A Proud Papa

Actor Daniel Hade be opens up about his tough upbringing, his rise to fame and his most important role: fatherhood

- Hopewell M Papu

HE’S one of Mzansi’s finest actors, a sought after model and most women’s Man Crush Monday. But ask Daniel Hadebe what makes him the proudest of all and you’ll be shocked to learn it’s not career-related.

The role he cherishes most is being a father to his teenage son – and he has dedicated his life to being a better parent than his own father.

On the surface, Daniel (38) lives a charmed life: He’s an old hand in the TV and movie industry and has starred in films such as District 9, Invictus, Dredd and Happiness is a Four-Letter Word. His most recent small-screen role was playing multi-faceted, well-groomed thug Titus on e.tv’s award-winning telenovela Gold Diggers.

But reaching a point where he can pick and choose his roles hasn’t been easy for the actor, who had to overcome years of unhappiness to get to where he is today.

Daniel, who was born in Soshanguve, Pretoria, left home at 21 – driven away by the memory of his parents’ constant fights.

His parents called time on their marriage when Daniel was 17 and his father left the house. But his home life didn’t settle down and that’s when he decided to pack his bags and seek happiness elsewhere.

“I just couldn’t take it any more. I’d had enough of what was happening at home and I knew that I needed to go away,” he says.

With nothing but a bag full of clothes and a yearning for a fresh start, he headed to Johannesburg.

“I didn’t know where I was going,” he tells us. “I didn’t know anyone or how I was going to survive but I was not thinking about that – I just wanted to get away from the kitchen and out of the fire.”