Arnold Vosloo Resource Page:
Official Biographies
...Or Whoo Is Vosloo? (Part 1)
Courtesy
of "The Mummy" official site. (1999)
ARNOLD VOSLOO quickly established a fine reputation as
an actor in his native South Africa, winning several awards
there for his theatre work, including More Is In Lang Dag,
Don Juan and Torch Song Trilogy. A regular performer with
South Africa's State Theatre, he also played leading roles
in Savages, Twelfth Night and Hamlet. His film career in the
RSA brought him The Dalro Award (FYI: these awards are
no longer given out in South Africa!) as Best Actor for both
"Boetie
Gaan Border Toe" and
"Circles In A Forest", and the Dalro Best Actor Nomination for the
film version of "More Is In Lang Dag".
After moving to the United States, he appeared in Born In The
R.S.A. at Chicago's
Northlight Theatre and starred with Al
Pacino and Sheryl Lee in a
Circle In The Square Uptown production of Salome (his
character's name was "Jokanaan").
The latter running for a total of 18 performances only between June 28, 1992
and July 2, 1992.
Vosloo's film credits include Ridley Scott's
"1492: Conquest of Paradise", John Woo's
"Hard
Target" (produced by James Jacks and Sean Daniel), "Darkman II"
and "Darkman III", both directed
by Bradford May and George Miller's
"Zeus And Roxanne". Equally at home on the television screen,
Vosloo appeared in
"American Gothic" for Fox and "Nash Bridges" for CBS.
...Or Whoo Is Vosloo? (Part 2)
Courtesy of the Presskit for "Darkman 2: The Return of Durant". (1995)
ARNOLD VOSLOO (Dr. Peyton Westlake/Darkman) believes that "Darkman" was such a success because of the
Darkman fantasy, "everyone would like to step into another person's shoes for a day. That's
why people relate to the Darkman character--it's fantastical. He truly can become other people and
enter their worlds."
Vosloo, last seen in the Renaissance Production of John Woo's "Hard Target" for Universal wanted
to be an actor for as long as he can remember. He had strong role models in his parents, who were
theater actors. Performing in town halls, recreation centers and theaters across South Africa, the
Vosloos traveled in a Studebaker, with son Arnold and daughter Nadia, in tow. When the children
reached school age, the Vosloos settled in Port Elizabeth, South Africa where they purchased and
operated a drive-in movie theater.
Vosloo grew up absorbing the business on a day-to-day basis. While his mother and sister ran the
cafeteria stand, his father sold tickets and managed the office. Each night from the projectionist's
booth, Arnold sat with his dog and watched imported movies. Some of his favorites were "Tarzan" and
"A Place in the Sun".
Upon graduation from high school, Vosloo joined a theater troupe. He began his career behind the
scenes, doing lighting and props, and learning from the actors. Soon he tried his hand
at acting and was signed by an agent.
With his handsome charismatic looks and natural talent, Vosloo's acting career took off. One of his
first goals---turning 21 on the set of a movie---was fulfilled. But as Vosloo got older he felt
frustrated by the political climate of his South African homeland, which censored his creativity, as
he wasn't allowed to make films that questioned the government. In spite of high profile roles in
many feature films and television series, his films had a limited distribution and Vosloo was restless
to break into larger markets.
Then Vosloo was cast as the lead in the
Market Theater of South Africa's production of Athol Fugard's
"Born in the RSA" (Republic of South Africa) and had a chance to tour the United States. Although
his American arrival in Chicago was in minus fourteen degree weather, things warmed up when Vosloo was
signed by a William Morris agent. With the support of his thespian parents, Vosloo packed his
bags and set sail for America.
Vosloo's first role in a major motion picture in this country was in Ridley Scott's "1492" with
Gerard Depardieu. In 1991 he also co-starred with Al Pacino as John The Baptist on Broadway in Oscar
Wilde's "Salome".
Then Executive Producers Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert cast Vosloo as a vicious hoodlum in Alphaville/
Renaissance Productions' "Hard Target", an action-packed adventure film, which brought Vosloo to the
attention of the film critics. Raimi and Tapert were so delighted with Vosloo's work in "Hard
Target that they asked him to do the title role in the "Darkman" video series.
Vosloo, who has been featured in dozens of South African magazines, Italy's Vogue for men and
Cosmopolitan, has been described by one critic as having "the energy and sensuality of a young
Marlon Brando."
Arnold Vosloo, winner of two DALRO awards (South Africa's equivalent to the Oscars), and three
VITA awards (South Africa's equivalent to the Tony's), is also passionate about the outdoors,
fly-fishing, trap and skeet shooting, bikes and photography.
...Or Whoo Is Vosloo? (Part 3)
Courtesy of the Press Kit for "Hard Target" (1993).
The respected young actor ARNOLD VOSLOO (Pik Van Cleaf) co-stars as the ice-cold mercenary who
is Emil Fouchon's partner in crime. A native of the Republic of South Africa, Vosloo won strong
reviews last year for his performance as John the Baptist opposite Al Pacino's King Herod in the Broadway
revival of Oscar Wilde's Salome.
Vosloo comes from a theatrical family in South Africa and has been acting since he was a child.
His training ranges from the prestigious PACT Theater Group school in Pretoria to a stint at the
Gunrunner Combat School and even a berth on the South African National Swim Team.
During his time in South Africa, Vosloo appeared in a number of films for African companies working
on location (Skeleton Coast for Cannon, Steel Dawn for Vestron) to raise money
for his itinerant Theater group. He came to the U.S. to play San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle
in Born in the R.S.A. with other members of Athol Fugard's famed Market Theater. He stayed
to try his luck in Hollywood and won three parts from his first four auditions: in Ridley Scott's
1492: Conquest of Paradise, in Salome and now Hard Target.
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