ALEX ELISEEV

HOLLYWOOD star Arnold Vosloo is to return to his family home in Alberton this week following the death of his father.

Deon Vosloo, 77, died on August 29 from heart failure two days after being discharged from hospital.

His famous 42-year-old son and American daughter-in-law arrive on Wednesday to attend a memorial service.

Arnold’s family said this week was the first opportunity the star has had to fly to South Africa because he has been attending premieres of his latest film, Forgiveness, a locally made movie.

Arnold’s sister Nadia said she phoned her brother immediately after holding their father during his final moments.

“He took it pretty hard because he couldn’t be here,” she said.

“He was very worried about our father and had been phoning two, three times a day.”

Although Arnold left for the US 15 years ago to chase his dreams of success, the Vosloo family have remained close.

“Arnold phones home at least once a week,” Nadia said. “He wants to know about our dogs, our garden and the weather.”

Despite ill-health, Deon, a former actor, made it to the premiere of Forgiveness in Rosebank last year and proudly watched his son’s performance.

Arnold’s parents visited their son at his Los Angeles home at least four times, staying as long as six months at a time.

“Dad was very thrilled about Arnold’s success,” said Nadia. “When they visited they were treated like real VIPs and met many celebrities.”

Their last visit was two years ago to see their son on set in Toronto.

From the early days Arnold and Nadia’s lives were filled with movies and acting. Their father would tour the country, performing in Afrikaans plays.

It was at one of his performances that he spotted Joyce, his wife-to-be, in the audience.

Later Deon ran a drive-in in Despatch, near Port Elizabeth, where Arnold was born and fell in love with movies.

“He would take us to his drive-in to watch movies like Zorro or Summer Holiday,” said Nadia.

“He was such an attractive man, and a special dad.”

In the late 1960s the Vosloo family moved to Alberton, where Arnold went to school and his dad started his own polystyrene moulding business.

Arnold’s career took off after he briefly studied acting in Pretoria. He secured roles in films such as Boetie Gaan Border Toe and Boetie Op Maneuvers.

He has since acted in movies such as the remake of the classic The Mummy and Agent Cody Banks.

Nadia, who works as an image consultant and makeover specialist, recalls how Arnold was once a little boy who could never sit still.

“He would climb on top of a cupboard and ask me to pretend to shoot him,” she said.

“Then he acted as if he had been shot dead and was falling off a cliff.”

She described her father as an elegant man whose hobbies included dressing up to go to the horse races.

Deon was also good with his hands and had worked as a carpenter in the 1940s.

In 1947 he made a magnificent dinner table, with 24 chairs, which was given as a gift to Queen Elizabeth.

“We think that it still stands in Buckingham Palace,” said Nadia.