Wena Naudé
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Wena Naudé | |
|---|---|
 Naudé (left) and Mathilda Hanekom in 1929. | |
| Born | Agnes Alwena Naudé 31 December 1905[1] |
| Died | 6 September 1978 (aged 72) |
| Occupation | Actor |
Agnes Alwena (Wena) Naudé (31 December 1905 – 6 September 1978) was an Afrikaans actress. She was one of the pioneers of Afrikaans theatre.
Naudé went to school in Volksrust and Lydenburg, after which she worked in a bicycle shop in Pretoria. In her free time, she took speech lessons from Stephanie Faure and took the final exam in 1924. She then received further acting training from Paul de Groot, whose theatre company she joined. In July 1925 they undertook a theatrical tour with 'Huistoe' (Heimat van Sudermann) and in January 1926 with 'Oorskotjie' (Nicodemi).[2]
She was, among others, a member of the companies of Hendrik Hanekom and André Huguenet who travelled from town to town with their plays. In 1954 she received the Medal of Honor for Theatre from the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns.[3]
Naudé was married to Willem van Zyl. They had a daughter, Nilo. In 1940 they divorced and in 1943 she married Johan Pretorius Pienaar, a brother of Sangiro. In 1947 she also divorced Johan. She has 3 grandchildren, namely Alwena van der Westhuizen, Riana Jeffery and Wilna van Gass. Her daughter, Nilo Mostert, occasionally performed one-man plays at small functions until her death (11 March 2016). Wena also has 5 great-grandchildren, namely Sonja, (deceased), Carl and Riani van der Westhuizen as well as Lindie and Stephnie van Gass.[4]
