---
name: "Athol Fugard"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/athol-fugard"
fi1m_id: "athol-fugard"
imdb_id: "nm0297538"
tmdb_id: 11860
wikidata_id: "Q601307"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "11 June 1932"
died: "8 March 2025"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-27T07:51:21.221835+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Athol Fugard

## Identity

Athol Fugard

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/athol-fugard
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** athol-fugard
- **IMDb ID:** nm0297538
- **TMDB ID:** 11860
- **Wikidata ID:** Q601307
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athol_Fugard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q601307, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297538/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11860

Actor. Born 11 June 1932 in Middelburg. Died 8 March 2025.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 11 June 1932, Middelburg
- **Died:** 8 March 2025
- **Active:** 1982–2005
- **Average Fi1m score:** 78, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athol_Fugard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q601307, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297538/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11860

## Streaming the US now

- **The Roku Channel:** [*The Killing Fields*](https://film.one/film/the-killing-fields.md) (82)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Gandhi*](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md) (73)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Athol Fugard was a South African playwright, actor and director. He was born Harold Athol Lanigan Fugard on 11 June 1932 in Middelburg and died on 8 March 2025 in Stellenbosch.

He is best known for his plays exploring the effects of apartheid, including *The Blood Knot* (1961), *Boesman and Lena* (1969), *Sizwe Banzi Is Dead* (1972) and *'Master Harold'... and the Boys* (1982). As an actor, he appeared in the films *Gandhi* (1982) as General Jan Christiaan Smuts and *The Killing Fields* (1984) as Dr Sundesval.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, apnews.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *The Killing Fields* (1984), Fi1m 82, as Dr. Sundesval — [page](https://film.one/film/the-killing-fields.md)
- *Gandhi* (1982), Fi1m 73, as General Jan Christiaan Smuts — [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)

## Complete filmography (19)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *"Master Harold" ...and the Boys* (2020), Writer
- *National Theatre Live: 'Master Harold'... and the boys* (2019), Writer
- *The Space: Theatre of Survival* (2019), as as Self(rumored)
- *Master Harold... and the Boys* (2010), Theatre Play
- *Tsotsi* (2005), Novel
- *Boesman and Lena* (2000), Theatre Play, Writer
- *The Road to Mecca* (1991), as Rev. Marius Byleveld · Director, Writer
- *'Master Harold'... and the Boys* (1985), Author
- *The Killing Fields* (1984), as Dr. Sundesval — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-killing-fields.md)
- *Gandhi* (1982), as General Jan Christiaan Smuts — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)
- *Marigolds in August* (1980), as Paulus Olifant · Writer
- *Meetings with Remarkable Men* (1979), as Professor Skridlov
- *The Guest: An Episode in the Life of Eugène Marais* (1977), as Eugène Marais · Writer
- *Playhouse* (1974), series, Writer
- *Sizwe Bansi Is Dead* (1974), Writer
- *Boesman and Lena* (1973), as Boesman · Writer
- *Mille Miglia* (1968), Writer
- *BBC Play of the Month* (1965), series, Writer
- *Theatre 625* (1964), series, as Morris · Writer

## Awards

### Other awards — 4 won, 2 nominated

- Praemium Imperiale 2014: Praemium Imperiale (won)
- Order of Ikhamanga in Silver 2005: Order of Ikhamanga in Silver (won)
- Paul Robeson Award 1997: Paul Robeson Award (won)
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature 1986: Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (won)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play 1982: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play 1975: Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (nominated)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/athol-fugard