Kris Cuppens (born 22 May 1962) is a Belgian

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

. Cuppens was born in Neeroeteren and discovered theatre in secondary school. He studied architecture at university, but rediscovered his love for the theatre during an audition for

Jan Fabre Jan Fabre (born 14 December 1958) is a versatile Belgian artist known for his contributions to theater, literature, and visual arts. With a career spanning nearly four decades, Fabre has established himself as an influential figure in the artist ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. After studying acting at the royal conservatory, he left Belgium for New York, to study at the

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by the actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Str ...

. In 1995 he appeared on television in the series '' Heterdaad'' ("Caught Red Handed") in the role of police inspector Willy Martens. He met

Dirk Tuypens A dirk is a long-bladed thrusting dagger.Chisholm, Hugh (ed.); "Dagger", ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 11th ed., Vol. VII, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press (1910), p. 729. Historically, it gained its name from the Highland dirk (Scott ...

, with whom he became involved in the peace movement and bombspotting. This collaboration led to the theatrical production ''Vaderland'' ("

Fatherland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic nation ...

"). On the set of ''Heterdaad'' he met

Joachim Lafosse Joachim Lafosse (born 18 January 1975) is a Belgian film director and screenwriter. Career Lafosse studied at the IAD (Institut des arts de diffusion) at Louvain-la-Neuve between 1997 and 2001. His graduation film ''Tribu'', a 24-minute short ...

, with whom he made several films, among them ''

Tribu Tribu may refer to: *Tribu, a ceremonial bell in Tibetan Buddhism *La Tribu La Tribu is a Canadian independent record label founded in 1999 in Quebec. Noted artists * Dorothée Berryman *Robert Charlebois * Les Cowboys Fringants * Dee * Duma ...

'', '' Ça rend heureux'', and ''

Nue Propriété ''Private Property'' () is a 2006 French-language Belgian film directed by Joachim Lafosse. The film received the André Cavens Award for Best Film by the Belgian Film Critics Association (UCC). Title ''Nue propriété'' is French for bare owner ...

''. His work is notable for drawing on his Flemish and

Limburgish Limburgish ( or ; ; also Limburgian, Limburgic or Limburgan) refers to a group of South Low Franconian Variety (linguistics), varieties spoken in Belgium and the Netherlands, characterized by their distance to, and limited participation ...

roots. He wrote a theatrical play, ''Lied'' ("Song") which is largely autobiographical, telling about three generations of Flemings (his grandfather, his father and himself), the war, and the coal mining strikes in

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

. On 18 November 2006, he won the Taalunie Toneelschrijfprijs award for ''Lied.'' Cuppens teaches about drama and theatre in

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

and

References

External links

* 1962 births Living people People from Maaseik {{Belgium-actor-stub