Frank Opperman has never simply played characters; he has inhabited them, breathed life into them, and etched them into South Africa’s collective memory.
From the tormented Dominee Tienie to the lovable, bumbling Ouboet in Orkney snork nie, his performances have spanned decades and genres, earning him a place as one of the country’s most treasured actors.
Now, at 65, Opperman becomes the subject rather than the storyteller in Frank, a new three-part documentary series directed by his son, Frankie Opperman.
The result is a raw, deeply personal portrait of a man who has given much of his life to the craft of acting, yet remains grounded, restless, and refreshingly honest.
The series opens in Woodstock, Cape Town, where Frank has carved out a new chapter over the past few years.
True to form, he is constantly on the move, whether navigating city streets or visiting the set of a new television production. The camera follows closely, capturing a man who refuses to sit still, creatively or emotionally.
ALSO READ: Dr John Kani brings his Performing Arts Academy to Gqeberha
Episode two shifts gears as father and son hit the road to Johannesburg.
Along the way, they visit friends and long-time colleagues, and make a poignant detour to the near-forgotten Oppermansdorp in the Free State, a place that sits, as the series suggests, “halfway between nothing and nowhere.” The journey north becomes both physical and reflective, tracing roots, memories, and the quiet weight of time.
Back in Gauteng, the focus turns inward. Frank prepares for the final pack-up of his Melville home, where he lived for more than two decades.
Surrounded by boxes of archive material, photographs, and personal memorabilia, he is forced to take stock of a life lived largely in the public eye.
“I don’t want to dwell in the past,” Frank says, adding that the experience of looking back was nevertheless valuable. “It was good for me to be able to look back at what I’ve done up to now at 65”.
Sorting through decades of memories proves unexpectedly emotional. “One doesn’t look at this kind of stuff every day,” he reflects. “Going through the boxes and looking at photos and things my mother put in an album over all the years was like discovering many things all over again. Here and there, it got quite emotional”.
For Frankie, directing a documentary about his own father came with unique challenges. “He’s your dad, and of course, you don’t want to tarnish his legacy,” he says. “But you also want to take him to emotional places and ask questions that might be uncomfortable.” The goal, he explains, was honesty – even when it was difficult.
That honesty is what Frankie values most about the final product.
“He wears his heart on his sleeve and is always just himself: a guy without an ego and with a lot of flaws, like all of us, but at the same time someone with a soft heart who is beloved by his fellow artists, family, and fans”.
Frank, in turn, describes the project as a privilege.
“What a privilege to be able to do this with my son and to try to show him what I’ve seen in my life so far,” he says. He hopes viewers will recognise themselves in his story. “We all go through the same things, and acting is just another job, and it’s not nearly as glamorous as people think it is”.
Frank premieres on Wednesday, 18 February at 20:00 on kykNET.
About the Author
