Karin van der Laag (born August 2, 1971) is a South African actress. She is best known for her role as Maggie Webster in the SABC 3 soap opera Isidingo.
Van der Laag was born on August 2, 1971[1] in Johannesburg, South Africa.[citation needed] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in drama and English from the University of Cape Town and later obtained a Performer's Diploma in Speech and Drama.[1]
She began her television acting career at the age of seven, appearing in the SABC Christmas production They Came from Afar. In 1998, she began playing the role of Maggie Webster in the popular soap opera Isidingo. She continued in the part for twelve years. In 2011, she won a SAFTA Award for her work on the show.[1][2]
She has also acted in various television series: Zero Tolerance, Going Up, Hard Copy, Justice for All, and Sorted.[1] In 2015, she made her international debut in the role of Gail Ferreira in the miniseries Cape Town. She has also worked on films such as The Three Investigators and Wild at Heart. In addition to television, she has appeared in the films Les Deux Mondes, Hoodlum & Son, Hey Boy, God is African,[1] and Ayanda.[citation needed] She acted in The Story of an African Farm (later released in the United States as Bustin' Bonaparte).[3][4]
In 2017, she was selected as one of the judges for the reality show The Final Cut which aired on SABC 3.[1][5]
She is also a director, teacher and mentor for the National Eistedfod Association, The South African National Community Theatre Association and Talent Africa.[1]
SABC3's 'Isidingo' also curried favour by taking the Best Actress (Karin van der Laag), Best TV Soap and Best Ensemble honours.
The rest of the cast are unknowns — Karin van der Laag as a chubby Sannie, Anneke Weidemann as a not too squeaky Em, with Kasha Kropinski as future star and feminist Lyndall.