Advanced search

Paul Verhoeven graduated from the University of Leiden, with a degree in math and physics. He entered the Royal Netherlands Navy, where he began his film career by making documentaries for the Navy and later for TV. In 1969, he directed the popular Dutch TV series, Floris (1969), about a medieval knight. This featured actor Rutger Hauer, who has appeared in many of Verhoeven's later films. Verhoeven's first feature, Wat zien ik (1971) (trans. "What do I See?"), was released in 1971. However, it was his second, Turkish Delight (1973), with its combination of raw sexuality and a poignant story-line, that gained him great popularity in the Netherlands, especially with male audiences. When his films, especially Soldier of Orange (1977) and The 4th Man (1983), received international recognition, Verhoeven moved to the US. His first US film was Flesh+Blood (1985) in 1985, but it was RoboCop (1987) and, especially, Total Recall (1990) that made him a big box office success. Sometimes accused of portraying excessive violence in his films, Verhoeven replies that he is only recording the violence of society. Verhoeven has co-scripted two of his films: Soldier of Orange (1977) and Flesh+Blood (1985). He also directed an episode of the HBO The Hitchhiker (1983) TV series. Several of his films have been photographed by Jost Vacano, including the hit cult film, Starship Troopers (1997), starring Casper Van Dien.

Halina Reijn is a renowned director, actress, author and producer. She is the winner of multiple awards, including the Dutch film Award, the Golden Calf for Best Actress , the Dutch theater awards Theo D'Or and Colombina, as well as the Courbois pearl, an oeuvre award which honours an actress who has made an indelible impression, both on stage as in film and television. Since 2017 she is also the proud owner of the Theo Mann-Bouwmeester Ring, an award to honour an actress who has contributed greatly to the Dutch theatre.

Her critically acclaimed directorial feature film debut INSTINCT (2019), starring Carice van Houten (GAME OF THRONES) and Marwan Kenzari (ALADDIN) has been selected for film festivals in Locarno (winner Variety Piazza Grande Award and special mention First Feature Competition), Toronto (world cinema competition), BFI Londen (Sutherland competition), Gent and Chicago, and is the foreign language Oscar submission of The Netherlands. INSTINCT is the first outing for Man Up, the production banner of Halina and Carice. MAN UP's goal is to create films and television drama with high current value and relevance, told from a female perspective. To explore darker, edgy stories that, through shame or fear, often remain untold. Quality, artistic integrity and openness to their audiences defines the productions of MAN UP.

Halina was professionally trained at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts and in 1997 debuted on stage as Ophelia in Hamlet, directed by Theu Boermans. She continued to act on stage in such productions as Shopping & Fucking, Three Sisters, Mourning Becomes Electra, Hedda Gabler, La Voix Humaine, The Fountainhead and recently Obsession, opposite Jude Law. Halina works with internationally acclaimed director Ivo van Hove at the International Theatre Amsterdam, performing their plays all over the world. She starred in the Oscar nominated film ZUS & ZO, in Paul Verhoeven's critically acclaimed BLACK BOOK and in Bryan Singer's VALKYRIE, opposite Tom Cruise. She can also be seen in the Swedish series CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE, directed by Charlotte Brändström.

In 2005, her first novel Prinsesje Nooitgenoeg (Prometheus) debuted, followed by Halina: doen alsof ik iemand anders ben (Prometheus, 2009), Antiglamour (co-written with Carice van Houten, Nijgh & Van Ditmar, 2013), and Loos (Nijgh & Van Ditmar, 2016). She is working on film scripts and television series based on original ideas. In 2019, Halina was named one of 20 most influential people in the Dutch media by a leading Dutch newspaper. She writes columns for Dutch and Belgian magazines and newspapers and is regularly a co-host on one of the best watched daily news shows on Dutch TV.

Katja Herbers is the daughter of violinist Vera Beths and oboist Werner Herbers. Growing up she spent time in America, accompanying her mother on tour with the chamber music group L'Archibudelli. Her mother remarried cellist Anner Bylsma and her father remarried costume designer Leonie Polak, who introduced her to the theater. She had a Canadian au pair and learned to speak Dutch, German, and English growing up.

Herbers went to the Ignatius Gymnasium in Amsterdam. She studied psychology at the University of Amsterdam. During her psychology studies she attended the local theatre school De Trap. She moved to New York and went to the HB Studio. She then got accepted to the Theaterschool in Amsterdam.

During her studies, she starred in the films Peter Ball (2002) and Brush with Fate (2003). After graduation, Herbers became a member of Johan Simons' Theater Company NTGent in Ghent. She then joined the renowned Munich Kammerspiele in Germany. She worked with directors such as Alex van Warmerdam, Ivo van Hove and Theu Boermans under whose direction she performed many Schnitzler plays, including his monologue Fräulein Else, for which she received rave reviews. In 2013, she won the Guido de Moor Award for young talent, for her portrayal of Irina in Chekhov's Three Sisters. She played a lead role in Theu Boermans' The Chosen, which won an International Emmy and the prestigious Prix D'Europe.

Katja is also a gifted singer and has performed Im Wunderschönen Monat Mai - a composition inspired by the great Schubert and Schumann songs by Reinbert de Leeuw especially written for an actress.

While achieving many successes on stage, Katja continued filming as well. She worked with the Oscar Nominated and International Emmy Awarded Director Ben Sombogaart on the Dutch blockbuster feature De storm (2009). Critics raved about her portrayal of the Dutch Queen (then Princess) Maxima in the mini-series Beatrix, Oranje onder Vuur (2012). Rudolf van den Berg directed her in the feature film Süskind (2012), in which she played the right hand of Dutch war hero Walter Süskind, who helped escape over a thousand children during World War II. Jelle de Jonge directed her in the romantic comedy Love Over Distance (2017), which she co-wrote.

Really all of Holland knows her for her portrayal of the emotionally unstable but lovable Joyce in the TV hit series Divorce (2012), which glues a record breaking 25% of all Dutch television viewers to the screen every Sunday evening.

Internationally, Katja is known for playing physicist Helen Prins on Sam Shaw's Manhattan (2014). She had a recurring role on season three of FX's The Americans (2013). She played Dr. Eden on the final season of HBO's The Leftovers (2014), and starred opposite Mark Duplass in Manhunt (2017).

In 2018 she joined HBO's Westworld (2016) as Grace/Emily.

Katja divides her time between Los Angeles, New York and Amsterdam.

Jeroen Krabbe was born in Amsterdam to a family of painters. His grandfather was a famous impressionist, his father a talented artist and his mother a qualified interpreter responsible for translating Dutch films into English. He was destined to be a painter but after high school and a year of painting at the Academy of Fine Arts decided at 17 to change to acting and became the youngest pupil to be accepted at Toneel School - the Academy of Performing Arts'. He graduated in 1965 and spent 6 years in repertory theatre distinguishing himself in classical and contemporary roles such as Bierowne in 'Loves Labours Lost', Cassio in 'Othello' and Chance Wayne in 'Sweet Bird of Youth'. In the early 7-'s he formed his own theatre group and toured in such as 'Relatively Speaking'and 'How the Other Half Loves'. He established himself at the top of the tree when he directed'The Diary of Anne Frank'in which he starred as Otto Frank which became one of the biggest successes of the Dutch stage.He also had his own chat show on Dutch television and a music programme on radio. After playing a leading role in Paul Verhoeven's 'Soldier of Orange' on radio he left for America to play opposite Rock Hudson in the television series 'World War Three' then two films with Paul Verhoeven 'spotters' and Fourth Man' His performance in the latter won him the 'Vittorio de Sica prize in Italy and a special award at the film festival at Avoriazi in Spain. He decided to return to the academy of Fine Arts to see how good a painter he was . After 3 years of painting, filming and stage acting he graduated from the academy and decided to quit the theatre in favour of painting and film making. He was given an exhibition together with his father and grandfather at the Singler Museum in Laren which was a huge success and established him as a true painter.

Whoopie Van Raam was born in Amsterdam and grew up in The Netherlands, Spain and the UK. After graduating as a classical pianist from the Conservatoire in The Netherlands she went on to train as an actor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Interested in Martial Arts she frequently follows intense Muay Thai training programs in Thailand.

She most recently played opposite Jason Statham in Meg 2: The Trench directed by Ben Wheatley for Warner Bros, which came out during the 2023 SAG strike.

Gijs Blom is one of the most promising young actors in The Netherlands. At the age of 17, he played the lead role in the critically acclaimed film Boys, directed by Mischa Kamp. The film was shown at multiple international film festivals and was eventually bought by Netflix. For his role in Boys, Gijs earned a nomination for a Gouden Kalf award for Best Actor at The Netherlands Film Festival. He also appeared in the feature film Nena directed by Saskia Diesing, and he played the lead role in Pijnstillers, based on the book by Carry Slee, for which he won the Sir-Peter Ustinov Newcomer Award at the Luca Film Festival.

Gijs also stands out across the European border. He featured in Netflix's The Letter for the King as the warmongering prince of the realm, Viridian. This year, he stars in Matthijs van Heijningen's The Forgotten Battle, a WWII saga written by Paula van der Oest which tells the story of a young Dutch man who goes off to fight for Hitler. He also leads an international cast in David Verbeek's 'Dead & Beautiful', which premiered in Februari 2021 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Renée Soutendijk was born on 21 May 1957 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. She is an actress, known for Suspiria (2018), Eve of Destruction (1991) and Private Resistance (1985). She is married to Thed Lenssen. They have two children.

The son of a celebrated Dutch actor, John Van Dreelen may have come by his debonair countenance with a bit of help from his continental pedigree. Fluent in several languages, he was reported to have escaped a concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Holland by disguising himself as one of the German officers he would later play so often on both big and small screens.

Though he bookended and sprinkled his career with appearances in many European films, Van Dreelen is best remembered as an A-list guest star in dozens of American television shows from the early 1960s to the mid-'80s. Never a major player in American theatrical films, he nonetheless scored a few choice roles, including the Danish concert pianist who rescues and woos Lana Turner during an extended sequence in Madame X (1966). Van Dreelen also enjoyed an international stage career and starred in the original American touring production of "The Sound of Music." Despite his close identification with despotic roles, he also easily breezed through light drama and comedy and cut a dashing and memorable figure in 1960s pop culture oeuvre.

Benja Bruijning's (1983) star-turn in the Dutch romantic comedy Family Way (2012) opposite Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones) marked his break through to a wide audience.

From an early age on Benja has played roles in various films and TV series such as The Cave and Poet on the Zeedijk. After graduating from the Academy of Dramatic and Performing Arts in Amsterdam in 2008, Benja landed roles in several popular Dutch TV series and films. He is the star of Dutch box office hits such as the romantic comedies Street of Hearts and Gift from the Heart and plays one of the lead roles in the critically acclaimed show Fighter's Heart, about K1 fighters, which has been picked up for a second season and is the Dutch submission for the International Emmy Awards.

Benja is also at home on stage - he played lead roles in the Dutch stage adaptations of Rain Man, Much Ado About Nothing, Monsters, Lulu and performed in a play written by himself: Not Meant That Way. His recent projects included a lead role in two seasons of the TV series Black Tulip, the Dutch feature film The Fury (De Helleveeg) and the television film The Return of the Honey Buzzard.

In 2017 he played the lead role in TV series Dr. Anne's Men and the second season of Fighter's Heart.

Willeke van Ammelrooy was born on 5 April 1944 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. She is an actress and director, known for The Lake House (2006), Antonia's Line (1995) and 't Schaep Met De 5 Pooten (1969). She has been married to Marco Bakker since 20 November 1989.

At the age of twelve, Tygo was seen on television for the first time in a promotion video to get the Olympic Games to the Netherlands. His role in the youth series Fort Alpha (1996) made him famous in the Netherlands. After that, many guest appearances followed, as well as leading parts in television series like De garage (2000), Van Speijk (2006) and Schnitzelparadijs - De serie (2008). Tygo starred in feature films Wasted! (1996), De dominee (2004), A Thousand Kisses (2006) and Dunya & Desie (2008). For his leading role in the feature film Godforsaken (2003), Tygo was granted with a Golden Calf (the Dutch Oscars) for Best Actor in 2003. In 2005 he won a Golden Calf for his role in the feature film Het schnitzelparadijs (2005), but this time he shared the award with his four co-stars.

On stage, he is starring the leading role in the successful theatre production RAAF (2009).

Tygo is a professional voice actor, giving sound to many Disney animation characters.

Edwin Jonker was born on 4 October 1976 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He is an actor, known for Johan (2005), Voetbalvrouwen (2007) and Hunter Street (2017).

Tara Elders was born on 17 January 1980 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. She is an actress, known for Interview (2007), Sextet (2007) and May 6th (2004). She has been married to Michiel Huisman since February 2008. They have one child.

Holly Mae Brood was born on 25 November 1994 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. She is an actress, known for Amsterdamned 2 (2025), Dare (2017) and The Takeover (2022).

Rifka Lodeizen was born on 16 October 1972 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. She is an actress and writer, known for Overspel (2011), Kan door huid heen (2009) and Judas (2019).

Waldemar Torenstra was born on 29 March 1974 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He is an actor and producer, known for Divorce (2012), Vechtershart (2015) and De gelukkige huisvrouw (2010).

Graduated in Directing from Amsterdam's Film Academy, in 2005. During his second year there, he directed the feature film Beat with a budget of only 500 euro's. It was selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam, as well being released on DVD and nationwide in theatres. The following year, he was asked to direct a television film for the VPRO, resulting in the critically acclaimed Yu-Lan.

After graduating he left for China, returning three years later with his second feature film Shanghai Trance; a cinematic portrait of Shanghai that depicts a generation of young Chinese, bedazzled by a city that is changing faster than they can grow up. The film was selected for the Tiger Award Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam as well as numerous international festivals. It was released in China in over 250 cinemas and in late 2008, David made the front page of the Volkskrant newspaper for being the first Dutch director to achieve this.

He shot third feature film in Taiwan, a Dutch/French/co-production. "r u There" is a multi-dimensional experience that comprises 20% Second Life images. It is an exploration of the virtual world in which the younger generation is so deeply immersed. The film got selected to Un Certain Regard in Cannes.

Jonas Smulders was born on 15 January 1994 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He is an actor and director, known for Tex (2017), Obesk (2022) and The Dinner (2013).

Raymond Thiry is a European actor. He started out in theatre in 1987 with his theatre group Alex d'Electrique, a well known group with success in the Netherlands as well as in Germany.

After starring in several prime time TV series, he takes up the lead in 2006 in the art house film Langer Licht by David Lammers and receives a prestigious Golden Calf Nomination at the Dutch Filmfestival. In 2009 he wins this same award for his brilliant work in Winter in Wartime (Martin Koolhoven) and in 2015 he is again awarded, for his role in Blood , Sweat & Tears (2015) by Diederick Koopal.

Raymond impresses as Luther in the Dutch Crime series Penoza (Diederik van Rooijen). He also starred in the feature film Wolf , the Dutch nomination for the European Film Awards in 2014 and in The Paradise Suite (Joost van Ginkel), submitted for Best Foreign Language at the Oscars in 2016. In 2016 Raymond worked on several films like Een Echte Vermeer by Rudolf van den Berg and the last season of Penoza.

Languages: Dutch, German, English

Raymond Thiry is based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Philip Van Zandt was born on 4 October 1904 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He was an actor, known for Citizen Kane (1941), His Kind of Woman (1951) and City of Missing Girls (1941). He died on 15 February 1958 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Ruben van der Meer was born on 2 June 1970 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He is an actor and writer, known for Plan C (2012), De lama's (2004) and The Delivery (1999).

Lisa Smit first came to the public's attention as the female star of the children's horror film Gruesome School Trip (2005) which was a national box office hit and went on to win awards in both the United States and Great-Britain.

After starring in the acclaimed youth series Willemspark (2007) Lisa starred in the psychological thriller TBS (2008), which under its international title Nothing To Lose (2008) won the prestigious Golden Film Award (for over 100.000 tickets sold at the box office) and also won Best Feature at the Philadelphia International Film Festival.

Concentrating on school for a while, Lisa returned to the big screen in 2010 with the leading female role in the arthouse movie Shocking Blue (2010). She also filmed a guest starring role in the popular police series Flikken Maastricht (2007), for a season's ending which was viewed by an audience of close to two million people.

Also in 2010, Lisa filmed a supporting role in Lena (2011), the new movie by acclaimed Flemish director Christophe van Rompaey, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2011. Around the same time her starring role in the Dutch tv-movie Mijn Marko (2011) had its premiere at the Dutch Film Festival in Utrecht.

In 2011, Lisa filmed her first starring role in an international production, as Laura Werner in Quellen Des Lebens by German writer-director Oskar Roehler. The movie had its Berlin premiere on February 5, 2013 and was released nationwide on February 14.

Quellen Des Lebens was nominated for Best Film at the German Film Awards 2013. Lisa also starred in the Dutch series Max & Billy's Drill Machine Girl, which was nominated for an International Emmy Award.

Lisa also co-starred in the youth series Zusjes and the historical epic Kenau, which had its international premiere at the Stony Brook Festival in New York, where it won the Audience Award for Best Feature.

Lisa then went on to star in the short film The Last Day of Summer, which was directed by Feike Santbergen and had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Lisa also starred in the short film Forever After by British director Charlotte Scott-Wilson, which had its world premiere in competition at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival in California.

In 2015 Lisa starred in the third season of Doctor Deen and she also played a leading role in the supernatural drama series Project Orpheus, which was shown on Dutch television in the spring of 2016. She also played the lead in a new movie by director Feike Santbergen. The Long Reach of Shadow, which gave Lisa the chance to play the challenging role of a psychologically disturbed young woman, was filmed mainly in Greece. It had its world premiere at the Dutch Film Festival in September of 2016. Lisa then concentrated on her studies for a while, before returning to filming in early 2017, starring in the romantic comedy All The Single Ladies!, written and directed by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Yfke van Berckelaer.

Melody Klaver was born in Amsterdam, Holland. At age 15 she got nominated for a Golden Calf for Best Actress (Deep), which made her the youngest actress ever to be nominated for this prestigious award. She lost it to Carice Van Houten (Blackbook). Later she did win the Tudor Award for Best Actress (Deep) in Geneva and a Rembrandt Award for Best Actress (Winter in wartime). In 2010 she got accepted by the Maastricht theatre academy, generally considered as one of the best drama academies in Europe. At the International Theatre School Festival 2014 in Amsterdam she won the Kemna Award for the best and most outstanding graduating student of the Netherlands and Belgium. Before and after her education Melody played lead roles in films such as Oorlogswinter (Winter in Wartime) by Martin Koolhoven, Schemer (Dusk), Langer Licht (Northern Light), Brasserie Valentijn and many more.

Niels Gomperts was born on 19 July 1991 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He is an actor, known for Penoza (2010), Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020) and Shocking Blue (2010).

Victor Löw was born on 25 August 1962 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He is an actor and writer, known for Leak (2000), Character (1997) and De flat (1994). He is married to Mirjam de Rooij.