Biographical Highlights

• The Early Days: He began his career as a student at the Johannesburg School of Art. A “photographic model” friend tipped him off about auditions for Oliver! in 1961, where he landed his first professional role.
• The “Baddy” Persona: He describes his role as Apollyon in Christian! as a “send-up” villain with elements of danger. He famously joked that the character would “take the batteries from a hearing aid even if it belonged to Beethoven.”
• Versatile Artist: Beyond the stage, he was a successful portrait painter (at one point churning out two a week!) and worked as an interior designer and commercial artist, creating designs for industrial exhibitions and nightclubs.
• The Restaurateur: In 1971, he opened Ye Olde Chastity Belt, which the article claims was South Africa’s first theatre-restaurant.

Critical Acclaim for Apollyon

Marilyn Jenkins in The Citizen (Dec 19, 1979) describes his performance as:

“…Aubrey Ellis’ roisteringly malicious Apollyon with his topical refrain ‘I’m the Best’.”