Nomad Hearts

Actor and musician Ian Roberts is something of a South African icon, renowned for his roles as the rugged Boer fighter Sloet Steenkamp in the TV series Arende and as Boet in the immortal and immensely popular Castrol advertisements. In Free Spirit he looks back on his long and illustrious career in which he became known for having a flair for languages and acting from the gut. As a boy, young Ian ran wild on his family’s citrus farm in the Eastern Cape, preferring the company of the local farm boys (and Kees the baboon). It was here that he first learnt the art of communicating with an audience through song and story. A master storyteller with a wicked sense of humour, Ian offers a highly entertaining glimpse of how actors make the magic happen, whether on a theatre stage or before the TV cameras. Drawing on a career that runs from Long Street to Los Angeles, and from Shakespeare to Tsotsi, Ian provides a masterclass on the art of acting, making his life story a vital guide to aspiring actors. His no-nonsense and fearless approach to life means he has never hesitated to tackle challenging roles and to do things in his own, unconventional way. Today, as frontman for Die Radio Kalahari Orkes, he continues to follow his heart.

IAN ROBERTS is an award-winning actor, playwright and musician. Ian shot to fame in the late 1980s for his roles in hugely popular television series such as Verspeelde Lente, Arende and Inkom’ Edla Yodwa, opposite Henry Cele. Apart from his role in the Oscar-winning South African movie Tsotsi, Ian has also played in many international movies that were filmed in South Africa such as The Power of One, King Solomon’s Mines and Jane and the Lost City. His performance as Boet in the long-running Castrol Can of the Best advertising campaign made him a household name. He is also the lead singer of the band Die Radio Kalahari Orkes.