Carice van Houten Biography

Carice Anouk Van Houten (born 5 September 1976) is a Dutch actress and singer. She has played the role of Melisandre in the TV series Game of Thrones since 2012. Internationally, she is also known for English-language work in films like Valkyrie (2008), Repo Men (2010), Black Death (2010), and Black Book (2006), the most commercially successful Dutch film to date.

A highly acclaimed actress in the Netherlands, she has won five Golden Calf Awards for Best Actress for her roles in Suzy Q (1999), Undercover Kitty (2001), Black Book (2006), The Happy Housewife (2010) and Black Butterflies (2011). 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. He raised Carice with many silent movies, and during a Dutch interview she professed to prefer playing scenes without dialogue. 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 (high school) 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. She 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 (2001). The first time she could be seen in cinemas in the USA was when Martin Koolhoven's AmnesiA (2001) 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 was also enthusiastic about her role in Black Book. Dick Schmer 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 Agns 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 (English: Singing in the dark), a drama on domestic violence. In January 2008, she 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 (English title: Stricken), 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 Abramovi?.

In late November 2012, the video for "Particle of Light", the second single from her album, "See You on the Ice", debuted on YouTube. This song was written by Howe Gelb of Giant Sand.

In May 2015, she played Annika Van Houten in the episode of The Simpsons, "Let's Go Fly A Coot".

In 2016, she played the role of Leni Riefenstahl in Race.

Personal life

One of van Houten's best friends in life is fellow Dutch actress Halina Reijn, whom she has known since about 1994. They worked together in movies Black Book and Valkyrie. In 2013 the two published a book together called Anti Glamour, a (mock) style guide and a celebration of their friendship, as well as a candid look into the unglamourous back-stage side of their lives. Although the two occasionally kiss on camera, and have joked about being lesbians, there is no actual romantic involvement.

From 2005 the actress had a relationship with Sebastian Koch, her co-star in Black Book. The relationship had ended by March 2010.

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".

She is expecting her first child with Guy Pearce in late 2016.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1997	3 ronden	Emily
1998	Ivory Guardians	unknown
1999	Suzy Q	Suzy	Golden Calf for Best Acting in a Television Drama
2001	Storm in mijn hoofd	Peaseblossom / Titania
2001	AmnesiA	Sandra
2001	Undercover Kitty	Minoes	Golden Calf for Best Actress International Children's Film Festival: Children's Jury Award for Best Actress Carrousel international du film: Camrio for Best Actress
2002	The Wild Boar	Pandora
2003	Father's Affair	Monika
2005	Black Swans	Marleen	Nominated"?Golden Calf for Best Actress
2005	Lepel	Miss Broer
2005	Bonkers (Dutch title: Knetter)	Lis
2006	A Thousand Kisses	Samarinde
2006	Black Book	Rachel Stein a.k.a. Ellis de Vries	Golden Calf for Best Actress Rembrandt Award for Best Actress Nominated"?Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated"?European Film Award for Best Actress Nominated"?German Film Award for Best Actress Nominated"?Online Film Critics Society Award for Breakthrough Performer Nominated"?Saturn Award for Best Actress
2007	Love is All	Kiki Jollema	Rembrandt Award for Best Actress
2008	Dorothy Mills	Jane van Dopp
2008	Valkyrie	Nina Schenk Grfin von Stauffenberg	Nominated"?Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
2009	Stricken	Carmen	Golden Film Award Platine Film Award Award Rembrandt Award for Best Actress
2009	From Time to Time	Maria Oldknow
2010	Repo Men	Carol
2010	The Happy Housewife	Lea	Golden Film Award Platine Film Award Award Golden Calf for Best Actress Rembrandt Award for Best Actress
2010	Black Death	Langiva	Nominated"?Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actress
2010	Satisfaction
2011	Intruders	Susanna
2011	Black Butterflies	Ingrid Jonker	Golden Film Award Golden Calf for Best Actress Rembrandt Award for Best Actress Tribeca Film Festival: Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film
2011	Vivaldi	Julietta
2012	Jackie	Sophie	Golden Film Award Nominated"?Rembrandt Award for Best Actress
2012	Family Way	Winnie de Roover	Rembrandt Award for Best Actress
2013	The Fifth Estate	Birgitta Jnsdttir
2015	Incarnate	TBA
2016	Race	Leni Riefenstahl
2016	Brimstone	Anna	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Het Labyrint	Mariek	Television series
1999	Suzy Q	Suzy	Television film Golden Calf for Best Acting in a Television Drama
2000	Goede daden bij daglicht: Op weg	Carola	Television film
2001	De acteurs	Ellie	Television series
2002	Luifel & Luifel	Roos	Episode: "De Krottenkoning"
2004	Russen	Jos Machielsen	Episode: "De zevende getuige"
2004	Kopspijkers	Georgina Verbaan	Episode: "Dance-4-Life"
2006	Koppensnellers	Georgina Verbaan	Episode: "1.16"
2009	Gewoon Hans	Herself	Television film
2010	In therapie	Aya	3 episodes
2011	Human Planet	Narrator	Dutch dubbing
2012-present	Game of Thrones	Melisandre of Asshai	Main Role Empire Hero Award (2015, together with the cast) Nominated"?Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2013, 2015-2016)
2015	The Simpsons	Annika van Houten (voice)	Episode "Let"?s Go Fly A Coot"

Discography

• Black Book (soundtrack) (2007) - vocals in four songs
• See You on the Ice (2012)
• "Fear Not" (2015) - featuring Michael Prins