When I think of famous South African’s living abroad, Charlize Theron and Candice Swanepoel are the first names that pop up. And if I really wracked my brain maybe Arnold Vosloo and Val Kilmer would filter through, too. Just for the record, Val Kilmer is not South African. HAHA.
Anyway, long story short – my knowledge of famous South African’s living abroad was really minuscule, and if yours is too, here’s a list of 5 famous people hailing from good ol’ SA.
Jodi Balfour
Jodi studied Theatre and the Arts at the University of Cape Town, and moved to Canada shortly after graduating. Her claim to fame came when she landed the role as “Gladys” in the Canadian, war-time series, Bomb Girls. Other projects include roles in CW’s Supernatural, Shunji Iwai’s Vampire and The Hub’s The Haunting Hour. Jodi’s been credited 19 times since 2009.
Dean Geyer
Born in Johannesburg and raised Australia, Dean first graced the public eye as one of the top 12 contestants in the 2006 edition of Australian Idol. Despite being the second contestant voted out of the top 12, he managed to secure a record deal with Sony-BMG. His first acting role was in the long-running Australian soap opera, Neighbours in 2007. He also starred in the 2010 sequel to Never Back Down. His biggest role came along when he played Lea Michele’s loved interest in season 4 of Glee, after a recurring role in Terra Nova. New projects include 2014 suspense-thriller, The Sand.
Sasha Pieterse
Johannesburg-born Sasha moved to Las Vegas when she was three-years-old. Her first acting role was alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sasha has since starred in eight films and 10 television shows. Her most recognised role to-date is her portrayal as “Alison DiLaurentis” in the popular television show, Pretty Little Liars.
Sharlto Copely
Sharlto got his international break when he received an Online Film Critics best actor nomination after starring in the Academy award-nominated film, District 9. His career has seen a steady climb, and has since starred alongside the likes of Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper (The A-Team), and Matt Damon and Jodie Foster (Elysium). When Sharlto is not in front of the camera, he produces and directs. He’s latest projects include filming Hardcore and being the voice of Chappie, a robot child movie starring Hugh Jackman and another South African-born actor, Brandon Auret.
Alice Krige
Born in Upington in 1954, Krige’s acting career took flight when she starred in the 1979 television film, Tale of Two Cities. She has since starred in over 80 films and television shows, including Star Trek, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Thor: Dark World and Chariots of Fire.
Other South African stars living abroad include Kandyse McClure, Aphir Kalyan, Troye Sivan, Sean Cameron Michael, Eliza du Toit and Steve Nash – to mention but a few.
