Ramses Shaffy (29 August 1933 – 1 December 2009) was a Dutch-French singer and actor who became popular during the 1960s. His most famous songs include "Zing, vecht, huil, bid, lach, werk en bewonder", "We zullen doorgaan", "Pastorale", "Sammy" and "Laat me". He frequently collaborated with Dutch singer

Liesbeth List Elisabeth Dorathea "Liesbeth" List (born Driessen; December 12, 1941 – March 25, 2020) was a Dutch singer. She became popular during the 1960s and frequently collaborated with Ramses Shaffy. She also sang Jacques Brel's chansons in Dutch tran ...

Biography

Shaffy was born on 29 August 1933 in Paris, in the suburb

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

. His father was an Egyptian diplomat Ramsès Shaffy Bey, and his mother was a Polish-Russian countess Alexandra de Wysocka. He grew up with his mother in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

. When she was infected with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, Shaffy was sent to an aunt in

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

. Eventually, he ended up in a foster family in

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

. He did not finish high school, but he was accepted at the Amsterdam school of theatre arts in 1952. In 1955, he made his debut with the ''Nederlandse Comedie''. He went to Rome in 1960 aspiring to be a film actor, but was unsuccessful in the endeavour. In the 1960s, Shaffy had a relationship with Dutch actor (1937–2006). In 1964 he founded Shaffy Chantant, a theatre group, which led to his first collaborations with chanteuse Liesbeth List. He worked with Dutch pianist

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 ...

. Among others, musician

Thijs van Leer Thijs van Leer (; born 31 March 1948) is a Dutch singer and keyboardist, best known as the founding member of the rock band Focus as its primary vocalist, keyboardist, and flautist. Born and raised in Amsterdam among a musical family, van Leer ...

was a member of the group for a short period of time. With Liesbeth List, Shaffy recorded the classic song "Pastorale" (Sun and Moon). His hit song "We zullen doorgaan" was parodied by comedian

André van Duin Adrianus Marinus Kyvon (; 20 February 1947), known by his stage name André van Duin, is a Dutch comedian, singer-songwriter and television presenter. Van Duin is one of the Netherlands' best known entertainers, with a career spanning almost si ...

in 1975. He temporarily stopped his habit of heavy drinking when he became a member of the

Rajneesh movement The Rajneesh movement is a new religious movement inspired by the Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (1931–1990), also known as Osho. They used to be known as ''Rajneeshees'' or "Orange People" because of the orange they used from 1970 unti ...

in the 1980s. In the 1980s, Shaffy returned to the stage and the set as an actor. He played

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

in the musical ''De man van La Mancha'' in 1993. He also played the role of

Count of Egmont This is a list of lords and counts of Egmont (Egmond aan den Hoef) of the House of Egmont. Lords of Egmont * Radbold I (?-791) * Gerbrand (?-845) * Wolbrand (?-869) * Radbold II (?-920) * Dodo I (?–977) * Walger (?–1036) * Dodo II (?–1074) ...

in the Flemish/Dutch miniseries ''Willem van Oranje''. made a documentary about Shaffy in 2002, titled ''Ramses''. It won a

Golden Calf According to the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran, the golden calf () was a cult image made by the Israelites when Moses went up to Mount Sinai (bible), Mount Sinai. In Hebrew, the incident is known as "the sin of the calf" (). It is first mentio ...

, the award of the

Netherlands Film Festival The Netherlands Film Festival () is an annual film festival, held in September and October of each year in the city of Utrecht. During the ten-day festival, Dutch film productions and co-productions are exhibited. Besides feature films, the prog ...

. The film shows Shaffy's life in a rest home in Amsterdam. He had to move to a rest home, suffering from Korsakoff-like symptoms, caused by heavy alcohol use. Shaffy's condition slightly improved in the years following the film. His memory improved and he sometimes made public appearances again. In the fall of 2005, he re-recorded his 1978 hit song "Laat me", together with List and the band , which became a minor hit.

Death

On 5 May 2009 it was made public that Shaffy suffered from

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

. He died of the disease in the Dr. Sarphati House, Amsterdam, where he had lived the last seven years, on 1 December 2009, aged 76. The public took leave of him at the Royal Carré Theatre in Amsterdam.

Portrayal

In 2014, a four-part drama series about the young Ramses Shaffy titled ''Ramses'' was produced by the

AVRO Avro (an initialism of the founder's name) was a British aircraft manufacturer. Its designs include the Avro 504, used as a trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the d ...

for Dutch television. Actor Maarten Heijmans portrayed Shaffy. The municipal artwork in

Vijzelgracht metro station Vijzelgracht metro station (Dutch: ''Station Vijzelgracht'') is a station on the Route 52 (North–South Line) of the Amsterdam Metro in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was opened on 22 July 2018. Vijzelgracht is an underground station situated in the ...

, Amsterdam is a highly stylised

transit map A transit map is a topological map in the form of a schematic diagram used to illustrate the routes and stations within a public transport system—whether this be bus, tram, rapid transit, commuter rail or ferry routes. Metro maps, subway maps, ...

which portrays events in Shaffy's life.

Accolades

* In 2002, Ramses Shaffy received a Knighthood of the Order of the Dutch Lion. * On 23 June 2017, the Ramses Shaffy Home (residential space for artists) was opened in Amsterdam.

Discography

* ''Shaffy Chantant'' (1966) * ''Ramses II'' (1966) * ''Shaffy Chantate'' (1967) * ''Sunset Sunkiss'' (1970) * ''Zonder bagage'' (1971) * ''We zullen doorgaan'' (1972) * ''We leven nog'' (1975) * ''Samen'' (1976, with Liesbeth List) * ''Ramses en Liesbeth live'' (1977, with Liesbeth List) * ''Dag en nacht'' (1978) * ''Live'' (1980) * ''Sterven van geluk'' (1988)

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaffy, Ramses 1933 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Dutch LGBTQ people 20th-century Dutch male actors 20th-century Dutch male singers 20th-century Dutch pianists 20th-century French LGBTQ people 20th-century French male singers Bisexual male actors Bisexual male singers Burials at Zorgvlied Cemetery Deaths from esophageal cancer in the Netherlands Dutch bisexual men Dutch LGBTQ singers Dutch male film actors Dutch male pianists Dutch male stage actors Dutch male television actors Dutch people of Egyptian descent Dutch people of Polish descent Dutch people of Russian descent Dutch pianists French bisexual male actors French bisexual men French bisexual musicians French LGBTQ singers Male actors from Amsterdam Rajneesh movement