Bob Courtney

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Bob Courtney (31 October 1922[1] – 24 October 2010[1]) was a British-born South African actor and broadcaster. He appeared in more than twenty film roles and worked as an on-air presenter and broadcaster on Springbok Radio.[1][2] Additionally, Courtney co-founded Radio Today in 1996.[2]

Biography

Courtney was born Christopher Robert Courtney Leaver on 31 October 1922, in

entertainer during World War II.[1][2] Courtney served as an RAF entertainer in North Africa, Greece and Italy.[2] He met two South African entertainers, Siegfried Mynhardt and Uys Krige, in Rome, Italy, near the end of World War II. Krige and Mynhardt persuaded Courtney to move to South Africa.[2]

Courtney emigrated to South Africa in 1946 and began working at the

radio shows during the 1940s.[2]

In 1950, Courtney began hosting the Welcome Little Stranger children's show on the now defunct

mine shaft.[2] The popular radio show ended in 1974. Pick a Box was briefly resurrected as a television quiz show in the 1980s with Courtney once again as its host. However, the TV version was not a hit and was quickly cancelled.[2]

Courtney's other shows on Springbok Radio included the Eyegene Jackpot game show, which aired from the 1950s until the 1970s, and Stop the Music, which aired for ten years.[2] He also launched the Springbok show Greet the Bride, which would air for five days per week for twenty years on the radio.[2] He attempted to reopen Springbok Radio after the station was closed in 1985.[2] However, the South African Broadcasting Corporation decided against the relaunch of Springbok Radio in 1994, citing financial concerns.[2]

Courtney also co-founded a radio station, Radio Today, in 1996 with former Springbok Radio broadcaster Peter Lotis.[1] The station's targeted audience were listeners in their 50s and older.[2] The station attracted more than 70,000 listeners, but did not attract advertisers.[2] Courtney hired a financial adviser, who saved Radio Today, though Courtney disagreed with some of the station's new financial and creative directions.[2] He retired from Radio Today in 2008.[2]

Courtney's acting career spanned several decades and included more than twenty film credits.[2] His film roles included Lord Oom Piet in 1962, Kruger Millions, All the Way to Paris, Dingaka and Hans en die Rooinek.[1] He was also a founding member of the South Africa National Theatre. In the 1980s, he ran a steakhouse in Johannesburg.

Bob Courtney died in Johannesburg at the age of 87 on 24 October 2010, just one week before what would have been his eighty-eighth birthday.[1][2] His funeral was held at the St. Martin's-in-the-Veld Anglican Church in Dunkeld, Gauteng.[1] Courtney was survived by his wife, Yvonne, and their two children.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Actor, radio legend laid to rest today". The Weekend Post. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  2. ^
    The Times (South Africa)
    . 30 October 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2010.

External links

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