Deon Stewardson (11 October 1951 – 27 October 2017) was a British-South African actor best known for his role as Anders Du Plessis in the ITV Drama series '' Wild at Heart''. The seven series were popular in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

with television viewing figures between 7.5 million and 10 million. The last series was recorded in 2011 with a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

Special. He worked alongside many well known actors including

Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising ...

. Stewardson and his partner Marianne would live in the

Hartbeespoort Dam Hartbeespoort Dam (also known as ''Harties'') is an arch type dam situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It lies in a valley to the south of the Magaliesberg mountain range and north of the Witwatersberg mountain range, about 35 kil ...

area of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

during the six months filming. He had a passion for wildlife and his character known as "Dup" worked perfectly for him. As well as this role he has taken on a number of minor roles in many different genres, including ''The Foster Gang''. Stewardson has also starred in films, most notably ''Lethal Woman''. Deon was the son of

South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...

actor

Joe Stewardson Joe Stewardson was a South African film actor.Database (undated)"Stewardson, Joe" ''The British Film Institute Film and Television Database''. Accessed 12 August 2010. Career Partial filmography * ''All the Way to Paris'' (1965) * ''Wild ...

and brother of the late Matthew Stewardson who appeared in

Idols South Africa (season 1) ''Idols South Africa I'' was the first season of South African reality interactive talent show based on the British talent show Pop Idol. It started as the second international spin-off of the original series just days after the first Idol season ...

Death

On the morning of 28 October 2017, a local outlet reported Stewardson had been found dead in the bathroom at a

Graaff-Reinet Graaff-Reinet is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the oldest town in the province. It is also the sixth-oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, Paarl and Swellendam. The town was the c ...

accommodation establishment the previous afternoon, with police confirming it as

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. Stewardson is survived by his partner Marianne Meijer, sister Sheryl and half siblings Joanne and Sean. By his request, there was no funeral and his family and friends arranged a 'get-together' to remember him on the day of his direct cremation. Stewardson never married or had children and regretted not doing so.https://aberdeencape.org/tragic-death-of-well-known-actor-deon-stewardson/ , Tragic death of well-known actor Deon Stewardson

Filmography and television appearances

References

1951 births 2017 deaths South African male television actors South African male film actors {{SouthAfrica-actor-stub