Carice Van Houten is considered one of the most successful actresses in Europe. Born in the Netherlands, she came into the limelight in her home country with her leading role in the thriller film Black Book (2006), which is still the most successful film in the country today. She also received much praise from the critics for her performance in this film as well as in several other film roles. Since 2012, the talented actress has gained international fame for her role as Melisandre in the HBO hit series Game of Thrones.
Carice Van Houten Bio, Age
Carice Anouk van Houten was born on 5 September 1976 in Leiderdorp, Netherlands. Her father Theodore van Houten was a writer, journalist, and theater/radio producer. Her mother, Margje Stasse, works in television in her home country. Carice grew up together with a sibling, a younger sister named Jelka. She received her school education at St. Boniface’s College in Utrecht, where she took part in several plays. She enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Maastricht and after one year she transferred to Kleinkunstakademie (Academy of Theater and Dance), where she graduated.
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Movie Career
Clarice Van Houten began her acting career on stage before she turned to film and television in her home country. She had her first big role on screen in the telefilm Suzy Q (1999), for which she received her first Golden Calf, the award of the Dutch Film Festival. She received a second Golden Calf for her leading role in the comedy Undercover Kitty (2001). With further leading roles in films such as Father’s Affair (2003), Black Swans (2005), and A Thousand Kisses (2006) Van Houten easily established herself as one of the most remarkable actresses in the Netherlands.
Van Houten has received several awards for her role as Rachel Stein in Black Book (2006), the highest-grossing Dutch film of the year. She won the Golden Calf Award and was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress. The talented actress had her first English role in the thriller film Dorothy Mills (2008), which marked her entry into the realm of English language films.
In addition to her already flourishing career in her home country, she began to get film roles in other European countries as well as in the United States. She had roles in Valkyrie (2008), From Time to Time (2009), Repo Men (2010), Black Death (2010), Intruders (2011), The Happy Housewife (2011), Black Butterflies (2012), and many others. She has received numerous awards for her performance in some of these films, including 2 Golden Calf Awards and 2 nominations for the Saturn Award.
In July 2011 Carice Van Houten received her most notable television role to date when she was cast as Melisandre of Asshai in the HBO series Game of Thrones (since 2012). With this role, she achieved international fame and consolidated her status as an A-actor. While continuing her work on Game of Thrones, the actress has achieved further acting success in various film genres both in her home country and in Hollywood. More recently, she has starred in Race (2016), Brimstone (2016), and Incarnate (2016).
Partner, Baby
Carice Van Houten is in a relationship with the English-born actor Guy Pearce. The duo met in 2015 after they met on the set of the movie Brimstone, and since then they have had a pretty smooth romance. In early 2016, Houten announced that she was expecting a child with her partner. As expected, the couple welcomed their first child on August 29, 2016, a son named Monte Pearce.
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Other Facts About Carice Van Houten
Interestingly, Carice Van Houten is not the only member of her family with amazing acting talents. Her younger sister Jelka Van Houten is also an actress. She has appeared in several Dutch films and television series, including the British comedy-drama series Fresh Meat.
Van Houten also has a life-long friendship with her Dutch actress colleague Halina Reijn. In 2013, the duo collaborated on a book Anti Glamour to commemorate their friendship.
Carice Van Houten is 5 feet 6½ inch (169 cm) tall. Today, in her forties, the ageless actress still looks as magnificent as ever. She has a bodyweight of 61 kg (134.5 lb).
