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Athol Fugard

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Playwright

The Resume

    (June 11, 1932- )
    Born in Middleburg, South Africa
    Wrote the plays 'The Blood Knot' (1961), 'The Coat' (1966), 'Boesman and Lena' (1969), 'Sizwe Bansi Is Dead' (1972), 'The Island' (1972), ''Master Harold'... and the Boys' (1982), 'The Road to Mecca' (1984), 'The Captain's Tiger: A Memoir for the Stage' (1997) and 'The Train Driver' (2010)
    Wrote the novel 'Tsotsi' (1980)
    Appeared in the films 'Boesman and Lena' (1974), 'Gandhi' (1982), 'The Killing Fields' (1984), 'Marigolds in August' (1984) and 'The Road to Mecca' (1992)
    Received a special Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (2011)

Why he might be annoying:

    He dropped out of college a few months before graduation to hitchhike across Africa and work on a tramp steamer.
    He was nominated for Tony Awards in competitive categories (writing and directing) six times without winning.
    He said, 'Inside the country my old style liberalism is not radical enough. Outside the country I’ve gone on to be an embarrassment because, so far, in terms of theater at least, I appear to have been the only person who has got around to talking about black realities in South Africa, and I’ve got a white skin.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He has been married to fellow author Shelia Fugard for over fifty years.
    He founded South Africa's first integrated theater company.
    Because of his opposition to apartheid, he was harassed by the government, including having his passport seized, his phone tapped, his mail opened and being subjected to midnight police searches.
    'Time' called him 'the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 36.36% Annoying