Famke Beumer Janssen (Dutch pronunciation: [fÉ‘mkÉ™ bømÉ™r jÉ‘nsÉ™n]; English pronunciation: /ˈfÉ‘ËmkÉ™ ˈdʒænsÉ™n/; born 5 November 1964)1 is a Dutch actress and former fashion model. She is best known for her roles in GoldenEye, Nip/Tuck and as Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men movies. Janssen is also a UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for Integrity.2
Early life
Famke Beumer Janssen was born in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.3 The first name means little girl in West Frisian, the native language of the Dutch province Friesland.4 Besides her native Dutch, Janssen speaks English, French, and also learned German but has not kept it up.5 She has two sisters, director Antoinette Beumer and actress Marjolein Beumer.6
Before coming to America, Janssen studied economics for a year at the University of Amsterdam calling it "the stupidest idea I ever had." Janssen moved to the United States in 1984 and began her professional career as a fashion model. She was signed with Elite Model Management and worked for Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Victoria's Secret. After retiring from modeling in the early 1990s, she enrolled at Columbia University to study creative writing and literature and also took up acting. Several years later she moved to Los Angeles to establish her acting career.46 Janessen is noted for being taller than average at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and her beauty has been compared to Hedy Lamarr and films stars of the 1940's.4
Famke Janssen
| Occupation |
Model, Actress |
| Height |
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Hair color |
Black |
| Eye color |
Brown |
| Measurements |
(US) 36-24-36 ; (EU) 92-61-92 |
| Dress size |
(US) 6 ; (EU) 36 |
| Shoe size |
(US) 11 ; (EU) 42 |
| Relative(s) |
Sisters: Antoinette Beumer, Marjolein Beumer |
Career
Upon moving to Los Angeles,when? Janssen obtained her first parts, appearing in guest roles on TV series. She starred in a 1988 commercial for exclamation perfume. One of her first appearances was in 1992, when she starred in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Perfect Mate" as empathic metamorph Kamala, opposite Patrick Stewart (who would later star with her in the X-Men film series).4 Then, in that same year, Janssen was offered the role of Jadzia Dax of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but turned it down to pursue film roles.
Janssen's first film role was with Jeff Goldblum in the 1992 film Fathers & Sons. In 1995, she appeared in the first Pierce Brosnan James Bond film, GoldenEye, as femme fatale Xenia Onatopp.
Janssen played superheroine Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix in X-Men, X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand. She won a Saturn Award for the role in X-Men: The Last Stand. She also starred in the movies Lord of Illusions, The Faculty, House on Haunted Hill, I Spy, Rounders, Deep Rising, Hide and Seek, and Taken (film). In addition, Janssen had a prominent role in the second season of the popular TV show, Nip/Tuck, as the seductive and manipulative transsexual life coach, Ava Moore. She will reprise her role in the final two episodes of the series.
Janssen tried to fight against typecasting, seeking out more intriguing support roles, appearing in Woody Allen's Celebrity, Robert Altman's The Gingerbread Man, John Irvin's City of Industry and Ted Demme's Monument Ave.7 Denis Leary her co-star in Monument Ave. was impressed by how easily she blended in, initially not recognizing her as she was already in character.4 She was awarded the Special Jury Best Actress Award at the 2007 Hamptons International Film Festival for her role as a female pool hustler in Chris Eigeman's Turn the River.8
Janssen provides the Dutch-language narration for the Studio Tram Tour at all Disney parks.7
In December 2008 Janssen filmed a 20 minute presentation for Showtime that serves as a pilot for a spinoff of The L Word set in a women's Prison. Janssen plays one of the prisoners starring alongside Melissa Leo, Leisha Hailey and Laurie Metcalf.
Charitable work
On January 28, 2008, Janssen was appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Integrity at the Second Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, held in Nusa Dua, Bali.9
Awards
In 2003, Janssen was awarded the International Star of the Year.citation needed In 2004, she won the Hollywood Life Breakthrough Artist of the Year for her work on Nip/Tuck.citation needed In 2006, the Hamptons International Film Festival awarded her with the Golden Starfish Award for career achievement in acting.1011 For her performance as Jean Grey in X-Men: The Last Stand she won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.11
Personal life
Famke Janssen's Boston Terrier Licorice
Janssen lives in West Village in New York City.5 She was married to writer, director Tod Culpan Williams, son of architect Tod Williams, from 1995 to 2000.3
Janssen has a brindle Boston Terrier named Licorice, with which she frequently travels.1213 Alongside her dog, she starred as a PETA spokeswoman to raise awareness for animal rights with the slogan "Be an Angel for Animals".14
Filmography
References
Janssen campaigning for
PETA.
- ^ Famke Janssen at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ "Artists and UNODC unite for integrity". UNODC. 2008-01-30. Archived from the original on 2008-02-06. http://web.archive.org/web/20080206164503/http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/artists-and-unodc-unite-for-integrity.html.
- ^ a b "Famke Janssen Biography". NetIndustries, LLC.. http://www.filmreference.com/film/49/Famke-Janssen.html.
- ^ a b c d e Elias, Justine (1998-11-15). "Holiday Films: Up and coming -- Famke Janssen; Transformations As a Way of Life, Not Just on Screen". http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/15/movies/holiday-films-up-coming-famke-janssen-transformations-way-life-not-just-screen.html. Retrieved 2009-12-29. "Though it is hard to imagine Ms. Janssen blending into a crowd -- she is 5 feet 11 inches, and her exotic beauty has been compared to that of 1940's stars like Hedy Lamarr -- her colleagues praise this very quality, as well as her dedication and humor."
- ^ a b Toal, Drew (Issue 658 : May 7–13, 2008). "The Hot Seat: She’s a hustler, baby.". Time Out New York (Time Out). http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/hot-seat/29235/famke-janssen. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
- ^ a b Malanowski, Jamie (2000-08-20). "FILM; A Scene Stealer's Big Score". http://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/20/movies/film-a-scene-stealer-s-big-score.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
- ^ a b "Interview with Famke Janssen". http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200805/20080506_janssen.html.
- ^ "2007 HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS". http://hamptonsfilmfest.org/2008/01/2007-hamptons-international-film-festival-awards/.
- ^ UN Anti-Corruption Conference Opens in Bali
- ^ Old Strengths but New Emphasis at Hamptons Festival
- ^ a b "Awards for Famke Janssen". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000463/awards.
- ^ "Famke Janssen Is Steaming Hot". TMZ. http://www.tmz.com/2008/06/17/famke-janssen-is-steaming-hot/.
- ^ "Famke Janssen Not Ready For Motherhood". StarPulse.com. 2008-03-13. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. http://web.archive.org/web/20080514040438/http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/05/13/famke_janssen_not_ready_for_motherhood. Retrieved 2009-12-29. "My life revolves around my dog, Licorice."
- ^ "Famke Janssen Is an Angel for Animals". Archived from the original on 2007-01-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20070120044442/http://www.peta2.com/OUTTHERE/o-famke.asp.
External links
![Fathers & Sons [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4172PT4RK4L._SL160_.gif)
with the ...&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/zApTHZE4xrI&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://2.gvt0.com/vi/zApTHZE4xrI/default.jpg&celebrity=Famke Janssen)
 has a successful ...&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/hTLUrugrNkA&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://0.gvt0.com/vi/hTLUrugrNkA/default.jpg&celebrity=Famke Janssen)
