Another star falls, leaving dark hole in show business

The death of James Bartlett has left a dark hole in show business. The actor died suddenly on Monday evening and since then, social media has been awash with tributes for the former Isidingo and Rhythm City star. Bartlett was 55 years old.

He had three South African Film and Television Awards for his role as villain David Genaro in Rhythm City, a reprise of baddie-ness, after playing an equally dark role as Mike O’Reilly on the long-running SABC soap, Isidingo.

Bartlett was also an accomplished stage actor. His mastery of the craft was often showcased at the Market Theatre in notable productions like the Cock and Bull Story, which won him a 1986 Vita Award as most promising young actor.

In the piece he played a gay boxer during a period of heightened conservatism and prejudice, at the height of PW Botha’s Total Onslaught campaign.

In 1987, Bartlett won a Vita Best Actor for his role in East, a widely acclaimed piece of satire. The play, Death of a Colonialist, also performed at the Market Theatre, earned him a Naledi Award in 2011. Bartlett also made a turn as a judge in the e.tv version of the reality talent show, South Africa’s Got Talent. He buzzed contestants for two seasons.

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American Ninja 2, The Confrontation was filmed in 1987 and marked his segue from theatre onto the big screen. Bartlett played silver and small screen roles before landing the part in Isidingo. Notably, Bartlett started opposite Angelina Jolie and Hilary Swank in Beyond Borders.

There were also roles in American Ninja 4, The Annihilation and Leon Shuster’s Sweet and Short. Bartlett also starred in the 2010 film White Lion, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom and Nothing for Mahala.

Bartlett starred in 17 films during his career, alongside other television appearances in Black Tax, Homeland and Family Secrets, among others.

Collectively, in social media tributes, Bartlett was referred to as a tremendously talented and kind person. Fans and peers alike loved the man, his talent and his affable nature. He leaves behind son Hector from his marriage to actress Camilla Waldman.