Actor and presenter Rob Fruithof died on Friday at the age of 71 in the South African capital Cape Town from the effects of cancer. His son announced this on Saturday via Facebook. Fruithof was best known as a presenter of the popular television program Waku Waku, which he presented between 1988 and 1996. He has lived in South Africa since 2004.
His fame as the presenter of the nature quiz, in which well-known Dutch people played for a good cause, had a downside, Fruithof told in 2019 in an interview with the AD: he was taken less seriously as an actor. “It was not bon ton to present a quiz. Too bad, but I have never regretted it.”
After Waku Waku Fruithof presented the entertainment programme, among other things On land, at sea and in the air and he spoke for the Dutch version of Disneyfilm Beauty and the Beast the voice of the beast. He also appeared in commercials, including for insurance company OHRA and rusk maker Bolletje. He also acted for television productions, including drama series On the way to Tomorrow and West wind.
Watch an episode of Waku Waku from 1989 here: