sorry that I can't make ''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 ...
2''. If I had a dream come true, my next movie would be ''Mama Jack 2''. But especially on Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
they said stay away from the blackface, it's not on. It was black people talking to me and you've got to listen. I can't do it because I'll be heavily criticised. In the olden days it troubled nobody. But I won't go blackface now, I can't do it. There's not one actor in the world that will. It's just racist".
Showmax film removals
On 19 June 2020, South African streaming service 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 ...
removed over six of Schuster's films, citing his content as being "racially insensitive", considering he has used blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person.
In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
in many of his films for "comedic effect". This came during the heightened Black Lives Matter protests. Schuster reacted, saying he was "shocked" and "can't believe that the content of his films does any harm". He said his work is "innocent" and just him "pranking people".
Filmography
Discography
Albums
* Wat Kan Lekkerder Wees - Vinyl album with Cora Marie
*''Leon Schuster'' (1982) Re-released on CD in 1993
*''Broekskeur'' (1983)
*''Waar En Wolhaar'' (1983) Re-released 2009 EMI Music South Africa (Pty) Ltd
*''Briekdans'' (1984)
*''Rugby'' (1985) Including songwriters C Pops (Daisyblom), L. Carstens (Doring Van Despatch-co-write), B. Louw (Bokbusters-co-write), Symile, Delancray (Ekke Boo co-write), H. Bierman (Lekker In Suid-Afrika co-write), B. Louw (Rugbyklanke co-write)
*''You Must Be Joking!'' (1986)
*''Dasiefoutie'' (1988)
*''"Shakin" Schuster En Sy Opkikkers'' (1992)
*''Hie' Kommie Bokke'' (1995)
*''Gautvol in Paradise'' (1997)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 ...
*''My Mates – Die Bokke''(2001)
*''Groen, Goud En White'' (2002) Compilation album with Steve Hofmeyr, Johnny Clegg, Claire Johnston, Jeff Maluleke, Zoon Stander, Pieter Smith, Patricia Lewis, Guillaume, Pieter Koen, Mandoza and Boet Pretorius
*''Catchup Song And Every Cricket Hit'' (2003) CD released 2005
*''Oh Schuks... I'm Gatvol'' (2004) Feat Dig a Little Deeper (Don Clarke) re-released in 2015 for Musicians Against Xenophobia
*''Op Dun Eish'' (2006) Feat songs written by Don Clarke and Mike Valentine
*''Hie' Kommie Bokke 2!'' (2007)
*''Dra Die Bok'' (2008)
Singles
* Hou Jou Bek (Dolce/Schuster) / Ek Was Op Jou Troue (Robinson/Schuster/Rautenbach) (1981)
* She Sells Sea Shells / Dis Lekker Innie Army (1982) 7" single on vinyl
* Hey, Bokke! (2019) With Don Clarke, performed with Drakondale Girls' Choir and Michaelhouse Choir
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schuster, Leon
1951 births
Afrikaans-language singers
Afrikaner people
Living people
People from Vereeniging
South African male comedians
South African film directors
South African male film actors
South African people of German descent
University of the Free State alumni