Tony Award winner Zakes Mokae, 75, dies

South Africa raised him. Broadway nurtured him. Las Vegas welcomed him.

And now says goodbye.

Esteemed theater-film-television actor Zakes Mokae, who died Friday from complications from a stroke at age 75, not only gave Las Vegas the last 25 years of his life, but all of his passion for the stage.

"I thought he was in the top 10 percent of actors. I was a great fan of his," said Robert Brewer, drama professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

That's where Mokae directed students in 2003 in the play "The Road to Mecca" by frequent collaborator Athol Fugard.

"He had human experience. The man had been around the block, but he had an intuitive sense of acting," Brewer said of Mokae. "He was really solid at his center. It's a real loss to the theater."

Mokae was born in Johannesburg in 1934 and lived for years under South African apartheid, moving to Great Britain in 1961 and the United States in 1969.

Turning to acting around the time that Fugard was emerging as a notable playwright, the two collaborated on "The Blood Knot," Fugard's first success, about two South African brothers with different fathers, one fair-skinned, the other dark-skinned.

Mokae's breakthrough came in Fugard's "Master Harold and the Boys," earning him a Tony Award in 1982. He also co-starred with Matthew Broderick in 1985 when it was filmed for television. Mokae's credits included anti-apartheid films "A Dry White Season," "Cry Freedom" and "A World of Strangers," horror movies such as "The Serpent and the Rainbow" and guest roles in TV's "Monk," "The West Wing," "The X-Files" and "Knight Rider."

After moving to Las Vegas, Mokae became involved in local theater, campaigning for creation of a local professional theater company. Mokae directed productions for the Nevada Shakespeare Company and at UNLV, where he lectured. He taught at the College of Southern Nevada from 2001-2003.

"When he came into class, he was just awesome," Brewer recalled. "He was a wonderful inspiration."

Las Vegas actress Charlene Sher, directed by Mokae in "The Road to Mecca," became friends with him and his family.

"He was always in the moment, always right there and real, such an authentic being. And he had a wonderful sense of fun. Such a laugh he had. A divine, lovely laugh."

Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Palm Mortuary, 1600 S. Jones Blvd.

Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256.