N!xau (or earlier G!kau; December 16, 1944 - July 1, 2003) was a Namibian bush farmer who was made famous by his roles in the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy and its sequels, in which he played the Kalahari Bushman Xixo.
In 1992 N!xau appeared in a documentary saying he deeply regretted appearing in the film - but nevertheless starred in a series of sequels with declining quality until 1994's Fei zhou chao ren (The Gods Must Be Funny in China). According to director Jamie Uys, N!xau was said to have let his first $300 wage blow away because he did not see the value of money. However, another story claims he demanded 800,000 South African Rand to appear in the sequel so he could build a house with electricity and a water pump for himself, his three wives and children. After his film career ended, N!xau farmed maize, pumpkins and beans and kept several head of cattle.
On July 1, 2003, he died from "multi-drug resistant" tuberculosis, while he was out hunting guinea fowl. He was buried on July 12 in a semi-traditional ceremony at Tsumkwe , next to the grave of his second wife.
N!xau's manager has said that his name was actually G!kau, but was listed as N!xau because of a typing error when the original film was made.
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Last updated: 05-30-2005 02:58:55
