An actor who starred in a film which grossed more than £55million was paid just £235 upfront for his lead role.

The late N!xau Toma received a measly upfront wage for his incredible performance in Jamie Uys’ comedy, The Gods Must Be Crazy, despite being at the forefront of the film.

Set in Southern Africa, it follows the story of a tribe who discover a glass Coca-Cola bottle which has fallen from an airplane, leading them to believe it is a gift from their Gods.

But infighting erupts as everybody wants to get their hands on the mysterious object, prompting tribe leader Xi (Toma) to attempt to return the bottle in a bid to restore peace, which takes him on a comical journey to the ‘end of the world’.

Along the way, the protagonist crosses paths with a bumbling biologist (Marius Weyers), a newly hired village school teacher (Sandra Prinsloo), and a band of guerrilla terrorists. Doing God’s work can take you to some strange places.

Although Toma was in the spotlight for the entirety of the one hour and 49 minute film, he was paid buttons.

The actor, who was born in Namibia, was a member of the ǃKung people and was also one of several people known as Bushmen, suggesting he was an Indigenous hunter-gatherer.

He spoke fluent Jul’hoan, Otjiherero, Tswana, but was unaware of his own age and had little experience of life outside his community before he shot to fame with his starring role in The Gods Must Be Crazy.

The actor let his first film payment blow away in the wind. Credit: CAT Films

The comedy broke box office records in every South African city in the first four days of its release in 1980, as well as becoming the highest-grossing film of the year in 1982 in Japan.

It initially didn’t perform as well in the US, until 20th Century Fox re-released it in 1984 – seeing it go on to become the highest-grossing foreign film in the nation at the time.

Throughout these glory years, The Gods Must Be Crazy made a whopping $90million (£70million) worldwide, including over $60million (£47million) in the States.

During filming in both Namibia and Botswana, Toma was reportedly flown back to his home every three or four weeks in a bid to stop him from suffering from culture shock.

When his payday eventually arrived, film director Uys said that he gave the star $300 (£235) for his first 10 days of work – but as Toma didn’t understand the value of the currency, he reportedly let the notes blow away in the wind.

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It has been claimed that he was then given 12 heads of cattle instead and that he received $100 (£78) a month since filming ceased as well as $20,000 (£15,6000) in a trust account that had been established in his name.

He was said to be unimpressed with mod cons he had access to during filming. Credit: Wall of Celebrities
The actor learned his lesson though – and was able to negotiate a pay cheque worth several hundred thousand dollars for his role in the sequel, The Gods Must Be Crazy II.

Toma said he wanted the cash to build a brick house which boasted electricity and running water for his family, while he also purchased a used car despite having no desire to learn to drive – so instead, he hired a chauffeur.

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According to Uys, he believed the film crew were ‘magicians’ who could ‘do anything’, but flying on an airplane and staying in a hotel room ‘didn’t impress him at all’.

During an interview with The Associated Press in 1990, the director defended his decision to recruit Toma for the film despite him living a sheltered lifestyle.

Uys said: “He was born to act. All Bushmen are natural actors.”

Toma went on to star in films Crazy Safari, Crazy Hong Kong and The Gods Must Be Funny in China after making a name for himself, before he eventually returned to Namibia where he farmed maize, pumpkins and beans.

He was sadly found dead near his home in June 2003 after he had headed out to collect wood. Toma was estimated to be around 58 or 59 years old at the time.