Bio
Lieb Bester was a South African actor and musician best known for his role as Fritz Retief in the kykNET soap opera Villa Rosa.
He was also known for his starring role as Senior Superintendent George Lindeque in the thriller drama series Arsenaal, in 2002.
Bester was born and raised in the Guateng mining town of Brakpan, matriculating from Hoër Seunskool Stoffberg in 1967. After school he did nine months of compulsory military service, stationed at Walvis Bay.
In 1969 the Afrikaans Theatre Company of Springs staged the Uys Krige play The Rich Widow, which gave Bester his first taste of the stage.
He appeared in his first film - Seun van die Wildtemmer, produced by Kavalier Films - in 1973, and appeared in a further 10 films by 1976, when television arrived in South Africa for the first time.
Bester acted in a number of the earliest South African television series, including Opdrag (Assignment), TJ 7, Phoenix en Kie (Phoenix and Co.) and the drama Dis Koud Hier (It's Cold Here). He also did a lot of dub work for series being dubbed from English to Afrikaans.
In 1978 Bester left acting to join the Permanent Force in the military. He served on the Permanent Force until 2001, leaving with the rank of Colonel.
During his time in the army he also graduated with a BA M Ed cum laude (Computer Education) at the University of Pretoria (in 1996) and taught Afrikaans at Summerfield Primary for Grades 5 to 7.
During his stint in the army Bester continued to act sporadically, appearing in the feature films Savage Encounter (1980) and Agter Elke Man (1990), as well as the television series Paradys, Soldier Soldier and Justice for All.
In 2002 he starred in the Jan Scholtz thriller Arsenaal, which originally aired on SABC2.
In 2004 he landed the role of Professor Fritz Retief in the kykNET soapie Villa Rosa and remained with the show until it was discontinued in 2015.
Lieb played several musical instruments including piano, organ, keyboards, accordion, concertina and guitar and was part of a dance band, Take 3.
He died on 21 July, 2021, after a battle with COVID-19. He was 72.