There are characters who transcend time and generations, who unearth our deepest emotions and become our biggest inspirations. Cultural icons who are global in scale but so familiar you would swear they lived next door,
Jamie Bartlett’s David Genaro was that for South Africans, both young and old.
Jamie died at the age of 55 this week, a star burnt out before its time.
Those closest to the actor have been left reeling and unable to talk as they make sense of his passing.
The man who stood in character on e.tv’s Rhythm City and proudly proclaimed “I am David Genaro”, who laughed at death and said he was immortal, has fallen.
And suddenly it also seemed surreal.
For me, Jamie was as enigmatic as his most famous TV character. A man who commanded respect, even if you didn’t fully understand why.
Maybe it was the dark glasses that seemed to separate him from the “real world”, or his laugh that pierced the very soul. Like his character, he was a man who lived and loved deeply, but also seemed haunting.
David was born to a South African mother and a British father in Maidenhead, England.
In SA he was a rugby union player, having picked up the sport as a young child, and with scholarships in hand he looked to have a bright future in the sport. But the stage called louder to him and he had a decision to make.
After finishing school he decided to throw himself completely into theatre and immediately began pushing boundaries.
He recounted to Cape Talk last year how he became the first African to take his clothes off on stage in the 1986 theatre production Cock and Bull Story. He performed in several productions across the country, from Johannesburg to East London and KwaZulu-Natal.
Jamie was shy, but found a voice and larger-than-life presence on stage that soon saw him make the transition to screens.
He teamed up with internationally-acclaimed SA filmmaker Anant Singh on several films, including the Iraqi war-themed film Bravo Two Zero, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) film Red Dust, Prey and Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.
Jamie studied his characters to the smallest of detail, getting into character on a level few actors in the world are able to do .
He went on to star in Black Tax, Family Secrets and Jozi-H. He was a judge on SA’s Got Talent, starred in several theatre and TV productions and hosted actor workshops.
However, for many it was his role as the shady Mike O’Reilly on SABC3’s Isidingo that captured, and held, the attention of South Africans from all walks of life.
He later moved to Rhythm City, where his portrayal of gangster David Genaro catapulted him to a level rarely seen on South African TV.
Songs were made about his character. His antics became discussion points at water coolers and dinner tables. Everyone, even those who didn’t watch the soapie, knew David Genaro and his antics.
He recounted to our sister publication The Sowetanhow he would walk down the streets of Uganda and be swarmed by fans who knew and loved his character.
David Genaro was the ultimate escape artist, and he refused to die. So it was with shock that fans learnt Jamie was putting the character to “rest” after more than a decade in the role. His last appearance in February 2020 drew a flood of emotion and tributes.
The star was often honoured and won, among other accolades, three prestigious SA Film and Television Awards in a career spanning more than three decades.
He was divorced from former Generations actress Camilla Waldman. The couple have a son together. He was in a relationship with Rosa Onious before his death.
His legacy will live on in the hundreds he trained and mentored across the country, but, like his character, Jamie Bartlett will never die. He will stay immortal in the memory of every South African who loved him.
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