# Bob Courtney

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{{Infobox person
| name               = Bob Courtney
| image              = 
| birth_name         = Christopher Robert Courtney Leaver
| birth_date         = 31 October 1922
| birth_place        = [Dorset](/source/Dorset), England
| death_date         = 24 October 2010
| death_place        = Johannesburg, South Africa
| nationality        = 
| citizenship        = [South Africa](/source/South_Africa)
| occupation         = Actor
| years active       = 
}}
{{Short description|British-born South African actor and broadcaster (1922–2010)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
'''Christopher Robert Courtney Leaver''' (31 October 1922<ref name=wp/> – 24 October 2010<ref name=wp/>) was a [British](/source/United_Kingdom)-born [South Africa](/source/South_Africa)n [actor](/source/actor) and [broadcaster](/source/Television_presenter). He appeared in more than twenty [film](/source/film) roles and worked as an on-air presenter and broadcaster on [Springbok Radio](/source/Springbok_Radio).<ref name=wp/><ref name=times>{{cite news|title=Bob Courtney: Legend of Springbok Radio's glory days 
|url=http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/article735935.ece/Bob-Courtney--Legend-of-Springbok-Radios-glory-days|work=[The Times (South Africa)](/source/The_Times_(South_Africa)) |date=30 October 2010 |access-date=14 November 2010}}</ref> Additionally, Courtney co-founded Radio Today in 1996.<ref name=times/>

==Biography==
Christopher Robert Courtney Leaver on 31 October 1922, in [Dorset](/source/Dorset), [England](/source/England), UK.<ref name=times/> He trained as an accountant. A self-taught [pianist](/source/pianist), he was drafted into the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force)'s entertainment corps as an [entertainer](/source/entertainer) during [World War II](/source/World_War_II).<ref name=wp>{{cite news|title=Actor, radio legend laid to rest today 
|url=http://www.weekendpost.co.za/article.aspx?id=620420|work=[The Weekend Post](/source/The_Weekend_Post) |date=29 October 2010 |access-date=14 November 2010}}</ref><ref name=times/> Courtney served as an RAF entertainer in [North Africa](/source/North_Africa), [Greece](/source/Greece) and [Italy](/source/Italy).<ref name=times/> He met two South African entertainers, [Siegfried Mynhardt](/source/Siegfried_Mynhardt) and [Uys Krige](/source/Uys_Krige), in [Rome](/source/Rome), [Italy](/source/Kingdom_of_Italy), near the end of World War II. Krige and Mynhardt persuaded Courtney to move to [South Africa](/source/Union_of_South_Africa).<ref name=times/>

Courtney emigrated to South Africa in 1946 and began working at the [South African Broadcasting Corporation](/source/South_African_Broadcasting_Corporation) (SABC) in 1947, using the shortened name Bob Courtney.<ref name=times/> He hosted many of the SABC's most well-known [radio show](/source/radio_show)s during the 1940s.<ref name=times/>

In 1950, Courtney began hosting the ''Welcome Little Stranger'' children's show on the now defunct ''[Springbok Radio](/source/Springbok_Radio)''.<ref name=times/> His radio name on the show was "Uncle Bob."<ref name=times/> However, his most famous job at ''Springbok Radio'' was hosting the hugely popular quiz show ''[Pick a Box](/source/Pick_a_Box)'', which aired for fourteen years from 1960 until 1974.<ref name=times/> Courtney toured South Africa with the show throughout its airing, attracting large crowds of fans.<ref name=times/> In one instance, the Mayor of [East London](/source/East_London%2C_Eastern_Cape) sent a [limousine](/source/limousine) to meet Courtney at the [East London Airport](/source/East_London_Airport), where he had arrived to host ''Pick a Box'' in the city.<ref name=times/> Courtney broadcast ''Pick a Box'' from a variety of unusual locations including [Antarctica](/source/Antarctica), the [Cango Caves](/source/Cango_Caves), the [Union-Castle Line](/source/Union-Castle_Line) and a [mine shaft](/source/shaft_mining).<ref name=times/> The popular radio show ended in 1974. ''Pick a Box'' was briefly resurrected as a television quiz show in the 1980s with Courtney once again as its host. However, the TV version was not a hit and was quickly cancelled.<ref name=times/>

Courtney's other shows on Springbok Radio included the ''Eyegene Jackpot'' [game show](/source/game_show), which aired from the 1950s until the 1970s, and ''Stop the Music'', which aired for ten years.<ref name=times/> He also launched the Springbok show ''Greet the Bride'', which would air for five days per week for twenty years on the radio.<ref name=times/> He attempted to reopen Springbok Radio after the station was closed in 1985.<ref name=times/> However, the South African Broadcasting Corporation decided against the relaunch of Springbok Radio in 1994, citing financial concerns.<ref name=times/>

Courtney also co-founded a radio station, Radio Today, in 1996 with former Springbok Radio broadcaster Peter Lotis.<ref name=wp/> The station's targeted audience were listeners in their 50s and older.<ref name=times/> The station attracted more than 70,000 listeners, but did not attract advertisers.<ref name=times/> Courtney hired a financial adviser, who saved Radio Today, though Courtney disagreed with some of the station's new financial and creative directions.<ref name=times/> He retired from Radio Today in 2008.<ref name=times/>

Courtney's acting career spanned several decades and included more than twenty film credits.<ref name=times/> His film roles included ''Lord Oom Piet'' in 1962, ''Kruger Millions'', ''[All the Way to Paris](/source/All_the_Way_to_Paris)'', ''[Dingaka](/source/Dingaka)'' and ''Hans en die Rooinek''.<ref name=wp/> He was also a founding member of the South Africa National Theatre. In the 1980s, he ran a steakhouse in Johannesburg.

Bob Courtney died in [Johannesburg](/source/Johannesburg) at the age of 87 on 24 October 2010, just one week before what would have been his eighty-eighth birthday.<ref name=wp/><ref name=times/> His funeral was held at the St. Martin's-in-the-Veld Anglican Church in [Dunkeld, Gauteng](/source/Dunkeld%2C_Gauteng).<ref name=wp/> Courtney was survived by his wife, Yvonne, and their two children.<ref name=times/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0183886|name=Bob Courtney}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtney, Bob}}
Category:1922 births
Category:2010 deaths
Category:English radio presenters
Category:South African radio presenters
Category:English game show hosts
Category:English male film actors
Category:British emigrants to South Africa
Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Category:Male actors from Dorset

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bob Courtney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Courtney) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Courtney?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.