WINDHOEK – Veteran Namibian actor Stanley van Wyk, who died on October 07, was an easygoing person, opinionated and most certainly full of laughter. This is how many described the late Van Wyk who gave up his last breath after suffering a fatal cardiac arrest at the age of 43 years.
Van Wyk is perhaps known for his incredible performance in the series “One Fine Day” that aired on the national broadcaster, NBC, in the mid-1990’s. He was also known for his priceless comic performances on and off stage.
Actor Dixon Angula, who had known Van Wyk for 18 years, said he will remember the late actor for his funny character that always managed to make people laugh. “He was always joking and liked teasing people, but in a good way. Even if he had a problem with alcohol he would always get his job done. We would tell him to stop with alcohol but he would say that he knows what he’s doing but he will surely always be remembered in our local theatre,” said Angula.
Playwright Freddie Philander said that Van Wyk played a major part in one of his plays called The Mole People, and Katutura 59. He described Van Wyk as a consistent actor. “He was struggling with alcohol abuse but always did justice to his work, he was a good actor but he had that problem,” said Philander.
Actor David Ndjavera, who had been friends with Van Wyk since high school, described him as one of the best actors and someone who would always have his “joke moment”. “He would make himself stand out. He was one hell of an actor. It is a huge loss but we will make use of what he has taught others – thanks to him for being a good artist because we have really learnt a lot from him,” he said. Van Wyk is survived by his child.
By Selma Neshiko