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Eddie Van Halen was an American songwriter and guitarist. The co-founder of the popular rock band Van Halen, Eddie is widely considered one of the greatest guitar players in the history of rock music. He is credited with popularizing the tapping technique, which is now used extensively by guitarists all over the world.
Ruud Gullit is a Dutch former football player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of football, Gullit was known for his versatility as he could play as an attacking midfielder, forward, or midfielder. During the 1988 UEFA European Football Championship, he led his national team to its first title.
Dutch football coach and retired player Dennis Bergkamp had a successful playing career with clubs such as Ajax, Arsenal, and Inter Milan. Initially a midfielder, he later played as a striker. The 2-time FIFA World Player of the Year bronze winner also gained the nickname the Non-Flying Dutchman for his fear of flying.
Moroccan-Dutch kickboxer Badr Hari, also known as Bad Boy and The Golden Boy, has won the K-1 Heavyweight and Showtime Heavyweight championships. He represented the Netherlands until his loss to Stefan Leko, after which he began playing for Morocco, due to aggressive criticism from his Dutch fans.
Alex Van Halen is an American musician known for his drumming skills. He is credited with co-founding the now-defunct band, Van Halen. The band's self-titled debut album influenced several musicians in hard rock at the time of its release in 1978. Alex is also credited with coining the term brown sound, which was usually associated with his late-brother Eddie's guitar.
Patrick Kluivert was one of the star Dutch footballers of his time who played as a striker for clubs such as Ajax, Barcelona, and AC Milan. The UEFA Euro 2000 Golden Boot winner has also managed teams such as Netherlands and Cameroon. He later held administrative positions at Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
Retired Dutch footballer Louis van Gaal was a midfielder and now serves the Dutch national team as its head coach. While he began his playing career with Ajax, he later had an immensely successful managerial career with Ajax, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich, and was named the 1995 World Soccer Manager of the Year.
Dutch footballer Ryan Babel who plays as both a striker and a midfielder, currently represents the Turkish club Eyüpspor. Starting his senior career with Ajax, he won both the KNVB Cup and the Eredivisie twice with them. He was also part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup runner-up Dutch team.
Katja Herbers is a Dutch actress best known for playing Dr. Helen Prins in the television series Manhattan. She also has a successful theatre career and is among the few Dutch actresses to have made it big in Hollywood. Over the years, Herbers has become a household name in the USA by appearing in TV series like Westworld and Evil.
Tara Elders is a Dutch actress who achieved popularity in 2007 when she played Maggie in the American remake of filmmaker Theo van Gogh's 2003 drama film Interview. The 2007 film starred Sienna Miller and Steve Buscemi in lead roles. Tara Elders has also appeared in several popular TV series like Najib en Julia, TV7, and Medea.
Jeroen Krabbe is a Dutch actor, illustrator, painter, and film director. He is best known for playing negative roles in popular films like the 15th James Bond movie The Living Daylights. His contributions to film and theatre were honored with the Top Naeff prize in 1965. In 2014, he was awarded the Frans Banninck Cocqpenning for his services to Amsterdam.
Reputed for her confident runway walk, Dutch fashion-model Yasmin Wijnaldum made her modelling debut during the 2014 Elite Model Look competition and bagged a contract with the Amsterdam branch of Elite Model Management. Moving on, she signed with Elite Worldwide and The Society, became face of Prada, walked for noted designers and made it to the cover page of Vogue Magazine.
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken is a Dutch-British billionaire businesswoman. She is the owner of a 25% controlling interest in Heineken N.V., the world's second-largest brewer. The daughter of a prominent industrialist, she has a law degree from Leiden University. Upon her father’s death in 2002, she inherited about £3 billion, becoming one of the richest people in the country.
Jeremain Lens is a Dutch football player who played for the Netherlands national team from 2010 to 2017. In 2014, he helped his team finish third at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. A versatile and attacking player, Jeremain Lens is currently a part of FC Versailles. He has also played for other popular clubs like Dynamo Kyiv and Sunderland.
Max Euwe scripted history when he became the first chess Grandmaster from the Netherlands. A PhD in math, he also taught both math and computer programming, apart from publishing a mathematical analysis of chess. A chess world champion, he also served as the president of FIDE.
Dutch actress, writer and film-director Halina Reijn started acting while she was still a student, playing lead roles in plays like Shopping and Fucking. In the ensuing years, she bolstered her acting career with plays like Mourning Becomes Electra and films like A Thousand Kisses and Black Book. She made her debut as a film director with the Dutch drama titled Instinct.
Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman not just co-founded the internationally acclaimed progressive rock band Focus, but also had a phenomenally successful solo career as a jazz-rock/fusion musician and became known for tracks such as Streetwalker. The son of a scrap dealer, he had learned the accordion before switching to guitar.
Willem Janszoon was a Dutch colonial governor and navigator who served in the Dutch East Indies in the early 1600s. He is best remembered for captaining the first recorded European landing on Australia in 1606.
Quincy Promes is a Dutch football player who plays for the Netherlands national football team as an attacking midfielder or striker. In 2019, he helped his team win the silver medal at the UEFA Nations League. In 2017, Quincy Promes was named Futbol Footballer of the Year, Sport Express Footballer of the Year, and Soccer Footballer of the Year.
Regillio Simons is a Dutch retired football player who played for popular clubs like Fortuna Sittard and NAC Breda. After retiring, he started coaching and went on to manage various clubs like AFC Ajax Amateurs and Turkiyemspor Amsterdam. Regillio Simons is also known as the father of Xavi Simons, who currently plays for PSV.
Trijntje Oosterhuis was a teenager when she formed Total Touch, which scored the bestselling debut by a Dutch band with their first album. Known for her mix of jazz, pop, and soul, the singer has also been a judge on The Voice of Holland and has represented her country in Eurovision 2015.
