Sonja Herholdt

Sonja Herholdt (born 1 December 1952) is a South African singer-songwriter and Afrikaner actress.

Personal life Herholdt was born in the small Gauteng mining village of Nigel and at the age of three made her first singing performance at the local community recreation hall, singing the Afrikaans lullaby Slaap, my Kindjie.

She attended the Afrikaans-medium Tini Vorster Primary and Hoërskool John Vorster where she became Head Girl in both and followed her theatrical pursuits.

She later obtained a diploma cum laude in Teaching after three years at the Johannesburg (Goudstad) College of Education. She gave up teaching to pursue music after meeting her future husband, FC Hamman. The couple married in 1976 and started a family, their youngest son later developed an extreme hearing impairment in 1993. Herholdt subsequently decided to start a school for hearing and linguistically impaired Afrikaans children, this was housed in the pre-primary section of Bryanston Primary School. This resulted in Herholdt returning to teach for a period of time.

In 1996, Herholdt was involved in a serious car accident. She and her husband subsequently divorced after 21 years of marriage. Later that year she was injured in a robbery on the way home from Cronjé's Johannesburg home.

Career Her breakthrough came when she did a spot on Gwynneth Ashley Robin's show and was soon asked to record Ek Verlang Na Jou. She recorded her song Oberammergau in Dutch. She also performed in Belgium, pushing Oberammergau into fifth place in the Belgian charts.

Discography Herholdt has recorded several albums and singles since the 1970s;

Albums Sonja (1976) Sonja Herholdt (1977) On stage/In die kalklig (1978) Waterblommetjies (1978) 'n Lied vir Kersfees (1979) Harlekyn (Gold) (1979) Grootste Treffers (1980) Waarom Daarom (1981) Reflections (1982) Liefdeslig (1984) Lofsang – Sonja Herholdt en Jan de Wet (1985) Dis net vir jou (1987) Sonja Herholdt sing die Jeugsangbundel (1987) Sonja Herholdt sing die Jeugsangbundel 2 (1988) Tuiskoms (1988) Die Klokkespel 'Vrede (1989) The Warrior is a Child (1989) 'n Ster Vanaand (1994) Tuiskoms (1995) More sal die son weer skyn (1996) Ritsel in die Rietbos (1998) Reconstructing Alice (2000) Sonjare 20 Gunsteling treffers Dis Kersfees Sonja Herholdt Skipskop Die mense wat ek liefhet*Gunsteling treffers (1992) Sê die engele moet kyk na my (1994) Die verhale van vrouwees She She The Princess Liefling die movie Pêrels

Awards Year Category Awards body Result 1991 Erkentlikheidstoekening Afrikaanse Sakekamer (Afrikaans Chamber of Commerce) Winner 1980 Rapport Oscar, Beste Nuweling Aktrise (Best Female Newcomer) Rapport Winner Beste Langspeler van die Jaar (Best Album) SAMA Winner 1976 Beste Langspeler van die jaar (Best Album) SAMA Winner 1975–80 Beste Sangeres van die Jaar (Best Female Singer) SAMA Winner Junior Rapportryers-toekening Junior Rapportryers Winner Rising Star Award Papillon Winner Lifetime Award Skouspel 2010 Lifetime Award Tempo Toekennings 2010