Kim Engelbrecht

Kim Engelbrecht: Five fast facts about the SA actress storming the states

Kim Engelbrecht has come an incredibly long way in her career. From local soapies to tip top American superhero shows. Talent is the word that comes to mind.

Kim Engelbrecht

As many a South African news article has said when describing Kim Engelbrecht, “she will always be our Lolly”. As such a prominent figure on SA tv screens for so many years, the actress has been absolutely changing the game for local stars up in Hollywood. With such an impressive career, we thought we would take a look at five of our favourite Kim Engelbrecht facts.

Cape Town through and through

Kim was born in Belhar Cape Town on 20 June, 1980. While her accent has been a key part for many of her local roles, the Mother City has also become her international home.

With the development of multiple movie studios in Cape Town, filmmakers and TV producers have been flocking to the Cape to get their show made.

Back in 2014, Kim worked on an American sci-fi series set in the future called Dominion. While the show aired only in the US, she didn’t even have to leave the country.

“I played a soldier. I got to do hand-to-hand combat fighting! I auditioned for the role three times until I got the part,” she told YOU.

The Cape Town banter is still very strong with her too.

“I am a typical Gemini – sometimes a gem, other times a naai!” –Kim when asked to describe her personality to BruinOu.

Golf is the answer

When one thinks of what helps them unwind, not too many would say “golf” as their first choice answer. For Kim, it’s so helpful that she actually started a golf clinic in Joburg.

“I started a golf clinic called Kim Engelbrecht’s Wander Women Ladies Golf Clinic in Johannesburg, where we teach women how to play golf. I want to encourage more women to get into the sport, to let women know that you don’t know how good you are until you try.”

A 12-year-old on TV

Kim wasn’t just on TV at 12, she was also in her first film, “Sarahsara”. She got to work on it in Italy and the role saw her play a Sudanese cripple.

From there, she landed a role as a Craz-E presenter on eTV.

Love of Lolly

Arguably her most “famous” role in SA, Kim played a struggling teen who came of age on the soapie Isidingo. When looking back at the roles she has played in her career, Kim says Lolly truly deepened the acting experience for her.

“Playing Lolly was a big thing. The character went through a lot and it was the first time I felt the power of what we do as actors. She was a troubled teen and went through a lot of things. It was a privilege to play her. People would actually come up to me and tell me they went through the same things, they identify with her.”

Gender roles broken on The Flash

Currently, Kim plays The Mechanic/ Marlize DeVoe on the CW’s The Flash.  The Flash is big all around the globe and receives some top reviews from critics across the board. Similarly with Pearl Thusi and Quantico, though, not enough South Africans know that their local star is in that show.  The more people that knew “Lolly” was on a US, show, the more SA support the show would have.

When she first landed the role, Kim didn’t come to terms with it until she was on the plane to the US. The best thing about The flash for Kim? The fact that her character is a man in the comics.

“I found out later in interviews that in the comics the Mechanic was supposed to be a man. It’s really cool that I get to transcend gender roles. I can make her who I think she is and it’s nice for me to use my brain and design this character.”