John van de Ruit is an actor, playwright and author who was educated at Michaelhouse and received a masters degree in Drama and Performance Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His debut novel Spud, released in September 2005, is a publishing phenomenon in South Africa, smashing all local fiction records. The sequel, Spud -The Madness Continues... (2007) received rave reviews and both books have since been published round the globe. The penultimate book in the series, Spud -Learning to Fly was released in June 2009. The Spud series has sold over half a million copies in South Africa alone. A feature film of John's first novel, Spud, was released in Southern Africa in December 2010 starring John Cleese and Troye Sivan. The film debuted at number one at the South African box office and is being distributed internationally. The film of Spud -The Madness Continues is due for release in 2013.