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1-50 of 1,139
- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
Charlie Colin was born on 22 November 1966 in Newport Beach, California, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for The Animal (2001), All About Steve (2009) and CSI: NY (2004). He died on 17 May 2024 in Brussels, Belgium.- The Flemish (Dutch-language Belgian) actor Julien Schoenaerts made a most notable acting career, foremost in the theatre but also on the movie - and TV screen.
Schoenaerts was born on 30 August 1925 in Eigenbilzen (Belgian province of Limburg). He once said his first public part was that of St-John at age four, when his sister put a living lamb in his arms during a Catholic procession. From age six Schoenaerts joined "Lust en Leven", the amateur theatre society his father belonged to. After classical humanities (Latin-Greek) he joined in 1948 the then two years young Studio Herman Teirlinck, after which he played ten years in Herman Teirlinck's theatre "Koninklijke Nederlandse Schouwburg" (KNS) in Antwerp. In the 1950s he toured both Dutch-speaking countries with such plays as (both in Dutch translation) "De huisbewaarder" by Harold Pinter and "De kleine prins" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Frustrated by Flanders' weak theatre policy, he emigrated north, played a year in Karl Guttmann's Ensemble and two with De Nederlandse Comedie, but remained at unease. Schoenaerts returned to Belgium, working with the Flemish public broadcaster BRT, and simultaneously started his own Ringtheater. Unable to continue both, Schoenaerts started a solo career; his last theatre performance was in 1993.
His first screen part was in 1955 in 'Meeuwen sterven in de haven' (scenario by Ivo Michiels). Memorable film parts were Pieter De Coninck in Hugo Claus' 'De Leeuw van Vlaanderen' (1983) and Monseigneur Stillemans in the Oscar-winning 'Daens' (1992). In 1999 he acted in a movie for a young audience; in 2004 he and his son Matthias Schoenaerts appeared in Rudolph Mestdagh's 'Ellektra'.
His artistic interest extended to other arts forms. In 2003 the gallery of "kunstkring Jacques Gorus" in Antwerp held an exposition of his paintings and etchings. Since the 1970s he suffered from mental problems. - Hélène de Saint-Père was born on 7 March 1960 in Brazzaville, Congo. She was an actress, known for Le conte d'hiver (1989), El invierno en Lisboa (1991) and Il est plus facile pour un chameau... (2003). She died on 4 May 2022 in Brussels, Belgium.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Toots Thielemans was born on 29 April 1922 in Brussels, Belgium. He was a composer and actor, known for The Getaway (1972), French Kiss (1995) and Midnight Cowboy (1969). He was married to Huguette Tuytschaever and Netty de Greef. He died on 22 August 2016 in Brussels, Belgium.- Writer
- Art Department
Born under the name Georges Remi on May 22, 1907 in Brussels, Belgium. As a child, Herge had a gift for drawing but never had any formal training in the visual arts. He attended both school and the boy scouts during the World War 1 and post-World War 1 Era. After he finished school Herge published his first ever cartoon: "The Adventures of Totor" for Le Boy-Scout Belge (a scouting magazine).
In 1928, he became in charge of the producing material for Le Petit Vingtieme (The Little Twentieth) a youth supplement newspaper. He began illustrating "The Adventures of Flup", "Nenesse", "Poussette", "Cochonnet", etc. January 10, 1929, Herge introduced a cartoon about a traveling Belgium reporter (Tintin) accompanied by his fox terrier (Snowy) traveling the Soviet Union. By 1930, Herge published the very first Tintin book: "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets". Tintin soon became Herge's "ligne claire" (French for clear line) legacy.
The later adventures of Tintin involved other locations of the world from China all the way to America. Within the next 50 years Tintin became one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, due to its well-researched plots, appealing characters, humor, political thrillers, & real world settings. After completing 23 books, Herge passed away on March 3, 1983, leaving "Tintin and Alph-Art" (the 24th book) unfinished. Despite Herge not being able to give his Tintin series the proper end, all of his works along with Tintin will continue to inspire artists and enchant readers from the years to come.- Philippe Jeusette was born on 23 March 1966 in Rocourt, Liege, Belgium. He was an actor, known for Two Days, One Night (2014), The Unknown Girl (2016) and The Child (2005). He died on 25 August 2022 in Heyd, Belgium.
- Writer
- Director
- Music Department
Pierre Culliford (pen name:Peyo) was a Belgian comics writer and artist. He contributed to several series, but his main claim to fame is creating the sword-and-sorcery series "Johan and Peewit" (1947-2001) and its spin-off, the adventure comedy series "The Smurfs" (1963-). His works have received several animated adaptations.
In 1928, Peyo was born in Schaerbeek, a municipality within the Brussels-Capital Region. In the early 20th century, Schaerbeek was a booming suburb with a large middle-class population. Peyo's father was an Englishman, while his mother was Belgian. Peyo received his art training at the "Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts", an art school located in Brussels.
Early in his career, Peyo worked for the animation studio "Compagnie belge d'actualités" (CBA). The studio folded after World War II, and Peyo decided to seek work as a comics artist. He was hired by the sports-oriented newspaper "La Dernière Heure" (The Latest Hour, 1906-). His salary was meager, and he supplemented his income through providing artwork for advertisements.
In 1947, Peyo created the character Johan for the "La Dernière Heure". The character was a heroic page of the Middle Ages, skilled in swordsmanship and aspiring to become a knight. Peyo had the character involved in fantasy-style adventures. In 1949, Peyo was hired by the newspaper "Le Soir" ("The Evening", 1887-), transferring the Johan comic strip to it. He created for this newspaper the comic strip "Poussy" ("Pussy"), featuring a cute black cat as the protagonist. This comic strip developed in a typical gag-a-day format.
In 1952, Peyo was hired by the comics magazine "Spirou" (1938-). He was reportedly recommended for hiring by his old friend André Franquin (1924-1997), who already worked for the magazine. Peyo transferred Johan to this magazine, and started writing longer adventures for him.
In 1954, Peyo retooled the "Johan" series to "Johan and Peewit", by adding a comic-relief sidekick for Johan. Peewit was a dwarf, depicted as a reformed thief, a professional court jester, and an inept musician. Unlike Johan, Peewit was a reluctant hero. But his cunning, his capacity for outwitting opponents, and his fighting skills made him a useful companion for the hero.
In 1958, Peyo wrote an adventure story called "The Flute with Six Holes", where Johan and Peewit seek a magical flute which was stolen. They meet the flute's creators, a race of blue-skinned gnomes, called the Smurfs. Peyo designed them as wearing traditional Phrygian caps (conical cap used in antiquity by various peoples of Anatolia and the Balkans), a developed a peculiar language and habits for them.
By 1959, the Smurfs had become popular enough to inspire merchandising of their own. Peyo was asked to create a spin-off comic strip for them. The characters supplanted Johan and Peewit in popularity, though Peyo preferred writing the original series. In 1960, Peyo founded his own studio, allowing him to have trained assistants work on Smurf-inspired stories, and other comics projects (such as "Steven Strong" and "Jacky and Célestin"). Peyo's most notable assistant during the early 1960s was François Walthéry (1946-), who would later create a number of successful series of his own.
In 1963, the first comics album devoted to the Smurfs was published. It was the story "The Purple Smurfs", featuring an infectious disease which turns the affected Smurfs into "violent, irrational and uncontrolled" beings with an urge to bite others. The album was successful, and ensured the production of further albums. By the time of Peyo's death in 1992, 16 comics albums had been completed.
Peyo remained active in the 1970s, but his work output diminished. He did, however, provide a script for the animated film "The Smurfs and the Magic Flute" (1976). He also was tasked with overseeing production aspects of the film. In the 1980s, Peyo authorized an adaptation of his work by the American studio Hanna-Barbera. He served as a story supervisor for the animated series "The Smurfs" (1981-1989). A notable hit of its era, the series lasted for 9 seasons and introduced the Smurfs to a wider international audience.
Until 1989, all Smurf stories were published by Dupuis due to a long-standing contract with Peyo. In 1989, Peyo decided to terminate their business relationship and to establish his own publishing house, Cartoon Creation. It turned out to be a failed business venture. Peyo had been facing recurring health problems throughout the decade, and was unable to properly handle the affairs of the new company. Within a few years, the company folded "due to management problems".
In 1992, the publishing rights to the Smurfs were sold to Le Lombard, a publisher known for holding the rights to "Tintin" since 1946. Peyo tried working with his new publisher, but his career was ending. On Christmas Eve 1992, Peyo died of a heart attack in Brussels at the age of 64.
A number of Peyo's series have been continued by other writers and artists. New Smurfs-related comics albums were published into the 2020s, often with input by Peyo's son, Thierry Culliford. The popularity of the Smurfs has endured, decades after the demise of their creator.- Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
Italian composer, one of the greatest exponents of operatic realism, who virtually brought the history of Italian opera to an end. His mature operas include "La Bohème" (1896), "Tosca" (1900), "Madama Butterfly" (1904), and "Turandot" left incomplete.- Tsilla Chelton was born on 21 June 1919 in Jerusalem, Palestine [now Israel]. She was an actress, known for Auntie Danielle (1990), Pandora'nin Kutusu (2008) and The Musketeer (2001). She was married to Jacques Noël. She died on 15 July 2012 in Brussels, Belgium.
- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Richard Olivier was born on 9 August 1945 in Brussels, Belgium. He was a director and writer, known for Remember Marvin Gaye (2001), Strip School (1980) and Black Paris (1981). He was married to Shelly Marie Henrich. He died on 3 March 2021 in Brussels, Belgium.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Michael Been was born on 17 March 1950 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Real Genius (1985), Tango & Cash (1989) and The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). He died on 19 August 2010 in Hasselt, Flanders, Belgium.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Marc Van Eeghem was born on 14 September 1960 in Brugge, Flanders, Belgium. He was an actor, known for Windkracht 10 (1997), Het eiland (2004) and In Flanders Field (2014). He died on 14 December 2017 in Antwerp, Belgium.- Writer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Jef Geeraerts was born on 23 February 1930 in Antwerpen, Flanders, Belgium. He was a writer and actor, known for Memory (2022), The Memory of a Killer (2003) and Control (2017). He was married to Eleonore Vigenon and J. Swaelen. He died on 11 May 2015 in Gent, Belgium.- Actor
- Director
Nand Buyl was born on 12 February 1923 in Antwerpen, Belgium. He was an actor and director, known for Stille waters (2001), Het hemelbed (1960) and Het zwaard van Ardoewaan (1972). He was married to Chris Lomme and Jeanne De Backer. He died on 24 March 2009 in Brussels, Belgium.- Alice Roberts was born on 26 July 1906 in Belgium. She was an actress, known for Pandora's Box (1929), Das Schicksal derer von Habsburg - Die Tragödie eines Kaiserreiches (1928) and La femme rêvée (1929). She died on 29 October 1985 in Belgium.
- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Hugo Claus was born on 5 April 1929 in Brugge, West Flanders, Belgium. He was a writer and director, known for Vrijdag (1980), De verlossing (2001) and De vijanden (1968). He was married to Veerle de Wit and Elly Claus. He died on 19 March 2008 in Antwerp, Belgium.- Ida Maria Vinterberg was born on 28 February 2000 in Denmark. She was an actress, known for The Commune (2016). She died on 4 May 2019 in Verviers, Belgium.
- Noureddine Farihi was born on 18 May 1957 in Casablanca, Morocco. He was an actor, known for The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023), Thuis (1995) and Thuis extra (2004). He died on 19 October 2022 in Belgium.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Robbe De Hert was born on 20 September 1942 in Farnborough, Hampshire, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for Blueberry Hill (1989), Trouble in Paradise (1989) and Hollywood aan de schelde (2018). He died on 24 August 2020 in Antwerpen, Belgium.- Writer
- Director
- Art Director
Maurice De Bevere (pen name: Morris) was a Belgian comics writer and artist. He was best known for creating the long-running Western comedy series "Lucky Luke" (1946-), and serving as its main artist from 1946 to his death in 2001. Lucky Luke is one of the best-selling comics series in Europe, and has been translated into 23 languages.
In 1923, Morris was born in the city of Kortrijk, located in West Flanders. It is an on old city, starting out as the Gallo-Roman settlement of Cortoriacum. It has served as a center for the flax and wool industry since the Middle Ages. Morris was educated at a Jesuit school in Aalst, East Flanders. He was bored there, and liked to draw doodles while in class.
After gaining a college degree, Morris was hired by the animation studio "Compagnie Belge d'Actualités" (CBA). Several other stars of Belgian comics started out as staff for this studio. The studio shut down following World War II. Morris then found work as an illustrator for the newspaper "Het Laatste Nieuws" (1888-), and the magazine "Moustique" (1924-). He specialized in drawing caricatures of then-famous movie stars.
In 1946, Morris created the "Lucky Luke" series for the comics magazine "Spirou" (1938-). It is a long-running Franco-Belgian comics magazine, that publishes stories in anthology format. The eponymous character of Morris' new series was a solitary cowboy and gunslinger who traveled across the 19th-century Wild West, persistently helping those in need. The series typically combines adventure themes with humorous situations, and a satirical view of Western tropes.
Early in his work for "Spirou", Morris became closely associated with the magazine's leading artists of this period. They were Jijé (Joseph Gillain, 1914-1980), André Franquin (1924-1997), and Will (Willy Maltaite, 1927-2000). Together, they became known as "La bande des quatre" ("Gang of Four").
In 1948, Morris temporarily moved to the United States, along with Jijé and Franquin. He was interested in finding out what remained of the Wild West, and he also wanted to meet and interact with American comics artist. Morris remained in the United States until 1954. He befriended the American artists Jack Davis (1924 - 2016), and Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993). He helped his new pals launch the humor magazine "Mad" (1952-2018) for the publisher EC Comics.
During his stay in the United States, Morris became acquainted with the French expatriate comics writer René Goscinny (1926-1977). Following their return to Europe, they decided to collaborate in the "Lucky Luke" series. Goscinny served as the series' main writer from 1955 to his death in 1977. He developed a supporting cast for the main character, which helped the series in gaining popularity.
Until 1968, nearly all Lucky Luke adventures and comic albums were printed by the publishing house Dupuis, the parent company of "Spirou". The company had a series of financial difficulties in the late 1960s, and Morris decided to switch publishers. In 1967, the "Lucky Luke" series started being printed in the comics magazine "Pilote" (1959-1989), the flagship publication of the publisher Dargaud.
In 1984, Morris allowed the adaptation of the "Lucky Luke" series into an English-language animated series by the studio Hanna-Barbera. Though it was not the first adaptation of the series in animation, it helped introduce the series to an American audience. It was released in syndication in the United States.
Until the 1980s, Morris focused all his efforts in the "Lucky Luke" series. In 1987, he launched the spin-off comic book series "Rantanplan" (1987-2011), focusing on a dimwitted, accident-prone, and gluttonous guard dog that had served as a supporting character for Lucky Luke since 1960. The character is a spoof of Rin Tin Tin. The spin-off series had the guard dog traveling the world, getting involved in misadventures, and always misunderstanding the world surrounding him.
In 2001, Morris suffered an accidental fall while trying to repair the roof of his residence. He was hospitalized, but suffered a pulmonary embolism while he was bedridden. He died in July 2001, at the age of 77. The "Lucky Luke" series has since continued under other writers and artists. Several of Morris' key characters have remained popular over the decades, and have starred in an ever-increasing number of adaptations.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Ivan Govar's name is completely forgotten today. Not that it has ever been famous... And yet this Belgian filmmaker is definitely out of the ordinary. Didn't he proclaim himself (and quite rightly so) the youngest director in Europe? As a matter of fact, he was only nineteen made his first short Nous n'irons plus au bois (1955) and twenty at the time of his first feature film Le toubib, médecin du gang (1956). Wasn't he the only Belgian director to make seven films during the 1955-1965 decade? Didn't he manage to hire such big names as Albert Préjean, Blanchette Brunoy, Madeleine Robinson, Maurice Clavel, Alain Cuny, Alain Cavalier, Pierre Brasseur, Michel Simon or Bernard Dimey ? And wasn't he the youngest retired director in Europe since he quit the director's chair at the early age of thirty? Maybe because none of this films (mostly crime movies or thrillers) ever scored a real success... Agreed, Ivan Govar's films are far from cinematic masterpieces but they have their moments. That is the reason why unindentified filmed objects such as Cross of the Living (1962), Agent of Doom (1963) and Deux heures à tuer (1966) would benefit from being shown again and reappraised.- Actor
- Director
Luc Philips was born on 2 January 1915. He was an actor and director, known for Bompa (1989), Chez Bompa Lawijt (1994) and Maigret (1964). He was married to Madga Hendrickx. He died on 26 July 2002 in Zoersel, Flanders, Belgium.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Charlie Smalls was born on 25 October 1943 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for The Wiz (1978), Faces (1968) and The Marc Pease Experience (2009). He died on 27 August 1987 in Belgium.- Director
- Writer
- Production Manager
Raoul Servais was born on 1 May 1928 in Oostende, Belgium. He was a director and writer, known for Taxandria (1994), Papillons de nuit (1997) and Atraksion (2001). He died on 17 March 2023 in Leffinge, Flanders, Belgium.- Gerard Reve was born on 14 December 1923 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. He was a writer, known for The 4th Man (1983), Dear Boys (1980) and Evenings (1989). He was married to Joop Schafthuizen and Michaelis, Hanny. He died on 8 April 2006 in Zulte, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium.