Shaleen Surtie-Richards (7 May 1955[1] – 7 June 2021[2][3]) was a South African television, stage, and film actress, perhaps best known for her starring roles in the 1988 film Fiela se Kind and the long-running series Egoli: Place of Gold.
[5] As a child, when a local music school would not admit her because of her colour, her father bought her a piano and hired a teacher.
[1] She also appeared in a number of other South African television programmes, including the soap opera's 7de Laan, Villa Rosa, and Generations.
[14] She appeared on stage in works by Shakespeare,[15] Willy Russell,[16] Athol Fugard,[4] and Pieter-Dirk Uys.
[5] In 2008, for her performance in Shirley Valentine, she also won the Herrie Prize for most popular production at the Klein Karoo Arts Festival.
[17] Surtie-Richards was also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress for her role in Villa Rosa at the 2014 awards.