Zane knew from a very young age that he was meant to be a performer and when asked which arts form he prefers, he battles to answer. His great love is the art of performing itself – in whatever format that passion takes him. From live theatre to short films to acting in popular television soap operas to being a television programme presenter, he thrives in each individual test he’s presented with.

But his love of challenge doesn’t stop there – this adrenalin junkie – and he firmly believes that all performers have to be one to survive in the industry – has “hung up his proverbial performing boots” for a while to put on a brand new pair of boots – HIKING BOOTS for his upcoming challenge of climbing KILIMANJARO in March!

This zany, fun-loving actor is instantly recognizable to many South Africans wherever he goes, having been a household face for a number of years in various popular television programmes including Oepse Daisy, Villa Rosa and Zero Tolerance but it was the 2006 portrayal of Trevor in the Afrikaans sitcom Kompleks that firmly established Zane’s popularity with local television audiences far and wide.

Zane loves the constant challenge of television and this was taken to new heights when he took the brave – and sometimes nerve-wracking decision (by his own admission) of trying his hand at television presenting. As before, he excelled in this genre, and audiences of programmes such as Living Land and Pasella soon warmed to Zane’s easygoing charm.

But “home” to Zane is always the live stage and theatre, having studied a BA Drama in Theatre at the University of Pretoria. Many theatre productions have followed including A Lad ‘n A Lamp, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, Best of the Boys – Calendar Boys, Karla en die Kersknol and Fangs.

It is as the controversial transvestite, openly gay and HIV-positive character of Angel that he portrayed recently in Hazel Feldman’s production of RENT that has tongues wagging in the industry! For the few who hadn’t previously been exposed to a Zane Gillion performance before, they now sat up and took notice. This was a role that Zane admits doesn’t come around often, and he jumped at the chance to sink his teeth into such a complex role.

Says Zane, “When I was first told that I got the role of Angel in RENT, I couldn't speak; it was surreal. It was one of those moments where you just feel overwhelmed.”

He continues; “Then to actually perform the piece- that was even better. I kept saying to myself how lucky I was to be in the RENT. I mean, how often does one get the chance to play a guy that's a percussionist, loves to wear elaborate dresses and is dying of AIDS. And sing and dance on top of it! It's a performer’s dream.”

This was not a role he took lightly; he laughs and admits one of the most difficult parts was walking around his house in high heels for six weeks even before rehearsals started! He wanted the audiences to believe in his portrayal of this sensitive character, and therefore also spent many hours doing research, speaking to people who were living with the AIDS virus, so that he could bring the necessary empathy to his performance.

Critics and audiences alike have lavished praise on his performance; all congratulating him for his sensitive portrayal of this central character to the story of RENT. To Zane, Angel was the reminder in the show of how precious life is; that we need to live life and make the best out of it, and to live up to the show’s mantra of “No day but today”.

It would have been so easy to turn this role into a totally, over-the-top one, but the insightful way he performed the role each evening also ensured that his thespian peers sat up and took notice – so much so that he recently received the good news that he’s been nominated for a 2007 Naledi Theatre Award for his portrayal of this character.

When asked how he felt upon hearing this news, Zane replies;

“I screamed when I heard I was nominated for a Naledi. It's like a cherry on a well decorated cake. I don't think I ever went into acting for awards, but it is a great feeling to see that other people enjoyed my work as I enjoyed performing it!”

However, soon after the Naledi Awards Ceremony takes place on Monday 3rd March 2008 where the winners will be announced, Zane will be facing a totally different kind of challenge – a personal one he’s wanted to experience for a long time. He will be living up to his “zany” character by scaling the heights of KILIMANJARO, a task for which he’s currently very hard in training and totally focused upon. His daily routine for the last few months has included gym, gym and more gym to hone his physical fitness for this exciting task ahead of him. Some might be daunted by this 5 895m stratovolcano, but not Zane – he welcomes and even thrives on insurmountable tasks such as this one; especially once he achieves his goal!