Brett Goldin (21 October 1977 – 16 April 2006) was a South African
actor
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
and part of the Crazy Monkey comedy troupe. Goldin was murdered in
Cape Town
Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
in 2006 alongside friend Richard Bloom, a fashion designer who was a label manager for the Maze clothing company in Cape Town.
[
]
Early life
Goldin was the son of Peter and Denise Goldin and had one sibling, his sister Samantha.[
He was educated at the King David School in Victory Park, ]Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
and at Crawford College, Sandton. He was a student of the University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa.
Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...
Drama Department from 1997 to 2000. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in English and Drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
, and subsequently completed a Performer's Diploma in Speech and Drama.
Career
Goldin began performing professionally at the age of eleven and had extensive experience in television, film and theatre.[
]
Television
Goldin, along with Trevor Clarence, Brendan Jack and Gavin Williams, performed stunts in the popular Crazy Monkey series of comedy inserts aired between music videos by MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
.
He starred in commercials for Pepsi
Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...
and CNA.[
His television acting roles include Terry Schachter in the ]science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
series ''Charlie Jade
''Charlie Jade'' is a science fiction television series filmed mainly in Cape Town, South Africa. It stars Jeffrey Pierce in the title role, as a detective from a parallel universe who finds himself trapped in our universe. This is a Canadian and ...
'', Michael Krauss in the 2003 television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
drama ''Citizen Verdict'', and Dylan in Season 3 of the South African drama series '' Yizo Yizo''.
Film
Goldin's film roles include Carl in the 2002 horror film ''Slash'', Lourens in the 2003 romantic drama ''Proteus
In Greek mythology, Proteus ( ; ) is an early prophetic sea god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" (''hálios gérôn''). Some who ascribe a specific domain to Prote ...
'', and B-Dog in Crazy Monkey's 2005 comedy feature film ''Straight Outta Benoni''.[
]
Theatre
In 2004 Goldin wrote and acted in his first stage play, a one-man show titled ''Bad Apple'', which examined what would happen if a Columbine-style killing spree were to occur at a wealthy public school in Johannesburg. The production opened in August 2004 at the Intimate Theatre at the University of Cape Town, directed by Matthew Wild
Matthew Wild is a South African theatre director and stage director, especially of opera. He was artistic director of the Cape Town Opera from 2015 to 2021. Wild works internationally, directing Boesmans' '' Julie'' at NorrlandsOperan and the Mal ...
. The production received excellent reviews from the local press.[
At the time of his death, Goldin was playing the role of ]Guildenstern
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet''. They are childhood friends of Hamlet, summoned by King Claudius to distract the prince from his apparent madness and if possible to ascertain the cause of ...
in ''Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' at the Baxter Theatre and was set to go to the United Kingdom as part of the South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
n production to be performed in Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...
.[
]
Murder
Goldin was murdered alongside a friend, Richard Bloom, in the early hours of Sunday 16 April 2006. They were killed with two shots each to the back of the head in Mowbray, Cape Town
Mowbray is one of the Southern Suburbs, Cape Town, Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa and lies on the slopes of Devil's Peak (Cape Town), Devil's Peak. Mowbray is at a junction of several major Cape Town freeways and has an important multi ...
, after they had left a party in Camps Bay
Camps Bay (Afrikaans: ''Kampsbaai'') is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, and the small bay on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula after which it is named. In summer it attracts many South African and foreign visitors.
History
The ...
. They had been hijacked and shot execution-style.[
Police and family members were alerted that the men were missing after police patrolling Camps Bay in the early hours of Sunday morning stopped a car being driven recklessly and suspiciously and found Goldin's credit card in the possession of men in the vehicle. The men were questioned by the police and eventually pointed out the location of the bodies of the deceased.][
Reportedly found naked except for their socks in the ]veld
Veld ( or , Afrikaans language, Afrikaans and Dutch language, Dutch: ''veld'', field), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide-open, rural landscape in Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrubland, scrub, ...
next to the M5 freeway early on Monday 17 April 2006, some media coverage of the murders was deemed "particularly disturbing and highly insensitive". Both men killed were gay, and members of the local gay community were traumatised by their violent deaths.[
Eleven suspects were initially arrested for the murders. In May 2007, 25-year-old Shavaan Marlie and 23-year-old Clinton Davids pleaded guilty to the murders of Goldin and Bloom and several other related charges. Marlie and Davids received an effective 28-year prison sentence each in terms of a plea bargain agreement.] Four other men had been sentenced for related charges the previous year in terms of plea bargain agreements requiring them to testify against Marlie and Davids.
Television documentaries
In 2007 Antony Sher
Sir Antony Sher (14 June 1949 – 2 December 2021) was a British actor, writer and theatre director of South African origin. A two-time Laurence Olivier Award winner and a five-time nominee, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 and ...
presented a Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
documentary directed by Jon Blair
Jon Blair, CBE (born 1950), is a South African-born British writer, film producer, and director of documentaries, drama, and comedy.
Biography
Jon Blair was born in South Africa in 1950. After evading conscription into the South African Defen ...
about the murders, titled ''Murder Most Foul''.
In July 2012, the murders were covered in the first episode of the M-Net
M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
''Crimes Uncovered'' crime docu-drama
Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event".
Docudramas typ ...
television series titled ''When Two Worlds Collide: The Brett Goldin and Richard Bloom Story''.
Brett Goldin Bursary Fund
Shortly after Goldin's murder, the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town, the Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
and the Actors Centre in Johannesburg founded the Brett Goldin Bursary Fund in his memory.
Filmography
Film
* ''Slash'' (2002), Carl
* ''Proteus
In Greek mythology, Proteus ( ; ) is an early prophetic sea god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" (''hálios gérôn''). Some who ascribe a specific domain to Prote ...
'' (2003), Lourens
* ''Adrenaline'' (2003), Eddy
* ''Blast'' (2004), Brett
* ''Straight Outta Benoni'' (2005), Brett "B-Dog"
* ''Racing Stripes
''Racing Stripes'' is a 2005 American sports comedy family film directed by Frederik Du Chau. The film was produced by Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Lloyd Phillips and Edward L. McDonnell, based on a script written by David Schmidt, S ...
'' (2005), Ticket Vendor
Television
* '' Cavegirl'': ''Pigball'' (2002), Pigball Star Player
* ''Citizen Verdict'' (2003), Michael Krauss
* ' (2004), Hotel Manager
* ''Yizo Yizo'' (2004), Dylan
* ''Fela's TV'' (2004)
* ''Charlie Jade
''Charlie Jade'' is a science fiction television series filmed mainly in Cape Town, South Africa. It stars Jeffrey Pierce in the title role, as a detective from a parallel universe who finds himself trapped in our universe. This is a Canadian and ...
'': ''Identity'' (2005), Terry Schachter
* ''Charlie Jade
''Charlie Jade'' is a science fiction television series filmed mainly in Cape Town, South Africa. It stars Jeffrey Pierce in the title role, as a detective from a parallel universe who finds himself trapped in our universe. This is a Canadian and ...
'': ''Flesh'' (2005), Scrawny Bouncer
References
External links
*
TVSA Actor Profile: Brett Goldin
Who's Who SA: Brett Goldin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldin, Brett
1977 births
2006 deaths
2006 in South Africa
2006 murders in South Africa
20th-century South African LGBTQ people
21st-century South African LGBTQ people
Burials at Westpark Cemetery
Deaths by firearm in South Africa
Gay Jews
Jewish male actors
Murdered Jews
People murdered in South Africa
South African gay actors
South African Jews
South African male film actors
South African male stage actors
South African male television actors
South African murder victims
University of Cape Town alumni
White South African people