Bio
Soli Philander was a South African actor, director, comedian, playwright and columnist best known for hosting the first season of the e.tv reality show Let's Fix It, appearing in 26 episodes from February to August 2005.
Philander left the show acrimoniously in December 2005 after a dispute with e.tv over what he called "corporate scheming" and "unethical behaviour" from the channel, after they introduced a major retail chain as sponsor of the show.
Philander claimed it turned the show into an infomercial and said he wasn't prepared to compromise his integrity by continuing as host of the show.
He is also known for hosting the Afrikaans musical game show Liriekeraai (Guess The Lyrics) on the DStv channel kykNET.
In 2008 he could be seen as the host of the reality game show Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?
Philander played minor roles in the 1992 feature film The Road To Mecca and in the 2001 made-for-TV movie Diamond Hunters.
He performed in all the major theatre centres in South Africa and worked in the UK, USA, Sweden, Swaziland and Namibia. During this time he created a character called Rosie September for a cabaret show that he wrote, directed and starred in.
He also appeared as a master-of-ceremonies, motivational speaker and celebrity speaker at several prestigious events.
In 2020 he was on the panel of comedians in the kykNET satirical show Parlement Parlement in which comedians took over "parliament" to discuss issues related to South Africans.
His acting credits include roles on the M-Net miniseries Devil's Peak, kykNET soapie Arendsvlei and police procedural Projek Dina.
Philander died on 4 March, 2026, from complications arising from cancer. He was 65.