Renée Soutendijk
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Renette Pauline Soutendijk (, born 21 May 1957), known professionally as Renée Soutendijk, is a Dutch actress. A gymnast in her youth, Soutendijk began her acting career in the late 1970s. She was a favorite star of director
Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...
's films, and is perhaps best known for her work in his 1980 release ''
Spetters ''Spetters'' (English translation: ''Splashes'') is a Dutch film released in 1980 and directed by Paul Verhoeven. The film follows the lives of three young men who have little in common but their love for dirt-bike racing. Set on the outskirts ...
'' and 1983's '' The Fourth Man''. Her good looks and striking blond hair secured her status as a Dutch sex symbol in the 1980s. Soutendijk attempted to establish herself in the United States in the late 1980s, and appeared in the science fiction film '' Eve of Destruction'' (1991). Since the 2000s she has played a number of television and stage roles, and appeared as one of the leads in the 2012
RTL 4 RTL 4 (Radio Télévision Luxembourg 4) is a Dutch free-to-cable television channel; it is the most-watched commercial station in the country, popular especially with those aged between 20 and 49. RTL 4 is a general entertainment channel with in ...
television series ''Moordvrouw''. She has also had supporting roles in the American drama '' A Perfect Man'' (2013) and in
Luca Guadagnino Luca Guadagnino (; born 10 August 1971) is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are often characterized by their emotional complexities, sensuality and sumptuous visuals. He is also known for his frequent collaboration ...
's '' Suspiria'' (2018).


Life and career


Early life

Soutendijk was born in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
, North Holland, Netherlands, on 21 May 1957. In her youth, Soutendijk was a qualifying Olympic gymnast. She studied acting at the Academy for Podium Formation in
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
.


Television and film beginnings

Soutendijk made her television debut in the Dutch television series ''Dagboek van een herdershond'' (English: ''Dutch the Shepherd Dog'' (1979–1980). She began her film career playing the heroines in the Paul Verhoeven-directed cult films ''
Spetters ''Spetters'' (English translation: ''Splashes'') is a Dutch film released in 1980 and directed by Paul Verhoeven. The film follows the lives of three young men who have little in common but their love for dirt-bike racing. Set on the outskirts ...
'' (1980) and '' The Fourth Man'' (1983). ''Spetters'' established her as a sex symbol; the movie and its star attracted attention in the United States as well, and ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' saw her "stylish performance" of a "compelling character" as a focal point of the movie. In the early 1980s, Soutendijk,
Monique van de Ven Monica Maria Theresia "Monique" van de Ven (; born 28 July 1952) is a Dutch actress and director. Life and career From 1973 until 1988 she was married to Dutch cinematographer and director Jan de Bont, with whom she lived in Los Angeles for a ...
, and Willeke van Ammelrooy were the three best-known actresses in Dutch cinema, and most Dutch movies featured one of the three. The movie that marked her breakthrough as an actress in a major role, though, is considered to be '' The Girl with the Red Hair'' (1981), in which she played Dutch resistance fighter Hannie Schaft. From 1981 to 1989 she played in ''
Zeg 'ns Aaa ''Zeg 'ns Aaa'' (''Say Aah'') was one of the longest running and most popular Dutch sitcoms, situated in the medical practice of a general practitioner and revolving around herself, her family, and her housekeeper. The title refers to the imperat ...
'', one of the longest-running and most popular Dutch sitcoms. In 1983, Soutendijk gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Caro. Soutendijk's first English-language role was as
Eva Braun Eva Anna Paula Hitler (; 6 February 1912 – 30 April 1945) was a German photographer who was the longtime companion and briefly the wife of Adolf Hitler. Braun met Hitler in Munich when she was a 17-year-old assistant and model for his ...
in the made-for-TV movie ''
Inside the Third Reich ''Inside the Third Reich'' (german: Erinnerungen, "Memories") is a memoir written by Albert Speer, the Nazi Minister of Armaments from 1942 to 1945, serving as Adolf Hitler's main architect before this period. It is considered to be one of the m ...
''. Her subsequent TV movie roles included Anna Mons in '' Peter the Great'' (1986) and Mrs.
Simon Wiesenthal Simon Wiesenthal (31 December 190820 September 2005) was a Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor, Nazi hunter, and writer. He studied architecture and was living in Lwów at the outbreak of World War II. He survived the Janowska concentration ...
in ''Murderers Among Us'' (1989). She sought a career in Hollywood and lived in the United States for a year and a half. She played opposite Academy-award nominee
Chris Sarandon Christopher Sarandon (; born July 24, 1942) is an American actor. He is well known for playing a variety of iconic characters, including Jerry Dandrige in ''Fright Night'' (1985), Prince Humperdinck in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), Detective Mik ...
in the Holocaust-themed movie ''Forced March'' (1989), and the title character in '' Eve of Destruction'' (1991), in which she portrayed an android opposite
Gregory Hines Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for '' Wolfen'' (1981), '' The Cotton C ...
. In the late 1990s she played in another Dutch film ('' De Flat''). She also acted in German television movies (and series, including ''
Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed b ...
'') in which, she said, she was rarely typecast and played more interesting characters. In 1996, she gave birth to her son, Jaïr. The films ''Dial 9'' and ''Met grote blijdschap'' (''With Great Joy''), which were both released in 2001, marked her return to the Dutch movie-screen after a four-year absence.


2000s and later career

Soutendijk subsequently played roles in television shows and as a stage actress, playing for instance
Queen Juliana Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. S ...
(2006) and a woman dying of cancer in
Margaret Edson Margaret "Maggie" Edson (born July 4, 1961) is an American playwright. She is a recipient of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play ''Wit''. She has been a public school teacher since 1992. Background and education Edson was born in Was ...
's '' Wit'' (2010). In 2011, Soutendijk was given the
Rembrandt Award The Rembrandt Award was a Dutch film award. Initially created in 1993, it was not awarded between 1999 and 2006, but was recreated in 2007 by René Mioch.. It has not been awarded since 2015. 2007 *''Zwartboek'' – Best Dutch Film * Daniël ...
for her body of work. That same year, news came that Soutendijk was to star in a television series for
RTL 4 RTL 4 (Radio Télévision Luxembourg 4) is a Dutch free-to-cable television channel; it is the most-watched commercial station in the country, popular especially with those aged between 20 and 49. RTL 4 is a general entertainment channel with in ...
, ''Moordvrouw'', a police drama. In 2018, Soutendijk had a supporting role in
Luca Guadagnino Luca Guadagnino (; born 10 August 1971) is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are often characterized by their emotional complexities, sensuality and sumptuous visuals. He is also known for his frequent collaboration ...
's '' Suspiria'', a reimagining of the Dario Argento film of the same name. , she is scheduled to appear in the photography game show ''Het perfecte plaatje''.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


Sources

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soutendijk, Renee 1957 births Actresses from Amsterdam Living people Dutch film actresses Golden Calf winners Dutch television actresses Dutch stage actresses 20th-century Dutch actresses 21st-century Dutch actresses