David played the father of the Welman family Chris Welman on the SABC2 soap opera 7de Laan.
David Rees (born 2 February 1968) is a South African actor and producer. He has been in the movie space for thirty-four years. He has appeared in movies like Egoli: Afrikaners is Plesierig in 2010 and Agter elke man in 1990.
Rees is best known for his role in American Ninja 4: The Annihilation in 1990. He played Chris Welman in the Afrikaans soap opera 7de Laan.
| David Rees | |
|---|---|
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| Short Profile | |
| Full name: | David Rees |
| Born: | 2 February 1968 (age 55 years old) |
| Nationality: | South African |
| Spouse: | Herculina Pentz |
| Relation: | Monique Buttle (sister) |
| Occupation: | Actor, producer |
| Years active: | 1989-date |
| Known role: | American Ninja 4: The Annihilation |
Early Life
David Rees was born on 2 February 1968. Growing up, he has had a series of experiences. He had an alcoholic life as a teenager and used to smoke dagga for two decades.
The actor started smoking during his army days and started to drink and do hard drugs such as cocaine.
His habit cost him all his possessions and R30 000 per month. His nose and internal organs eventually started bleeding due to the drug damage.
Career
His appearance in the 1990 blockbuster film American Ninja 4: The Annihilation gained him prominence.
After some years, he began to play Nick Naudé in the M-Net soap opera Egoli: Place of Gold. He continued playing the role and appeared for eighteen years. The management fired him in 2010 for causing trouble. He became more popular from the show.
After leaving Egoli, he landed another role in the television serial Hartland. He joined the cast as Boetman and has appeared in many other television productions. He appeared in other television series like Binnelanders and Roer Jou Voete.
Landing the role of Chris Welman in the SABC2 soap opera 7de Laan in 2016 further made him known. His character was the father of the Welman family. He left the show in July 2018 and returned in 2020 to reprise his role.
David Rees became the spokesperson for the non-profit organization AAC after his rehabilitation process. He strives to allow the poor access to programs against addiction.
Personal Life
The Egoli actor was, for half of his life, addicted to alcohol and drugs. He underwent a rehabilitation process of seventeen months in 2007. It cost him R100 000 under The Addiction Action Campaign (AAC).
The actor underwent a double bypass after a heart attack at his Johannesburg home on 6 August 2023. He was in critical condition and spent days in the hospital, in the high-care unit. He also received treatments for a minor lung infection.
To raise funds for his health, his family launched a crowdfunding page, BackaBuddy. The target was to raise R500,000 for his medical bills. Monique Buttle is his sister.
In late August 2023, the doctors discharged him from hospital. The family provided updates about his health through his Facebook page by Corlia Strauss, his publicity manager. David Rees is married to Herculina Pentz, who is 45 years old.
Filmography
- American Ninja 4: The Annihilation as Delta Force Team
- Agter elke man as Hannes
- Egoli: Place of Gold as Nick Naudé
- Egoli: Afrikaners is Plesierig as Niek Naudé
- Susanna van Biljon as Dirk Human
- Hartland as Boetman
- The Algiers Murders
- 7de Laan as Chris Welman
- My Father’s War as Colonel Swartz
- Tydelik Terminaal as Regardt
- Binnelanders as Prokureur / Theuns
- Dit Wat Stom Is as Bart van den Berg
- Roer Jou Voete – Season 1 Halgreen Tydelik
- Terminaal – Season 1 Regardt