Jeroen Krabbé

Short Biography

Biography by Sandra BrennanFollowing a well-received starring role in Paul Verhoeven's Soldaat Van Oranje (1979), burly, handsome Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbe learned to act at the Amsterdam Academy of Performing Arts and got his start playing small roles in such films as Alicia (1974). During his early years, Krabbe founded a touring theater company, directed plays, worked as a costume designer, and translated foreign plays into Dutch. His star status was solidified when Verhoeven cast Krabbe in De Vierde Man (The Fourth Man) (1983), which has since become a cult favorite. This film gave Krabbe an international reputation and in the mid-'80s, he moved to Hollywood to appear in such films as Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) and Prince of Tides (1991). Through the '90s, Krabbe tended to play large villains in dramas and costume dramas ranging from The Fugitive (1993) to Farianelli (1994) to Lorca (1997). When not acting, Krabbe is a noted painter and author of The Economy Cookbook.