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Famke Janssen

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by J187B (talk | contribs) at 18:06, 23 September 2012 (Undid revision 514140621 by 111.92.106.134 (talk) Stop changing it. She is of 1964. All sources saying she was born on January 1st or 1965 are false.This issue was settled long time ago). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Famke Janssen
Janssen at the Independent Film Festival of Boston in 2008
Born
Famke Beumer Janssen[citation needed]

(1964-11-05) 5 November 1964 (age 60)
Amstelveen, Netherlands
OccupationActress
Years active1992–present
Height5 ft 11.5 in (181.6 cm)
SpouseKip Williams (1995–2000)

Famke Beumer Janssen (/[invalid input: 'icon']ˈfɑːmkə ˈdʒænsən/; born 5 November 1964) is a Dutch actress and former fashion model. She is known for playing the villainous Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye (1995), Evelyn Stockard-Price in House on Haunted Hill (1999), and Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men film series (2000–2006).

Early life and education

Janssen was born in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.[1] Her first name, Famke, means "little girl" in West Frisian, the native language of the Dutch province Friesland.[2] She has two sisters, director Antoinette Beumer and actress Marjolein Beumer.[3] In addition to her native Dutch, Janssen speaks English and French. She also learned German, but has not kept up with it.[4] Following her high school graduation, Janssen studied economics for a year at the University of Amsterdam, which she later called "the stupidest idea I ever had."[3] In the early 1990s, she enrolled at Columbia University to study creative writing and literature.

Career

In 1984, Janssen moved to the United States to begin her professional career as a fashion model. She signed with Elite Model Management and worked for Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Victoria's Secret. She starred in a 1988 commercial for the perfume Exclamation by Coty, Inc.[5] Her looks have been compared to Hedy Lamarr and other 1940s films stars.[2]

After retiring from modelling in the early 1990s, Janssen had guest roles on several television series, including a starring role in the 1992 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Perfect Mate", as empathic metamorph Kamala, opposite Patrick Stewart, with whom she later starred in the X-Men film series.[2] That same year, Janssen was offered the role of Jadzia Dax in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but turned it down to pursue film roles.[citation needed] Her first film role was alongside Jeff Goldblum in the 1992 film Fathers & Sons.

Janssen on United Nations Day in 2008

In 1995, Janssen appeared in Pierce Brosnan's first James Bond film, GoldenEye, as femme fatale Xenia Onatopp. She also appeared in Lord of Illusions with Scott Bakula. In an attempt to fight against typecasting after her Bond girl performance, Janssen began seeking out more intriguing support roles, appearing in John Irvin's City of Industry, Woody Allen's Celebrity, Robert Altman's The Gingerbread Man, and Ted Demme's Monument Ave.[6] 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.[2] In the late 1990s, she also appeared in The Faculty, Rounders, Deep Rising, and House on Haunted Hill.

In 2000, Janssen played superheroine Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix in X-Men. She reprised the role in X2 (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), for which she won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.[7] In addition, Janssen had a prominent role in the second season of the popular TV series Nip/Tuck, as the seductive and manipulative life coach Ava Moore, which earned her Hollywood Life's Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award.[citation needed] She reprised her role in the final two episodes of the series.

In 2007, she starred in Turn the River, for which she was awarded the Special Recognition Best Actress Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival.[8] The following year, she starred in Luc Besson's Taken. Janssen also continued to work in television, appearing in TV pilots for NBC's cop drama Winters and Showtime's The Farm, a The L Word spin-off set in a women's prison. Both pilots were rejected by their respective networks. Janssen also provided the Dutch-language narration for the Studio Tram Tour at all Disney theme parks.[6]

In 2011, Janssen made her directorial début with the drama Bringing Up Bobby. She also wrote the screenplay to the film, which stars Milla Jovovich, Bill Pullman, and Marcia Cross.[9]

Personal life

Janssen was married to writer and director Kip Williams, son of architect Tod Williams, from 1995 to 2000.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). On 28 January 2008, she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for Integrity for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime at a United Nations anti-corruption conference held in Nusa Dua, Bali.[10]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Star Trek: The Next Generation Kamala TV series
1992 Fathers & Sons Kyle Christian
1994 The Untouchables Cleo TV series
1994 Melrose Place Diane Adamson TV series
1994 Model by Day Lady X TV film
1994 Relentless IV: Ashes to Ashes Dr. Sara Lee Jaffee
1995 GoldenEye Xenia Onatopp Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (Shared with Pierce Brosnan)
1995 Lord of Illusions Dorothea Swann
1996 Dead Girl Treasure
1997 City of Industry Rachel Montana
1998 Monument Ave. Katy
1998 The Gingerbread Man Leeanne Magruder
1998 Deep Rising Trillian St. James
1998 RPM Claudia Haggs
1998 Rounders Petra
1998 Celebrity Bonnie
1998 The Adventures of Sebastian Cole Fiona
1998 The Faculty Miss Elizabeth Burke
1999 House on Haunted Hill Evelyn Stockard-Price Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for Favorite Supporting Actress - Horror
2000 Love & Sex Kate Welles
2000 Circus Lily Garfield
2000 X-Men Jean Grey
2000 Ally McBeal Jamie TV series
2001 Made Jessica
2001 Don't Say a Word Aggie Conrad Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for Favorite Supporting Actress – Science Fiction
2002 I Spy Special Agent Rachel Wright
2003 X2 Jean Grey
2004 Nip/Tuck Ava Moore TV series
2004 Eulogy Judy Arnolds
2005 Hide and Seek Dr. Katherine Carson
2006 X-Men: The Last Stand Jean Grey/Phoenix Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Liplock (Shared with Hugh Jackman)
2006 The Treatment Allegra Marshall
2007 The Ten Gretchen Reigert
2007 Turn the River Kailey Sullivan Hamptons International Film Festival Special Recognition Best Actress Award
2007 Winters Christie Winters TV pilot
2008 The Wackness Kristen Squires
2008 Taken Lenore "Lenny" Mills
2008 100 Feet Marnie Watson
2008 Puppy Love Maya Short film
2009 The Farm Valentina Galindo TV pilot
2010 Nip/Tuck Ava Moore TV series
2010 The Chameleon Jennifer Johnson
2010 Down the Shore Mary
2011 Bringing Up Bobby Directorial début
2012 Taken 2 Lenore "Lenny" Mills
2013 Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters Muriel
2013 Hemlock Grove Olivia Godfrey TV series

References

  1. ^ "Famke Janssen Biography". FilmReference.com. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d Elias, Justine (15 November 1998). "Famke Janssen; Transformations As a Way of Life, Not Just on Screen". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  3. ^ a b Malanowski, Jamie (20 August 2000). "A Scene Stealer's Big Score". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  4. ^ Toal, Drew (7–13 May 2008). "The Hot Seat: She's a hustler, baby". Time Out New York. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Famke Janssen Exclamation perfume commercial". YouTube.com. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Famke Janssen on Tavis Smiley". PBS.org. 6 May 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  7. ^ Awards for Famke Janssen at IMDb
  8. ^ "2007 Hamptons International Film Festival Awards". HamptonsFilmFest.org. 4 January 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  9. ^ Gilmore, Joan (5 August 2010). "Around Town: Bobby crew at JRB gallery". The Journal Record. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  10. ^ "UN Anti-Corruption Conference Opens in Bali". UNIS Vienna. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
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