Over three decades after his emergence on the scene, Leon Schuster remains a popular figure in South Africa. According to Google, he was the most searched filmmaker in 2024.
Schuster’s debut feature film, You Must Be Joking!, was released in 1986 in collaboration with Johan Scholtz and Elmo de Witt. The film’s sequel, You Must Be Joking! Too was released a year later. But it wasn’t until 2001’s Mr Bones that he experienced stratospheric success at the South African box office.
The film was released in 2001 and earned $33m, a record broken seven years later by the film’s sequel, Mr. Bones 2: Back from the Past. A second sequel, Mr Bones 3: Son of Bones, was released in 2022.
Overall, Schuster emerged as the third most searched individual on Google, behind only US President Donald Trump at the top and South African politician Floyd Shivambu. Schuster is the only filmmaker in the list of top ten personalities. His presence on the list may be related to reports that the funny man was ill and the rumour of his death, which Schuster addressed.
Other individuals on the list include former Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris and Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, who rounded out the top five.
Full list of most searched individuals in South Africa for 2024
- Donald Trump
- Floyd Shivambu
- Leon Schuster
- Kamala Harris
- Gayton McKenzie
- Zizi Kodwa
- Chidimma Adetshina
- Renaldo Gouws
- Thabo Mbeki
- Leon Schreiber
