The beautiful and talentedCarice van Houtenis a Dutch actress and singer. While she most notably came to the international public’s attention afterstarring inGame of Thronesshe’s been around the acting world, both in the Netherlands and Hollywood, since the late ’90s.
Since then, she’s starred in multiple televisions shows and has appeared in over 35 movies, racking up 18 awards, and almost twice as many award nominations along the way. While she’s certainly proved herself a highly capable addition to our screens over the years (and was even considered as a Bond Girl at one point), she’s publicly spoken out about not liking the lifestyle in Hollywood and, therefore, prefers to live in Europe.
She’s been in a long term relationship with veteran actor Guy Pearce and, in addition to English, speaks Dutch, French, and German. In homage of her wealth of talent, here’s a list of Carice van Houten’s best performances.
As her first leading role, van Houten played a lovelorn teenager in the Dutch made-for-TV film,Suzy Q.Despite being a TV film, it still became the most decorated Dutch film of 1999. The plot revolved around a tragic teenager from an uncaring and abusive home. Being a huge fan of rock, she gains access to the hotel where The Rolling Stones are staying while on a tour in Amsterdam. After managing to sneak into Mick Jagger’s room, she has a romantic encounter with him but no one cares or even believes her after.
For her great performance in the film, van Houtenwon various awards for the role, including a Gouden Kalf (Golden Calf) for Best Actress, which is the most prestigious acting award in the Netherlands.
19Miss Minoes
Based on a popular children’s book,Miss Minoeswas a quirky and lovable story about a cat that is transformed into a woman after drinking a chemical liquid. She goes on to help a struggling journalist since she can stay up to date with a lot of the interesting news by communicating with the town cats who witness a lot of things first-hand.
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Her role inMiss Minoesearned van Houten another Best Actress award, this time for the International Children’s Film’s Festival. The film also displayed her range as an actress, withThe New York Timeshaving this to say about her performance:
“Yes, the film is silly and light as a feather, but who doesn’t love gossiping cats? Ms. van Houten is charming, and the blossoming cross-species romance, rather than seeming creepy, makes the story all the sweeter.”
As a reluctant helper in an underworld operation show, van Houten took on the role of a medical researcher named Anna Willems in the gritty medical show,Temple.Showing some great layers to her character, the role was one that van Houten owned among a show with some very dark and questionable takes on morality.
The show itself was a very different take from the usual medical shows that care more about intertwining relationships between the hot doctors than they do about the medical aspects. Van Houten’s performance in it was definitely one that stood out. Anthony Morris ofSBShad this to say about it:
“Yes, it’s over-the-top gothic. Deliciously so: the idea of a doctor turning to crime to fund research that could save a loved one is basically the same origin story asBatmanvillain Mr Freeze, which should give you some idea of the level we’re working at here. But the gloomy gothic side of things is mostly backdrop. The focus here is on characters forced to live a lie, keeping secrets that could get them killed while walking ever closer to a line that, once crossed, will leave them different people forever.”
17Repo Men
While playing a relatively minor role as Carol in the 2010 Sci-Fi filmRepo Men, van Houten showed early on that she could hold the screen with some truly great actors. In this case, paired alongside Jude Law and Forest Whitaker, she played the disgruntled wife of a very unusual type of repo man. In this film, the job was to repossess human organs from people who were unable to paythe evil corporationthat sold it to them on credit.
16The Simpsons
Van Houten has previously done a turn as a narrator for the acclaimed British environmental docuseriesHuman Planet.She would later also voice a character in the dark,adult stop-motion sketch show,Robot Chicken.
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Between these two roles, In the 20th episode of the 26th season of the wildly popular animated series,The Simpsons,Van Houten brought her voice over talents to bear once again. Playing a Dutch relative of Milhouse, she enamors Bart Simpson and gets him into all kinds of shenanigans because of it.
15The Happy Housewife
People might describe this one as an erotic comedy, but it certainly also has a dark and dramatic twist. Playing Lea inThe Happy Housewife,a Dutch film, van Houten brought some great depth to a somewhat complex character. Lea is a happily married woman that enjoys sex, even more than her husband at times. When he shocks her by wanting a child, after their baby is conceived, Lea struggles with issues of post-partum depression, and whether she is fit to be a mother.
With some truly raunchy and sexy scenes, fans of van Houten’s who aren’t familiar with this one but love her dark sex appeal in later performances, are sure to enjoy it. Aside from this appeal, the film was highly rated and earned her yet another Golden Calf for Best Actress.
Playing one of two sisters in the leading roles, van Houten actually teamed up with her real life sister, Jelka van Houten, in the 2012 comedy-drama,Jackie. Another great Dutch film starring Carice, it had some unique plot details.
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Chief among these is the fact that the sisters are raised by two gay fathers who conceived them through IVF with an American hippie being their mom. When they’re both called to the States to help their mom, whom neither has ever met before, the sisters' lives are forever changed after the time they spend with her there.
13Family Way
In another Dutch hit film, this time a comedy, van Houten played the lead inFamily Way.Marking the second time she teamed up with Dutch director Joram Lürsen after they worked together on another hit comedy film calledLove is All, van Houten played Winnie De Roover in this one.
While it featured a lot of the same comedic elements asLove Is All,van Houten’s performance inFamily Waywas even more widely acclaimed — although she did win the Rembrandt Award for Best Actress in both films.Family Wayfeatured a little more drama, which probably helped its cause too.
12Incarnate
While the 2016 supernatural horror filmIncarnatewas critically panned, Carice van Houten’s performance in it couldn’t be faulted. She played the mother of a child who’s possessed by a demon named “Maggie.”
The film may not have been a huge hit but van Houten’s part in it showed her acting versatility. After excelling in many dramatic roles, voice-overs, comedies, and various other parts, van Houten showed she could be just as comfortable in a horror film too.
11Black Swans
Van Houten certainly seems to have an affinity for starring in films with the word ‘black’ in it. Aside fromBlack Death, Black Book,andBlack Butterflies,she also starred in a 2005 Dutch drama film titledBlack Swans.
These movies do seem to be a good luck charm for her, though, since she’s been nominated for or won awards for all of them. In the case ofBlack Swans,she was nominated for another Golden Calf for best actress but didn’t win it this time. Nevertheless, it was still a great performance as she played Marleen, who is drawn into a tumultuous love affair with a tragic twist.
