Season 1
Orion is a South African, Afrikaans-language television drama series created by Gerrit Schoonhoven and based on Deon Meyer's book of the same name which tells the story of an explosive love triangle set against the backdrop of a serial killer investigation.
Dr. Zatopek van Heerden (Neil Sandilands), a specialist on serial killers, joins the Cape Town investigative unit to hunt the Red Ribbon Killer.
Van Heerden is struggling with inner demons, while trying to keep an open mind about the case. His partner, Captain Nagel (Albert Maritz), is an old-school policeman who is not convinced by Van Heerden's new-fangled methods.
To complicate matters and further raise tensions, Van Heerden falls in love with Nagel's wife Nonnie (Yvonne van den Bergh) and comes to believe she is the woman of his dreams. Zatopek's mother is a famous painter and his deceased father was a miner. They were the personification of true love - and that is what he is searching for. And he believes there is only one woman who can give that to him.
Just when Van Heerden thinks he can bear no more, Hope Beneke (Erica Wessels) arrives on the scene. Hoop is a lawyer who has crossed Van Heerden's path before; together they become embroiled in a situation that pushes them to their physical and emotional limits.
As Van Heerden's personal life slowly disintegrates, his quest to find the Red Ribbon Killer becomes increasingly personal, and leads to tragic consequences.
Orion is an M-Net Original Production created by Gerrit Schoonhoven and produced for kykNET by Jungle Media. The screenplay is by Deon Meyer, Daphne Williams, Brian Tilley and Roger Smith. David Altman is a producer and the director is Gerrit Schoonhoven. The supervising producer for kykNET was Marida Swanepoel.
Original music is by Barry Donnelly.
Season 1 Cast
(scroll to bottom for available actor bios)
Starring
Neil Sandilands ... Zatopek van Heerden
Albert Maritz ... Willie Nagel
Aletta Bezuidenhout ... Joan van Heerden
Yvonne van den Bergh ... Nonnie Nagel
Recurring / Guests
Erica Wessels ... Hoop Beneke
Lida Botha ... Carolina de Jager
Quanita Adams ... Chantal
Morne Visser ... Detective Barnard
Celeste Matthews ... Mev. Otto
Ivan Abrahams ... Superintendent Davids
Deon Lotz ... Dokter
AJ van der Merwe ... O'Grady
Danie Struwig ... Russell
Louw Venter ... Boetie Mans
Bo Petersen ... Arlene Joffee
Nic de Jager ... Mnr. Gouws
Terry Norton ... Voice of Love
Tinarie van Wyk-Loots ... Kara-Ann Rousseau (as Tienarie van Wyk Loots)
Deirdre Wolhuter ... Wilna van As (as Deirdre Wolhutter)
Shaun Arnolds ... Tiny Myapheli
André Jacobs ... Bester Brits
Maurice Paige ... Billy September
Johan Esterhuizen ... Fires van Vuuren
Hennie Bosman ... Bushy Schlebush
Riaan Cruywagen ... Nuusleser
Tertius Meintjies ... Spikkel Venter
Lynita Crofford ... Dr. Napier
Anton Treurnicht ... Doug Pretorius
Bea Claasens ... Yvette Andrews
Akram Allie ... Ivan Petersen
Yanika ... Angel Otto
Charlene Wolmarans ... Lorraine
Kim Petersen ... Rehana Desai
Ilse Oppelt ... Mavis
Tilla Diedericks ... Mev. Andrews
Jaco Bouwer ... James Naudé
Pieter Beyers ... Jong Zatopek
Melanie Joy Nielsen ... Meloday Gasant
Dawie Ackerman ... Dominee
Jeroen Kronenburg ... Mediese Kliniek Dokter
Esther von Waltsleben ... Valerie (as Ester von Weltsleben)
Lesley Mongezi ... Mnr. Ngwema
Abigail Hartog ... Marietjie (as Abbegail Hartog)
Charlton George ... Orlando
Marius du Plooy ... Viljoen (as Marius de Plooi)
Bart Fouché ... De Villiers
Adri Troskie-Vivier ... Sake Vrou (as Adri Vivier-Trotski)
Margaret Woods ... Ouer Vrou (as Margret Woods)
Cindi Sampson ... Stephanie
Graham Weir ... Man op Foon / James Vergottini
Jimmy Earl Perry ... Mr. Powell
Danielle Stevens ... Vrou op Foon (as Daniel Stevens)