Rutger Hauer: biography
Rutger Hauer is a Dutch and American actor who participates in Hollywood blockbusters, independent projects, and foreign movies: Russian, Chinese, Polish, Romanian, Swedish, and Australian. Besides, the man has become successful as a director, scriptwriter, and producer.
Rutger Hauer was born on January 23, 1944, in the Netherlands. His parents were engaged in theater and often toured; a nanny brought up the future actor and his three sisters. Hauer appeared on the theater stage at five.
The boy was not obedient and dreamed of adventures; at the age of 15, he ran away from home and got a job at a freighter. Throughout the next year, the teenager saw various countries and their traditions. At that moment, he took an interest in languages and learned English, French, and German; today, the actor speaks them fluently.
Hauer would probably continue this life if it had not been for his eyesight problems: just like his great grandfather, Rutger was color-blind. Soon, the young man came back home and attended an evening school; in the afternoon, he worked part-time at a carwash, a carpenter’s shop, and the theater.
In 1962, the would-be actor moved to Switzerland and entered a drama university in Basel. Two years later, he started serving in the army. He did not like that and simulated a mental illness; Hauer spent several weeks in a mental hospital and retired. After that, the man came back to studying drama. As soon as Rutger graduated from Basel University, he felt it was not enough and continued his education in his home country. Later, the would-be star was employed at the theater.
Movies
In 1968, Rutger Hauer debuted with an episodic role in the movie Monsieur Hawarden; however, the scenes with him were deleted later. In 1969, the artist appeared in the series Floris that proved to be a good start. In 1973, the movie Turkish Delight was released and immediately nominated for the Academy Award. The work in Spetters, Flesh and Blood, and Soldier of Orange followed.
Hauer played good guys mostly; he realized he grew up from the Dutch cinematography and decided to try himself in Hollywood. He debuted there in Nighthawks (1981) and got new roles in The Blood of Heroes, Blind Fury, Wedlock, and so on. To get rid of his European accent, the actor took classes with American teachers. In 1987, he got the lead role in Escape from Sobibor and won the Golden Globe for it.
In the 1990s, the artist collaborated with small studios: his popularity decreased. In 1997, the situation changed; Hauer participated in the movie The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon; soon, he received the roles in Merlin, The 10th Kingdom, and others. In April 1999, Rutger Hauer was named the best actor of the century in the Netherlands.
In 2000, Hauer debuted as a director: his short movie The Room won the Audience Choice Award at Paris Independent Film Festival.
In the 21st century, Rutger Hauer also received large parts in movies all over the globe. In 2001, he played the main character in the Brazilian-American project Flying Virus. It is the story of a mad scientist who genetically modified bees so that they became a destruction weapon.
2004 brought another lead role in the Romanian comedy about taxi drivers, Camera Ascunsa (Hidden Camera). The next year, Hauer participated in the adventure action movie The Poseidon Adventure. It is the story about the shipwreck of SS Poseidon. 2500 passengers who have just been celebrating the New Year have to survive and become a crazy crowd.
In 2006, Rutger gained the lead role in the psychological drama Mentor about the obsession with power: the university professor controlled his students’ and assistants’ lives.
2011 was marked with the lead role of Pieter Bruegel in the Polish-Sweden drama The Mill and the Cross. The movie is about ten famous paintings of the artist and the stories behind them.
The same year, the actor took part in the Canadian thriller Hobo with a Shotgun. Rutger’s character arrives in a new town and faces the terrible anarchy: thieves, murderers, and prostitutes are everywhere. Initially, the hobo tries to behave according to the law and goes to the police. However, he is ignored there. The man spends the last money and buys a gun to do justice on his own.
Every year, the actor took several secondary roles; many of them pertained to large and popular projects, some of which are: The 5th Execution, Clones, Galavant.
In 2016, the drama Mata Hari based on the life of the famous dancer and spy was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The actor personified the judge Stolbakken.
Personal life
Rutger Hauer has been married twice. When he was 22 years old, he married Heidi Merz; their daughter was born soon. However, the new baby did not save the marriage. The actor believes it was a mistake and regrets that he did not see his daughter for a long time after the divorce.
The artist and sculptor Ineke ten Kate became the man’s second wife. She was born and grew up in the Netherlands. The couple lived together for 16 years and only then married officially. Ineke and Rutger have a child. They live in California in their own mansion.
The actor is not registered on Instagram; overall, he is not a big fan of social networks. According to the crews who collaborated with Hauer, he is a wonderful, open man in personal communication who makes people laugh.
Present days
In 2017, the movie Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets came out; Rutger played President of the World State Federation. The fantastic action movie continues the recent tendency of adapting comics to the big screen: the French comics Valérian et Laureline by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières was used.
The same year, the artist worked on the unusual project: the first Russian-Chinese full-length movie Viy 2: Journey to China. It is the sequel of Oleg Stepchenko’s Viy (also known as Forbidden Empire). The new story comes far from the original story by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol. The project starred many celebrities: Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charles Dance, and Martin Klebba. The premiere will take place in 2019.
In 2018, Rutger Hauer played Joseph Peach in the horror TV series Channel Zero: Butcher's Block. It was the third season. Two sisters move to a mysterious town and face terrible accidents.
Rutger Hauer died at the age of 75.
Filmography
- 2003 – Alias
- 2005 – Sin City
- 2006 – Minotaur
- 2011 – Wilfred
- 2011 — The Heineken Kidnapping
- 2012 – Il Futuro (The Future)
- 2013-2014 – True Blood
- 2013-2047 - Sights of Death
- 2015 – The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power
- 2015 — The Last Kingdom
- 2017 – Mata Hari
- 2017 — Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
- 2018 — Channel Zero: Butcher's Block
- 2019 – Viy 2: Journey to China
