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Uys PieterDirk Biography

South African playwright, activist and performer specializing in satirization of social issues. He is perhaps best known for his Dame-Edna-like character, Evita Bezuidenhout (also known as Tannie Evita), a character he originated during the Apartheid era in South Africa. The son of a Calvinist Afrikaner father and Berlin-born Jewish mother he started his career as a playwright. But he began doing one-man revues and found a niche for his social messages and his talent,using humor to show the ridiculousness and inhumanity of Apartheid policies, censorship, government officials and bigotry. After South Africa rejected Apartheid and Nelson Mandela became President, Uys was seen in a TV series, "Fungilore" in which, as Evita, he interviewed Mandela and others. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of AIDS/HIV awareness, prevention and treatment. He is the author of several books including his 2003 "Elections & Erections: A Memoir of Fear and Fun" and his 2005 "Between the Devil and the Deep: A Memoir of Acting and Reacting." Link to Wikipedia biography Read less