Carice Anouk van Houten]; born 5 September 1976) is a Dutch actress and singer.
She is best known for her role in Black Book, the most commercially successful Dutch film
to date.
Internationally, she is also known for English-speaking works such as Valkyrie, Repo Men, Black Death,
and the TV series Game of Thrones in which she has played the role of Melisandre since
2012.
A very popular actress in the Netherlands, she has won five Golden Calf Awards for Best
Actress for her roles in Suzy Q, Undercover Kitty, Black Book, The Happy Housewife and
Black Butterflies.
In the US she received two Saturn Award nominations.
As a singer, Van Houten released a pop-rock album entitled See You on the Ice in 2012.
She is the older sister of fellow actress Jelka van Houten.
Early life Van Houten was born on 5 September 1976 in
Leiderdorp, the Netherlands.
Her mother, Margje Stasse, is on the board of Dutch educational TV, and her father, Theodore
van Houten, is a writer and broadcaster.
She has a younger sister, Jelka van Houten, who is also an actress.
Her paternal grandmother was Scottish.
Van Houten went to the St. Bonifatiuscollege in Utrecht, where she played the leading role
in Hugo Claus' Tijl Uilenspieghel, directed by Ad Migchielsen.
Van Houten studied briefly at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts but continued her
professional education after one year at the Kleinkunstacademie in Amsterdam.
Acting career
Van Houten played her first leading role in Martin Koolhoven's TV film Suzy Q. Van Houten
won a Golden Calf for her part as Suzy.
She also won the Pisuisse Award and the Top Naeff Award for her stage acting and another
Golden Calf for her part as the kitten that becomes a girl in Undercover Kitty.
The first time she could be seen in cinemas in the USA was when Martin Koolhoven's AmnesiA
got a small theatrical release.
Van Houten won a Golden Calf for her performance as Rachel Stein in the 2006 film Black Book
at the Netherlands Film Festival.
Black Book's director Paul Verhoeven says about her in a television interview: "Never
in my life I have worked with an actress this talented", and when asked to compare her with
Sharon Stone he said "Carice can really act".
The international press is also enthusiastic about her role in Black Book.
Dick Schümer wrote in his review of the film in the Frankfurter Allgemeine that Carice
van Houten is "not only more beautiful, but also a better actress than Scarlett Johansson".
In December 2006, Van Houten withdrew from a theatre production of Alex van Warmerdam
due to personal reasons.
According to a theatre spokesman it was because of a work overload.
Carice's first English spoken movie was Dorothy from French director Agnès Merlet.
Her performance in Black Book led to roles opposite Tom Cruise in Valkyrie and Jude Law
and Forest Whitaker in Repo Men.
She has acted in three movies directed by Dutch director Martin Koolhoven.
In 2008 she starred in the non-commercial short movie Zingen in het donker, a drama
on domestic violence.
In January 2008, Van Houten was named Woman of the Year by New York Magazine.
She appeared in the magazine Vanity Fair in the issue for March 2008, photographed by
Wayne Maser.
In 2008, Van Houten had a role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Body of Lies, but her scenes did
not make the final cut of the movie.
On 4 October 2008 filming began on From Time To Time directed by Julian Fellowes.
It is based on the children's literature classic The Chimneys of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston.
Van Houten is attached to star as Maria Oldknow.
In April 2009, it was announced that Van Houten would star in Black Death by UK director Christopher
Smith and in the highly anticipated Dutch film Komt een vrouw bij de dokter, based on
the celebrated novel of the same name by Ray Kluun.
She also starred in the Science-Fiction thriller Repo Men.
In July 2011, Van Houten was cast as the priestess Melisandre in the second season of HBO's fantasy
TV series Game of Thrones.
In 2012, Van Houten appeared in Antony and the Johnsons' "Cut the world" video, which
was directed by Nabil and also starred Willem Dafoe and Marina Abramović.
In late November 2012, the video for "Particle of Light", the second single from her album,
"See You on the Ice", was debuted on YouTube.
This song was written by Howe Gelb of Giant Sand.
Personal life She was in a relationship with actor Sebastian
Koch, her co-star in Black Book.
The couple announced they were separating in August 2009.
Van Houten has stated that Hollywood makes her unhappy: "I have seen Hollywood, and although
I have nothing against it, it's not my kind of life.
My agent is shocked that I want to stay in Europe," adding, "If Hollywood offers me a
great part, of course I'll take it, but I just don't want to live there".
Filmography Television
Discography Black Book – vocals in four songs
See You on the Ice References
External links Official website
Carice van Houten at AllMovie Carice van Houten at Virtual History
Carice van Houten at the Internet Movie Database