Leon Schuster
Schuks is one nickname for South Africa’s top comedian. Although he does not share this glory alone because there are many other talented comedians in the country, he is a legend because of his achievements. Leon Schuster was born in 1951 and wanted to be in film early in life. As with most young children, it started as fun and jokes in front of an old film camera. He and his brothers would play tricks on each other and the rest of the family – just like a Candid Camera scene.
Leon Schuster didn’t study to be a comedian, at least not formally. He was a high school teacher with a Bachelor’s degree. It probably did not fulfil him, which is why in 1975, he started working for the South African Broadcasting Corp as a voice talent. He worked here for 7 years before getting an offer to work on songs. He sold 2 records under Decibel Records both of which were rousing successes. This led to a shift to music where he continued to pull rabbits out of his magic hat with a hit CD, Hier Kom Die Bokke, which was the runaway hit for 1995. A trend begins to unfold as one success leads to another, and his next CD contains the Gautengeling, a favourite among the Gauteng population.
Schuks returned to acting, but this time as more than a voice talent. His feature film, You Must be Joking, was so entertaining, it led to a sequel, You Must be Joking Too, which stamped Schuks as a bankable star. In 2011, he is slated to collaborate with Walt Disney for a new movie that is expected to be for worldwide distribution.
So, what is it about his humour that’s so successful?
Schuster is all about life from a comedic angle. Some of his jokes are slapstick which hits the right nerve among many South Africans. They love a good laugh and receive it in massive doses. He is also known as a prankster, something he does with charm and without malice. His fans love him and have been following his movements ardently. Perhaps another significant element of Schuster’s success is the availability of his films to the South African audience: in addition to commercial cinemas screening his work, the general public can do online searches for comedy movies for sale, or simply visit local DVD outlets.
Aside from his work and personality, he is mature enough to keep his personal life away from the public. This earns him brownie points for being able to keep his career record free from gossip, controversy, and malicious rumours. Shuster loves rugby and the Cheetahs: in fact, his dream was to be a sports commentator. It didn’t work out because he was too proficient in his ability to copy the mannerisms of his role model, Gerhard Viviers.
According to Schuks, comedy is a relief from the harsh realities of life. When he started out, there were many problems in South Africa. His version of comedy was a case of being at the right place at the right time. If he started out today, he would not have succeeded as much or as quickly. His recipe for success was to never have hang-ups or fear – a philosophy which can be summed up as doing something because you love it rather than because you need money.