Arnold Vosloo Resource Page:
Translation by Chrystal from an article by Franz Kemp (in Afrikaans).
On the cover: ARNOLD VOSLOO: WORLD FAME AT LAST FOR BOETIE -- AS A MUMMY!
WHAT A HORROR -- BOETIE (Arnold's nickname in S.A.) TURNS INTO A MUMMY! At last --
Arnold makes his big breakthrough in
Hollywood. Arnold Vosloo has now made his big break as a mummy in a much praised horror movie.
And while he is on tour around the world to promote this movie, his parents remember how he
dreamed about Hollywood fame even as a child.
At six, he was already the legendary Zorro, avenger of Mexico. It was in the late sixties in
the little town of Despatch, worlds apart from the glamour of Hollywood.
His parents managed the drive-in theatre
in this little place near Port Elizabeth and in the early evening the Zorro series was screened
as a run-up to the main attraction. Boeta [family nickname] would dress-up in his
black
Zorro outfit, climb onto the roof of the projection room and pretend to be the masked hero.
Then he would jump to the ground and knock himself out in the process, but he'd be back up
there on the roof the following evening.
After the Zorro screening, he would get into his father's old DKW and spend the rest of the
evening alone in the car watching the movie. It was his life. Marlon Brandon, Al Pacino and
Robert De Niro were and still remain his heroes.
Thirty years later Arnold Vosloo is himself a Hollywood star. The movie is "The Mummy", it's
a huge success, and Arnold is the actor in it whom everyone is crazy about.
In the first week of its release in America it made more money than any other movie in history,
with the exception of "Jurassic Park". It's expected to make about R1,2 billion in America alone.
And Arnold is said by many to be the true star of "The Mummy". He is now on a world tour to
promote the movie. He is enjoying his success and has just signed a movie contract that will
bring in millions.
His father Deon can still remember how Arnold use to say, back in his school days,
that he will be a millionaire before his 45th birthday.
"It looks as though he will be true to his promise -- maybe even earlier."
Arnold's parents live near the High School where he received his ATKV's honour award as best
actor. "This is Arnold and our daugther Nadia's house", his mother Joyce stresses. "Nadia
lives here, and when he's in South Africa, Arnold sleeps here for a few nights." His parents
have built themselves a very comfortable flat next to the house. "It's so nice to be able to just
lock everything up and get on
the plane when we go to visit Boeta".
They've been to visit Arnold twice in Santa Monica. When he comes to
Johannesburgh next week to promote "The Mummy", they will return with him to America after
first making a stop in London. "He is a beautiful boy who hasn't been changed a bit by his
success," Joyce says. "He has been overseas ten years already, but every Sunday
evening he phones us without fail to find out how we are. And everytime we go overseas,
he takes care of everything."
Deon and Joyce have been theatre people throughout there lives and once they take out the
scrapbooks and all the photos, it is easy to understand why Arnold Vosloo is in Hollywood today.
It's in his genes. 
Deon, a fit 72 year old, is from Aberdeen and at 18 already wanted to make his career on stage.
His father, however, said that he should learn a trade first and so Deon became a cabinet-maker
in Uitenhage. In 1950, he
joined the Johan Foerie
theatre group. "Those were the days when we toured the rural districts
with performances of Groen Koring, Geen Groter Liefde and Genakte Riete [Green Corn,
No Greater Love, and Broken Reeds]."
It was during that time that Joyce Vorster, niece of former President John Vorster, walked into
his life when she was offered a role in Genakte Riete. Deon and Joyce performed on stage
together for 5 years. In 1963 they opened the drive-in theatre in Despatch and managed it until
1970. In those years Joyce Vosloo was a model in the Bay [meaning "Algoa Bay" which is the
other name that Port Elizabeth is known as. It's from way back in the old days when the city
was discovered and used as a port town] where she often worked for the Wolraad [This is the
Wool Corporation?].
Their two children practically grew up on the stage. Nadia's childhood was spent in the caravan
that her parents used to travel around the country, but she is a trained ballet dancer.
She could have been an actress herself, but the uncertainty of the this type of work scared
her off. In later years she was a successful model and dancer in the Rand.
Apart from his imaginary Zorro performances, Arnold made his stage debute in primary school
in Uitenhage. His 42 little friends were all tested for the operetta, but it was he who got
the singing role.
"Few people know that Arnold is an excellent singer and dancer," tells his father.
After matric he went to Pretoria's Technical College for a drama course. After only nine months
he got his first role and a contract with the Transvaalse Kunsteraad [arts group].
Afterwards local movies followed such as "Boetie Gaan Border Toe" and the sequal, as well as
Meisie Van Suidwes ["Girl from South West"; today known as "Namibia"] and "Kringe in n Bos"
["Circles in a Forrest"].
In 1989, Arnold told his parents that he wanted to go to Hollywood. "We encouraged him
and supported him through those years and told him to just hang in there."
Arnold started at the bottom and had a very difficult time of it.
"Those were difficult years for Boeta," tells Joyce. "He was without work and without money.
Many nights he slept in his old car and many days he lived off of brown rice. On top of
everything else, he is such a loner."
His parents believe that "The Mummy" is his big break. He spent nine years acting in inferior
movies for which he received little recognition in his own country, but at last he is in one
of the big money makers.
The critics overseas have praised his performance. His face is being used world wide to
promote the movie and he is begining to be recognized on the streets. The New York Post's
critic said, among other things: "Vosloo in the role of the attractive, frightening Imhotep
steals all the attention in the movie." 
The film maker Regardt van den Bergh says he had faith in Arnold from the start. "That's
why I used him in three of my movies. Arnold is an unique actor. He grew up in the movie
industry and has a great love for it. Movies are the language he understands and it shines
through him."
Regardt feels that he can make it to the top in Hollywood provided that he choses the right
roles.
Arnold himself has no doubts about his horror role as the mummy Imhotep. "Just look at what
such roles have done for the careers of Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee...."
He remarried at the end of last year -- very romantic. Sylvia Ahi is a marketing director
from Los Angeles. Arnold didn't tell anyone before hand about the wedding, not even his
bride-to-be. When he and Sylvia went to visit friends in Las Vegas, a limousine was waiting
at the airport and, as arranged before-hand by Arnold, they went straight to the Elvis Presley
chapel. Sylvia knew of nothing -- and then suddenly, quiet and fast, just as Arnold wanted it,
they were married. Without even a photograph. Afterwards he phoned his parents, "Guess what: I'm married."
And soon Deon and Joyce will meet their new daughter-in-law for the first time. The girl
who caught a Hollywood star...
