Veteran actor Phillips dies
MULTI-TALENTED: HE WAS AN ACTOR, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER AND MUSIC COMPOSER
Contributions to the industry immortalised in a book he wrote, often referred to as the actors’ bible.
University of Zululand conferred an honorary doctorate on him.
Actor Dr Sam Phillips died in the early hours of Saturday. He was revered as an actor, director, producer, writer and music composer among an array of other achievements and titles.
He was also a fearless being, who taught us that anything is possible.
Gracing our screens for decades as an actor, his love for acting began as a high school student in Cape Town.
In his early 20s, his career was shaped by the many roles he played in theatres after relocating to Johannesburg.
His vision for a free and equal South Africa saw him play a role in the Non-Racial Peoples Space
Theatre, where he was a part of history as a participant in the first multiracial production of Lysistrata.
Phillips was one of the first local faces to appear on SABC TV 2 in 1980. He featured on numerous programmes, including Monna wa Cyrene and Ibali lika Yona.
His greatest achievements include being nominated for an Oscar for playing the lead role in Senzeni Na?, which was nominated for Best Short Story by the American Film Institute in 1990.
As a multilinguist, he was able to play various roles across multiple genres.
To anyone who had the pleasure of witnessing him on stage, it was evident that he was clearly in alignment with the purpose, which brought both him and his audience shared joy.
The University of Zululand conferred an honorary doctorate on him, and his contributions to the industry have been immortalised in the form of a book he wrote, which is often referred to as the actors’ bible.
He will be remembered for his smile and his work on the South
African arts scene, but mostly for being a fearless inspiration and example. His most recent appearance was in the Netflix series Kings Of Joburg opposite producer and creator Shona Ferguson.