Steve Hofmeyr Bio: 

It takes a very gifted person to achieve lasting success as an actor, singer, songwriter, polemicist, presenter, poet, writer, activist, blogger in any country. South African superstar Steve Hofmeyr is one of those rare talents, undoubtedly one of the hardest working and creative artists in South Africa, whose schedule is never too crammed to not stop and share a word or smile with a supporter.

With almost 2 million units sold and a SAMA award for Best Selling South African Artist 2004, his momentum remains spectacular too watch. 

In 2 different independent 2004 polls, Steve was nominated as both 32nd and 13th most popular South African of all time. 

He is recognised instantly by the South African public as an actor in numerous soapies (Egoli, Scandal, 7 de Laan, Getroud met Rugby), 4 films, presenter of his award winning talk show (DIS HOE DIT IS - kykNet) and singer-songwriter with 21 CD's & 180 of his self-penned songs recorded locally and internationally. He has played leads in Joseph ("Who hasn't?" he says), Summer Holiday, Sound of Music, as well as Dis Hoe Dit Was, a Deon Opperman musical of the live of Steve Hofmeyr. 70 000 folk flocked to attend (“But that was more introspection than even I could handle. No more.”). 

In the stands of our Pretoria rugby hub, Loftus, Steve is known for South Africa’s most renown local (original) rugby song, DIE BLOUBUL, the self penned anthem of his favourite provincial rugby team. 

 

Steve has already written three anthologies of poetry; movie scripts and novels. "I have few illusions; they're far from ready..." he says, VALKUNS was published in 1997. The year 2007 sees the publication of “JêmBekSeep - die omstrede woorde van Steve Hofmeyr” by Griffel, an anthology of the more contentious comments of Hofmeyr in the fields of culture, theology, philosophy, politics and music. Soon after Hertzog Prize-winner, Deon Opperman staged DIS HOE DIT WAS, the musical of Steve Hofmeyr’s multifaceted life. Steve says jokingly: "I begged Deon to please postpone this project until I'm dead!" 

Both Steve and Deon underestimated the demand; 20 000 tickets were sold a month in advance! 

Although he took to acting initially as a means to finance his musical aspirations, his all-round talents quickly made him a highly sought after entertainer becoming one of only 2 solo South African performers to sell-out the Sun City Superbowl more than 5 times and the only one to have sold out Carnival City 6 times in one year. 

In 1997 he exploded on the international music scene when he recorded the duet YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS with Belgian superstar Dana Winner and charted in Belgium at No 2 on the Top 100. Dana and Steve performed together on stage to sold out shows in both Belgium and South Africa and one of his self-penned songs became a hit for her in Europe. 

 

Today, diasporic South Africans will save no cost to fly him across the continents to bring some of Steve's Africa to Holland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Britain. He has performed in Dubai, Kenya, Namibia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comores, Egypt, Zimbabwe and recorded in Los Angeles, USA. "But I'm always more at home in the hot South African platteland or with Afrikaans audiences nationwide. Fly me home!" 

Steve's tribute to Neil Diamond, Beautiful Noise, (6 times gold) is also available on DVD and has broken the South African DVD sales held by none other than Steve's first DVD, TOEKA (Nag van die Legendes). This he followed up in 2008 with a CD and DVD tribute to his dad’s all time favourite artist, Kris Kristofferson. “My dad is not around anymore, but I can hear the applause from heaven!” 

The best was yet to come when Steve, in a selfless act (some say political, in it's attempt to prove that his tribe, the stigmatised Afrikaner, contribute(d) so much more to South Africa than is acknowledged), traced the great SA performers of yester-year in a tribute called TOEKA 1 (gold 6 times and a platinum DVD) and TOEKA 2 (gold 4 times). 

Steve has 6 DVD’s in the shelves, excluding his 4 movies. 

He admits to an agenda: "a careful redefining of the tribe I belong to, which includes an emancipatory recycling of the most important tenants of that culture, it's religions, it's media and its national neighbourliness."Says the man stoically: "This includes a bulldog sensitivity to marginalisation and trivialization by government of the national contributions of minority groups in South Africa. Our diversity and free constitution has now made it possible to embrace both localization and globalisation. I'm optimistic."

2007 was his well-earned sabbatical year. He recorded his 140th programme of his popular talkshow DIS HOE DIT IS and 30 episodes as Brandt van den Bergh in South Africa most popular soapie, 7 de Laan. 

As if a man of leisure, Steve started penning down his on-line diary. One year later SSSB (Steve se Spoegblok) garnered accolades on www.satopsites.co.za as South Africa's #1 blog, South Africa's #1 website, South Africa's #1 New Blog and South Africa's #1 Political Blog. A feat considering he blogs only in his mothertongue, Afrikaans. 

2008 saw Steve embark on the ABSA WAARMAKER TOUR, with a live band and 130 dates. The CD sold well over double platinum, but he stopped halfway for a two week tribute to his hero, Kris Kristofferson. HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT went platinum before the end of that year and the video garnered a SAMA nomination. 

The 2 million CD sales mark is smiling upon his doings and Steve Hofmeyr Music is honoured to manage this unique South African superstar. 

Join Steve in 2009 with his BEAUTIFUL NOISE REUNION TOUR with his latest release, SOLITARY MAN, the music of Neil Diamond. 

 

Steve Hofmeyr’s Bio Summarised: 

Pretoria born. Same day as Michael Jackson, but 4 years younger, 29 Augustus 1964. Virgo. And typical.

Matriculated Grey College in '82, Army and Border duty for 2 years and 2.5 years at Pretoria Tech Drama School.

Stage productions: SUMMER HOLIDAY, JOSEPH, SOUND OF MUSIC... and DIE SOEN, 4 Movies as lead (KAMPUS, AGTER ELKE MAN, NO HERO, CASE OF MURDER and 4 TV soapies: GUILLAM WOUDBERG, AGTER ELKE MAN, SCANDAL and EGOLI) and when the actor's taking a break then the writer takes over, composing songs (13 original cd's, 180 of his songs are being performed locally and internationally) and writing poetry (3 anthologies, one published: VALKUNS). "But I'm not a great poet. They're pretty much economic songs or lazy thoughts condensed!"

Steve singles out hi-lites as acting opposite JOAN COLLINS, SUN CITY SUPERBOWL sell-out months in advance, Carnival City (6 times in one year) and his international performances and recordings (Los Angeles, Holland, Canada, Britain, Dubai, Kenya, Namibia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comores, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Australia, Nieu Zeeland).

Favourite foods: meat, since his wife is a vegetarian! "Nothing beats pizza and South African wine," he says.

Favourite time of year: January, when he goes on holiday and it's summer in Africa. "And Spring, when my fave rugby team, the Blue Bulls defends (and often takes) the Currie Cup."

Favourite destinations: Amsterdam & Brussels & New York & Canada, Exclusive Books, our coastline and home.

The best object he's ever brought back from overseas: Eddie Murphy Live video, E.M Cioran books, Wittgenstein philosophy, global tolerance and unreleased Dave Matthews music. Wooden flotsam from Zanzibar. PC games & books a-plenty.

Favourite part of his job: Traveling, composing. "If I could end up as a songwriter and not sing or act I'd be very happy." People. "Especially the fans of last year; their granny's and newborns, this year. Two wholesome decades of that. What a relationship!"

Favourite pastime: Movies, reading, poetry, surfing the web, arguing.

The easiest song he's ever worked on: "Laaste Lag" - On his debut album Desertbound. He wrote this, his first Afrikaans hit with his left hand while driving his car en route to a gig.

Ultimate ambition: To see his sons grow up. To attend Workaholic's Anonymous. Writing screenplays. Retiring…haha.

Bonus Trivia, plz?

As a vociferous activist Steve had the dubious honour of being on the infamous 'Chris Hani death list' as was revealed during Derby-Lewis and Walusz appearances at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Steve is the patron of Helpende Hand (Helping Hand).

Steve’s great-great grandfather was genl. Louis Botha, South Africa’s first Prime Minister. This explains his vociferous attention to heritage issues.