[Image Author: F. van Geelen; source, CC 3.0 / commons.wikimedia.org]
Rutger Hauer (January 23, 1944 – July 19, 2019) was a Dutch actor. In 1999, the Dutch public voted him the Best Dutch Actor of the Century.
Rutger Hauer, a blond, blue-eyed, tall, and handsome Dutch actor, had an international reputation for playing roles ranging from romantic leads to action heroes to sinister villains. Hauer was born in Breukelen, a former municipality in the Dutch province of Utrecht.
Hauer was born in Breukelen, Holland. A nanny raised Hauer and his three sisters because their parents were frequently on tour.
During his childhood, he was a bit of a rebel, chafing at the rules and rigors of school and often getting into mischief.
Bio/Wiki | |
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Real Name | Rutger Oelsen Hauer |
Nickname | Rutger |
Profession | Actor, Producer, Director, Author |
Personal Life | |
Date of Birth | 7th June, 1967 |
Date of Death | July 19, 2019 |
Birthplace | Breukelen, Utrecht, The Netherlands |
Place of Death | Beetsterzwaag, Friesland, Netherlands |
Nationality | Dutch |
Hometown | Breukelen, Netherlands |
Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
Religion | Christianity |
School | Waldorf education |
College/University | N/A |
Educational Qualification | Graduated |
Physical Stats | |
Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 185 cm in meters- 1.85 m in feet inches- 6'1" |
Weight (approx.) | in kilograms- 93 kg in pounds- 205 lbs |
Eye Color | Blue |
Hair Color | Blonde |
Career | |
Debut | First Album: Nighthawks |
Awards & Achievements | • 2018 Audie Award (Excellence in Production) • 2008 Golden Calf Culture Prize • 1988 Supporting Actor • 1981 Golden Calf for Best Actor |
Relationships & Affairs | |
Martial Status | Married |
Wife | • First Wife: Heidi Merz (Divorced) • Second Wife: Ineke ten Kate (m. 1985) |
Family | |
Parents | Father- Arend Hauer Mother- Teunke Hauer |
Siblings | N/A |
Children | Daughter- Ayesha Hauer |
Income | |
Net Worth [approx.] | $16 million |
Social Media | |
N/A | |
N/A | |
YouTube | N/A |
Early Life/Biography
Hauer was born on January 23, 1944, in Breukelen, Province of Utrecht, during the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II.
In an interview in 1981, he stated, “I was born in the midst of the war, and I believe it is because of this that I have deep roots in pacifism. I am terrified of violence.”
Hauer’s grandfather had been a schooner captain, and when he was 15, he ran away to work on a freighter for a year. Hauer, like his great-grandfather, is colorblind, which prevents him from advancing in his sailor career.
He also founded the Rutgers Hauer Starfish Association to raise awareness about AIDS. All Those Moments: Stories of Heroes, Villains, Replicants, and Blade Runners (co-written with Patrick Quinlan), his autobiography, was released in April 2007, in which he discussed many of his acting roles.
The book’s proceeds will benefit the Rutgers Hauer Starfish Association.
Family
He was the son of actors Teunke Hauer (née Mellema) and Arend Hauer, who ran an acting school. Because his parents were frequently on tour, he and his three sisters were raised by a nanny.
During his childhood, he was a bit of a rebel, chafing at the rules and rigors of school and frequently getting into mischief.
Education
Hauer went to a Rudolf Steiner school because his parents wanted him to be creative. He dropped out of school at 15 to join the Dutch merchant navy.
He spent a year sailing around the world on a freighter, but he could not become a captain due to his colorblindness.
When he returned home, he worked odd jobs during the day while finishing his high school diploma at night.
He then enrolled in the Amsterdam Academy for Theater and Dance for acting classes but soon dropped out to join the Royal Netherlands Army.
He was trained as a combat medic but left the service after only a few months because he was opposed to lethal weapons. He later returned to acting school, graduating in 1967.
Career
Hauer’s first acting role was Eurysakes in the play Ajax when he was 11 years old. After graduating from the Academy for Theater and Dance, he began his career as a stage actor with the Toneelgroep Noorder Compagnie.
Hauer’s career began in 1969 with the lead role in the Dutch television series Floris and culminated in 1999 with the lead role in Turkish Delight, which was named the best Dutch film of the century.
After gaining international acclaim with Soldier of Orange and Spetters, he moved on to American films such as Nighthawks and Blade Runner. He played the self-aware Android robot Roy Batty in the sequel.
His performance in Blade Runner led to roles in films such as The Osterman Weekend, Ladyhawke, The Hitcher, The Legend of the Holy Drinker, and Blind Fury.
In the 1990s, Hauer transitioned into low-budget films and supporting roles in major films such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Batman Begins, Sin City, and The Princess Bride.
He won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in 1987 for his performance in the television film Escape from Sobibor.
At the height of his fame, Hauer was set to play RoboCop in RoboCop (1987), but the film’s director, Paul Verhoeven, thought his frame was too large to move comfortably in the character’s suit.
Also, in 1987, Hauer appeared in Wanted: Dead or Alive as Nick Randall, a descendant of the character Steve McQueen played in the same-name television series.
In The Hitcher (1986), he played a mysterious hitchhiker who torments a lone motorist and murders anyone who gets in his way. He won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in 1987 for his performance in the television film Escape from Sobibor.
In Ermanno Olmi’s The Legend of the Holy Drinker, he played a homeless man in 1988. At the 1989 Seattle International Film Festival, Hauer won Best Actor for this performance.
In 1989, Hauer returned to science fiction with The Blood of Heroes, in which he portrayed a gladiator in a post-apocalyptic world.
By the 1990s, Hauer was well known for his humorous Guinness commercials as well as his screen roles, which increasingly included low-budget films like Split Second (1992), The Beans of Egypt, Maine (1994), Omega Doom (1996), and New World Disorder (1997). (1999).
Following his death, Hauer was replaced by Christopher Lloyd as the voice of Xehanort in the 2019 video game Kingdom Hearts III, replacing the late Leonard Nimoy.
Awards and Achievements
Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television in 1995.
1988-Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture: Winner.
Relationship, Wife, and Affairs
Hauer had two marriages. His only child from his first marriage, Heidi Merz, was Aysha Hauer (born 1966).
He had been married to his second wife, Ineke ten Cate, and they married on November 22, 1985, in a private ceremony.
Physical Appearance
Blonde, blue-eyed, tall, and handsome Dutch actor Rutger Hauer has an international reputation for playing everything from romantic leads to action heroes to sinister villains. Rutger stands at the height of 6 feet 1 inch and weighs around 93 kg.
Net Worth
As of 2019, his net worth was $16 Million.
Interesting Facts about Rutger Hauer
- His Parents worked as actors.
- He ran away at the age of 15 to work on a freighter, despite being the grandson of a sea captain.
- Served in the Dutch army but was discharged after claiming to be mentally unfit for military service.
- For six years, he was the spokesperson for Guinness stout.
- In 1995, a Dutch stamp depicting his role as Eric Vonk in Turkish Delight was issued (1973)
- In 2000, he founded the Starfish Association, which assists HIV/AIDS-infected children and pregnant women.
- Roy Batty in 1982’s Blade Runner is his favorite film role.
- All Those Moments: Stories of Heroes, Villains, Replicants, and Blade Runners, his 2007 memoir, is based on a speech delivered by his character in Blade Runner.
- He was also an environmentalist.
- His fluent languages were English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, and Frisian.
Death
On July 19, 2019, Hauer died at his home in Beetsterzwaag after a brief illness. He was 75 years old. On July 24, a private funeral service was held.
On January 23, 2020, which would have been Hauer’s 76th birthday, a ceremony in his honor was held in Beetsterzwaag.
Sharon Stone, Miranda Richardson, Diederik van Rooijen, and Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, were among those in attendance.
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