Famous Dutch Film & Theater Personalities

Famke Janssen is a Dutch actress best known for playing important roles in popular Hollywood films like the X-Men film series and the Taken film trilogy. A former fashion model, Janssen achieved international recognition when she played Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye. Over the course of her acting career, Famke Janssen has recieved several awards, including the Saturn Award.

Michiel Huisman is a Dutch musician and actor who achieved international fame after taking over the role of Daario Naharis in the popular HBO series Game of Thrones in 2014. Michiel Huisman is also known for his association with the band Fontane, which was later renamed Michiel Huisman.

Dutch actor Rutger Hauer, tagged as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century by the Dutch public, gained spotlight with his debut film, Turkish Delight, the most successful film in the history of Dutch cinema. Moving on, he gained international recognition with other Dutch films like Spetters, and etched his name in Hollywood with films like Nighthawks and Blade Runner.   

Paul Verhoeven is a Dutch screenwriter and director whose illustrious career has spanned more than 60 years. Over the years, Verhoeven has won prestigious awards such as a Golden Globe Award, César Award, and Saturn Award. Paul Verhoeven is regarded as one of the most popular filmmakers in the Netherlands.   

Sylvia Hoeks was 14 when she started modeling. She later switched to acting and soared to fame after winning the Golden Calf for the Dutch film Duska. The star of films such as The Girl in the Spider's Web, she put on over 10 pounds of muscle for Blade Runner 2049.

Marwan Kenzari is a Tunisian Dutch actor who achieved popularity in 2013 when he won the Golden Calf, the Dutch equivalent of the Oscars, for Best Actor for his portrayal of Majid in the action drama-martial arts film, Wolf. Kenzari went on to achieve international recognition for his portrayal of Joe in the 2020 American superhero film The Old Guard.  

Robert Wolders was a Dutch actor best known for his portrayal of Erik Hunter in the Western television series, Laredo. Known for his exotic accent and good looks, Wolders' personal life largely overshadowed his professional life. His marriage with Merle Oberon and relationship with Audrey Hepburn kept him in the spotlight throughout his life.

Dutch supermodel and actor Doutzen Kroes has been a Victoria's Secret Angel and the face of L'Oréal Paris. Known as the Helen of Troy of advertising, she has also been dragged into controversies for promoting an unscientific liver cleanse diet and for her comments against the COVID-19 vaccine on Instagram.

Best known for her title role in the Emmanuelle series of soft-core erotica, Dutch actor Sylvia Kristel ran away from her strict Calvinist home in Utrecht to Amsterdam, where she took up odd jobs. She began modeling at 17 and won a couple of beauty pageants, before stepping into films full-time.

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.

Apart from winning a Leopard Award at Locarno, Dutch actor Lotte Verbeek has also been nominated for a Golden Calf. Known for her love for strong female roles, she has also been trained as a circus performer. Her best-known role have come in Giulia Farnese in The Borgias.

Bas Rutten is a Dutch–American actor, former kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler. A former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a King of Pancrase world champion, Rutten finished his career on a high as he remained unbeaten for the last 22 fights of his career. In 2015, Bas Rutten was made an inductee of the UFC Hall of Fame.

Theo van Gogh was a Dutch filmmaker, actor, television producer, and author. He was assassinated by a Dutch-Moroccan Islamist named Mohammed Bouyeri for directing a short film titled Submission: Part 1, which was originally written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and opposed the unfair treatment of women in Islam. Theo was 47 years old. His last film 06/05 was released posthumously.

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.

Dutch model and TV personality Rebecca Loos soared to fame after her claim of having had an affair with British footballer David Beckham, whom she had served as a personal assistant briefly. She also created controversy for pleasuring a pig in a 10-minute scene on the show The Farm.

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.

Dutch-born Stefanie Joosten initially studied Japanese language and culture at Leiden. Her interest later took her to Japan, where she began modeling. She voiced the character Quiet in a Metal Gear game in both its English and Japanese versions. She has also appeared in TV series, short films, and feature films.

A Bohemian style icon of the late 1960s, Dutch actor-model Talitha Getty was also the wife of oil magnate John Paul Getty Jr., who was one of the richest men of his time. She spent her childhood in a WWII Japanese prison camp and later studied acting at RADA in London.

Marcus Schenkenberg is a Swedish actor, television personality, model, and singer. Although he is best known for appearing in Calvin Klein advertisements, Schenkenberg is also famous for modeling for designers like Giorgio Armani, Versace, and Donna Karan. Schenkenberg is also a writer; he released a book titled Marcus Schenkenberg: New Rules in 1997.

Gaite Jansen is a Dutch actress who has achieved critical acclaim for many of her roles in films and TV series like 170 Hz and In therapie. When she was just 12 years old, Gaite was awarded the Best Actress Award at the 48 Hour Film Project in Amsterdam for her role in Luwte.

Tom Six is a Dutch filmmaker, actor, and writer best known for his Human Centipede trilogy. The film trilogy gained widespread attention and notoriety due to its brutal depictions of sexual violence. Tom Six is also credited with creating the original Big Brother reality TV series, which went on to become an international franchise.

Hannah Hoekstra is a Dutch actress known for her portrayal of the title role in the 2012 film Hemel, for which she won the Golden Calf. A critically acclaimed actress, Hoekstra won another Golden Calf in 2016 for playing Tiny in a film titled De Helleveeg. A recipient of the Theo d'Or, Hoekstra is also renowned for her theatre work.

Thekla Reuten is a Dutch actress best known for playing important roles in popular Dutch film and theatre productions. She achieved popularity in 2004 when she was honored at the Berlin Film Festival with the Shooting Star Award for her performance in the film Twin Sisters where she played Jonge Lotte. Since then, she has been appearing in noteworthy films.

Indonesian-born Laura Gemser moved to the Netherlands with her parents at age 4. After beginning her career as a nude model for men’s magazines, she later soared to fame with her appearances in the Black Emanuelle sexploitation films. She also created headlines for her romance and then for her marriage to co-star Gabriele Tinti.

Anouchka Delon is a French-Dutch actress. The daughter of famous French actor and filmmaker Alain Delon, Anouchka made her acting debut at the age of 12, playing Patricia Bullitt in a TV film titled Le Lion, which also had Alain playing an important role. In 2011, she worked alongside her father again for a play at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens.

After graduating with a communication degree, Touriya Haoud won a modeling contest and landed campaigns with brands such as Tommy Hilfiger. She later gained fame with a lead role in the series Heartbeat and appeared in movies such as Five Fingers. She was also previously married to actor Greg Vaughan.

Dutch actor Yorick van Wageningen is best known for his performances in films like The Chronicles of Riddick and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). He missed working in Steven Spielberg's sci-fi film Minority Report as he didn’t get a work permit, but later managed a breakthrough in Hollywood with David Twohy’s sci-fi action film The Chronicles of Riddick.

Bas van Toor is a Dutch recording artist and entertainer best known for being one-half of the popular duo Bassie en Adriaan along with his brother Aad van Toor. Bas portrayed a crook named Vlugge Japie as part of the act and then played Japie in a TV series. He is also credited with co-founding the children's channel Pebble TV.

Anton Corbijn is a Dutch film director, photographer, and music video director. He works with the popular music bands U2 and Depeche Mode, overseeing the visual output as the bands' creative director. Anton Corbijn is also credited with directing the music videos of several popular artistes like Bryan Adams, Johnny Cash, and Metallica among others. 

Erland Van Lidth De Jeude was a Dutch-American actor, amateur wrestler, and opera singer. While pursuing his wrestling career, he was given an opportunity to portray the role of the fearsome Terror in the 1979 American comedy-drama film The Wanderers. He then landed a couple of other roles, including his role as Dynamo in the 1987 film The Running Man.

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.   

Stefania Liberakakis is a Greek-Dutch singer, YouTuber, and voice actress. She is best known for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021 where she represented Greece with the song Last Dance; Stefania finished tenth in the contest. Stefania Liberakakis has also voiced important characters in the Dutch version of films like Dolittle and Wonder Park.

Dutch-Australian actor and impressionist Anthony Ingruber gained international attention on the internet uploading videos on his YouTube channel of impressions. He has given voice over and acted in industrial, independent, and feature films, and is best-known for his performances in the video games Batman: The Telltale Series and Batman: The Enemy Within and in the film The Age of Adaline.

Aad van Toor is a Dutch recording artist, acrobat, director, actor, and lyricist. He is known for his work with his brother Bas with whom he created popular acts, namely Bassie en Adriaan and The Crocksons. Bassie en Adriaan, which featured acrobatic acts of the duo, was televised from 1978 to 1996. Van Toor also established a couple of companies.

Starting her modelling career at just 14, the Netherlands-born Turkish model and actress Melisa Asli Pamuk won the titles of "Best Promising" in Best Model of Turkey 2009 and the Miss Turkey 2011. She also made her mark in acting, playing lead roles in films like Dat zit wel snor, and television series like Kara Sevda and Çarpışma.

The career of Dutch actress, singer and television-presenter Chantal Janzen skyrocketed after she   performed in the musical 42nd Street. Her oeuvre includes films like The Preacher and Full Moon Party and the Dutch musical production of Beauty and the Beast; and presenting Idols. She gained international recognition co-hosting Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light and the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.

Dutch actress Jelka van Houten gained attention playing Esther Valkhof, an obsessed killer, in her debut film, Liefje, while still studying at the Film and Television Academy. She has acted in several films, musicals, and TV series, including the musicals Turks fruit and Dromen... zijn bedrog, both of which won her the John Kraaijkamp Musical Award.

Marjolein Beumer is a Dutch actress best known for playing important roles in popular TV series like Flikken Maastricht. She is also known as the sister of famous Hollywood actress Famke Janssen and film director of The Happy Housewife fame Antoinette Beumer.

Sand Van Roy is a Dutch actress, activist, model, and stand-up comedienne. Over the years, Sand Van Roy has been vocal about the plight of victims of sexual violence. In 2020, she became Stichting Cassandra foundation's ambassador. The organization supports victims of psychological and sexual violence.

Hany Abu-Assad is a Palestinian film director who has been nominated for the Academy Award twice. Born in Israel, he immigrated to the Netherlands, where he studied aerodynamics. He worked as an airplane engineer for several years before beginning his film career. He joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2014. 

Celinde Schoenmaker is a Dutch film and theatre actress and singer. Apart from playing important roles in theatre productions like Les Misérables, Schoenmaker has also appeared in popular movies like Rocketman. In 2016, Celinde Schoenmaker surprised people at Covent Garden where she busked alongside a local street performer named Steven Barry.

Dutch actress Maruschka Detmers began her career in films after the teenage beauty moved to France and caught the attention of the noted French-Swiss film director Jean-Luc Godard leading to her film debut in Prénom Carmen under Godard's direction. Since then Maruschka has appeared in many other notable films like Devil in the Flesh, Hanna's War and The Mambo Kings.