Conny Stuart (5 September 1913 – 22 August 2010),

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of Cornelia van Meijgaard, was a Dutch actress, singer, and '' cabaretière''.

Biography

Stuart was born in

Wijhe Wijhe () is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Olst-Wijhe and is situated about 12 km south of Zwolle on the banks of the river IJssel. Wijhe was a separate municipality until 2001, when it me ...

and grew up 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 of ...

, near the Peace Palace. Her father was the administrator of the

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

. During her education at the HBS Bleyenburg she took on the name "Stuart" and took piano lessons. In this period, she got the nickname "Puck". Stuart started her career as ''

chansonnière A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic so ...

'' and performed with the band of

Freddy Johnson Freddy Johnson (March 12, 1904 – March 24, 1961) was an American jazz pianist and singer who gained popularity in the 1930s playing mostly swing style. Biography Johnson began playing professionally as Florence Mills' accompanist, and ...

. On 25 July 1939 she made her radio debut. In World War II, Stuart met

Wim Sonneveld Willem "Wim" Sonneveld (; 28 June 1917 – 8 March 1974) was a Dutch cabaret artist and singer. Together with Toon Hermans and Wim Kan, he is considered to be one of the 'Great Three' of Dutch cabaret. Sonneveld is generally viewed as a Dutch cu ...

, and began to perform in his ensemble. Sonneveld stimulated her comic qualities, for instance by letting his stage writer

Hella Haasse Hélène "Hella" Serafia Haasse (2 February 1918 – 29 September 2011) was a Dutch writer, often referred to as the "Grande Dame" of Dutch literature, and whose novel ''Oeroeg'' (1948) was a staple for generations of Dutch schoolchildren. Her ...

write a farcical song like "Yvonne de spionne" for her. In the 1950s she became the leading lady of the show.

Annie M.G. Schmidt Anna Maria Geertruida "Annie" Schmidt (20 May 1911 – 21 May 1995) was a Dutch writer. She is called the mother of the Dutch theatrical song, and the queen of Dutch children's literature, praised for her "delicious Dutch idiom," and considered o ...

, who wrote for the shows in those days, made sure she at least had one solo per show. She also could be heard in popular comical radio shows like ''Mimosa'' and ''Koek en ei''. In those years she was married to Henri Hofman and had two sons. But in 1957 she divorced and married fellow actor

Joop Doderer Johan Heinrich (Joop) Doderer (28 August 1921 – 22 September 2005) was a Dutch actor, well known for his role as the tramp Swiebertje in the eponymous television series. The series ran for 17 seasons between 1955 and 1975, and was broadcast b ...

. The two later divorced in 1960. From the 1960s on, she became one of The Netherlands' greatest musical stars. She mainly acted in the musicals of Annie M.G. Schmidt and

Harry Bannink Harry Bannink (10 April 1929, Enschede – 19 October 1999, Bosch en Duin) was a Dutch composer, arranger and pianist. He wrote over 3,000 songs. Bannink studied at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, receiving his degree in 1946. He star ...

, including their first, ''Heerlijk duurt het langst'' from 1965. The show was an incredible success, and Schmidt and Bannink wrote four more musicals for her. She ended her career in 1985 with her stage show ''De Stuart Story'', accompanied by

Louis van Dijk Louis van Dijk, also spelled Louis van Dyke (27 November 1941 – 12 April 2020), was a beloved Dutch pianist. Born as Arnold Ludwig van Dijk in Amsterdam, he studied solo piano at the Amsterdam Conservatorium. Louis van Dijk became well-known fo ...

, where she performed old success songs and new songs written for her by Schmidt.

External links

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Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, Conny 1913 births 2010 deaths Dutch women singers Dutch stage actresses Dutch musical theatre actresses Dutch cabaret performers Entertainers from The Hague People from Wijhe