Marcel van Heerden

Marcel van Heerden (born 1952) is a South African actor and director. He is best known for his roles in the popular films The Flyer, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and White Wedding. Personal life Van Heerden was born in 1952 in Cape Town and grew up Stellenbosch, South Africa. His mother Marie van Heerden, was a stage director and actress. He has one brother, Johann van Heerden. Van Heerden was in a relationship with the singer, Juliana Venter with whom he also collaborated in the performance group Mud Ensemble in the 1990s. The couple has one son, Vincent. Career Van Heerden studied drama at the University of Stellenbosch Drama Department. He then moved to the University of Cape Town Drama Department and studied under renowned artists Robert Mohr and Mavis Taylor. Meanwhile, he qualified with a Bilingual Performers Diploma in Speech and Drama in 1975. He later become one of the first Afrikaans actors to work consistently in the anti-apartheid theaters, The Space theater and The Market Theater.