Famous Dutch Women

One of the numerous Jewish victims of the Holocaust, Anne Frank gained recognition posthumously after her diary Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl was published. The diary, which has been widely read and translated into numerous other languages, details the lives of Anne Frank and her family when they went into hiding for two years, after Germany occupied Netherlands.

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.

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.

Beatrix of the Netherlands reigned as Queen of the Netherlands for 33 years. At the time of her abdication in favor of her son, she was the oldest-reigning monarch in the history of the monarchy of the Netherlands. As the queen, Beatrix had a huge impact on the Dutch people and continues to serve as a patron of several organizations.

Somali-born Dutch-American activist, feminist, and scholar Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the founder of an organization for the defense of women's rights, the AHA Foundation. She actively opposes forced marriage, honor violence, and child marriage. A former Muslim, she now identifies as an atheist and is a vocal critic of Islam. She is a recipient of the Lantos Human Rights Prize.

Floor Jansen is a Dutch singer best known for her association with the Finnish band Nightwish. She is also widely known for her role in the popular TV program Beste Zangers. In 2018, she was honored with the Buma Rocks! Export prize. In 2020, Floor Jansen won the Popprijs at the Noorderslag festival.

The queen consort of the Netherlands, Queen Máxima is the daughter of Argentine politician Jorge Zorreguieta. She initially worked in the sales departments of HSBC and Deutsche Bank. She apparently didn’t know she was meeting a prince when she met her future husband, King Willem-Alexander, at the Seville Spring Fair.

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.

Juliana of the Netherlands was the Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 to 1980, during which she remained a popular member of the Dutch royal family. Her reign witnessed the decolonization and independence of Suriname and the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Several important places, including the Princess Juliana International Airport, are named after her.

Dutch model Romee Strijd has been a Victoria's Secret Angel since 2015. She has also worked for brands like Alexander McQueen (brand), Michael Kors, and H&M. She began modeling as a teenager and has appeared in magazines, such as Vogue, Elle, and Maxim. She has also walked numerous runway shows for prominent designers. She is married with one child.

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, the only child of the King William III and his second wife, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, became queen at age 10. While she remained neutral during World War I, she went into exile to England during World War II. Her autobiography revealed her religious devotion.

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.

Born to jeweler and watchmaker Casper ten Boom, Corrie ten Boom followed in her father’s footsteps and became the first female licensed watchmaker in the Netherlands. She and her family hid scores of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. Corrie later penned The Hiding Place, based on her experiences.

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.

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.

William I of the Netherlands reigned as the king of the Netherlands from 1815 to 1840. Before declaring himself King of the Netherlands, William I had an influential career in the military. In 1790, he was made the Dutch States Army's general of infantry where he served under his father William V, who served as Captain-General. 

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.

Dutch singer Sharon den Adel began training in music at 14 and later soared to fame as the lead singer and the main songwriter of the Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation. Well-traveled, she has lived in 10 countries and often incorporates the moves of Balinese dancers she has grown up watching.

Dutch footballer Lieke Martens plays as a winger/midfielder for the French club Paris Saint-Germain Féminine. She was 5 when she began training in football. She has won the 2020-21 UEFA Women's Champions League with Barcelona and was part of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup runner-up Dutch squad.

Best remembered for her agency Wilhelmina Models, Dutch model Wilhelmina Cooper was the daughter of a German butcher and took to modeling after moving to the US. Known for her curvy figure and high cheekbones, she graced the cover of Vogue 28 times.

Dutch footballer Vivianne Miedema is a forward for Arsenal Women FC. She is regarded as one of the world’s greatest strikers and has also had a successful stint with Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga twice with them. She was named the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year in 2021.

Popular Dutch mezzosoprano Simone Simons has also been the lead vocalist of the symphonic metal band Epica, a band she joined at age 17. She has collaborated with bands and projects such as Kamelot and Ayreon. She runs a lifestyle blog and is married to Kamelot keyboard player Oliver Palotai.

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.

Danielle van de Donk is a Dutch football player who plays for the Netherlands women's national football team. She played a major role in her team's gold medal finish at the UEFA European Women's Championship in 2017. In 2019, Danielle van de Donk helped her team win the runner-up trophy at the FIFA Women's World Cup.

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. 

Dutch supermodel Karen Mulder has not just been associated with iconic brands, such as Dior and Chanel but has also graced the cover of Vogue. She chanced upon modeling after a friend sent her photos to Elite without her knowledge. She once overdosed on sleeping pills, in an apparent suicide attempt.

Anneke van Giersbergen is a Dutch singer best known for leading her band Agua de Annique where she is the main vocalist. Over the years, her contribution to Dutch music has been honored with several prestigious awards like the Edison Music Award and the Buma Rocks! Award.

Sifan Hassan is an Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete who specializes in middle and long-distance running. She is best known for winning two gold medals at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. At the same Olympics, she also won a brone medal. Prior to her success at the 2020 Games, Sifan Hassan also won two gold medals at the 2019 World Championships.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dutch-Indonesian model Annette Roque started her career under the pseudonym Jade Roque. She has also been the face of Revlon and is an equestrian who manages her own horse farm. She was in the news for her bitter divorce from TV journalist Matt Lauer, who was accused of sexual assault by multiple women.