What Isidingo’s ‘Frank Xavier’ Kevin Smith has been up to

A familiar face for many local television fans, Kevin Smith is appearing once again on our daily screens.

The actor who’s been in the industry for decades, has appeared on shows such as Isidingo, Suidooster and Egoli. He now stars in BET Africa’s Isono original drama, portraying the character of Elliot King, a career criminal.

Speaking to The Citizen, Smith thought it was a fantastic role and at first thought he wasn’t the right fit.

“The character is a bit of a mercenary, a criminal element, he was involved in shady businesses throughout Africa. He’s a bit of an action hero, I thought maybe I was too old for it. ”

The actor. approaching 60, also didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to work with the likes of Nthai Moshesh (Mother Mary) again, including one of his career goals of being an action hero

The co-stars worked together in the 1980s on the classic TV soapie, Egoli. Elliot and Mary still have a lot of feelings for each other from their past relationship. Smith called the duo’s chemistry “dynamite”. The possibility of Elliot being the father of Esther (Didi Khunou) is the “glue that binds them together”.

“What is he going to do? What does this mean for Elliot and his legacy to have a daughter like Esther? She is the light between the darkness of her parents,” he says.

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Many people know Smith for his role on Isidingo as Frank Xavier. The character was killed off in 2015 but he moved to the director’s chair.. Smith enjoyed his decade-long stay, praising it for telling “real stories about real people.”

At the height of his career in Isidingo, the actor says he didn’t pay much attention to the admiring female eyes and praise of his good looks. “I have been fortunate that people don’t fixate on one aspect of who I am and they know that I am far more variant than just that,” he said.

What he was up after Isidingo? He played a detective in Suidooster, which included a lot of outdoor adventures. He told us some interesting facts people may not know.

Smith is a motorbike owner and off-road bikes, he enjoys travelling around South Africa and hiking. “I travel through Johannesburg to East London, then to the Wild Coast. In a country like ours, where there is so much nature, get out there and see it.”

Smith’s premiere on Isono appears on Tuesday, 13 July, channel 129 on DStv.