Actor Jamie Bartlett has died. He is best known for starring as TV villains Mike O’Reilly in Isidingo on SABC3, David Genaro in Rhythm City on e.tv, and as a judge on SA’s Got Talent on e.tv.
eNca broke the sad news
Former Rhythm City actor Jamie Bartlett has died aged 55. Bartlett was best known for playing the role of David Genaro in the eTV soapie. #DStv403 #eNCA pic.twitter.com/sChrHKD1Og
— eNCA (@eNCA) May 23, 2022
Bartlett was born in Maidenhead, England, in 1966 to a South African mother and British father.
St. Stithians Boys College, Rondebosch High School, and Brynston High School. After high school, he studied speech and acting at UCT.
He afterwards took a workshop at London’s Chrysalis Theatre Acting School.
His first major role was in American Ninja 2: The Confrontation in 1987. He has since appeared in numerous international and local films, including Big Game, Blind Justice, In the Name of Blood, The Sandgrass People, The Revenger, American Ninja 4: The Annihilation, Sweet n Short, Warhead, Ernest Goes to Africa, The Sexy Girls, Bravo Two Zero, Beyond Borders, 12 Days of Terror, Red Dust, Swansong for Charlie, Avenger, and the
Bartlett was married to Camilla Waldman; they had a son, Hector.
He was well known for playing Mike O’Reilly on SABC3’s Isidingo, where he was the first character to speak.
After numerous years, he played David Genaro on e.tv and received a Safta in February 2020. He judged SA’s Got Talent on e.tv’s 7th and 8th seasons.
Other TV roles include Richard Sterling in Black Tax and Family Secrets and Jozi-H. He played Miles Wilson in Homeland and Dickie in Screen Two.
Most of Bartlett’s theatrical work was at the Market Theatre, where he played a homosexual boxer and earned a Vita Award for Most Promising Actor.
In 1987, he earned the Vita Best Actor Award for his Market Theatre performance in East, then featured in 1990’s Rainshark.
He was in The Great Outdoors and The Fire Raisers. In 2011, he received the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role for Death of a Colonialist at the Market Theatre.
