Biography
Alex van Warmerdam (filmmaker, writer, designer, director and actor) was born 14 August 1952 in Haarlem. After the School for Graphic Design he successfully completed the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and went on to become co-founder of the legendary music theatre company Hauser Orkater.
In the late seventies, in collaboration with Jim van der Woude and Frans Weisz, he wrote the script and drew the storyboard for the filmed versions of Hauser Orkater’s performances Entrée Brussels and Striptease. After the short film De Stedeling (The Townsman), he made his first feature film Abel (Voyeur) in 1986, followed by De Noorderlingen (The Northerners), De Jurk (The Dress), Kleine Teun (Little Tony) and Grimm, Ober (Waiter) and De laatste dagen van Emma Blank (The Last Days of Emma Blank).
From 1980 onwards, he has made 11 theatre performances with his company De Mexicaanse Hond, including Graniet (Granite), Kaatje Is Verdronken (Cathy Has Drowned), Kleine Teun (Little Tony), Adel Blank and De verschrikkelijke moeder (The Horrible Mother). All his theatrical texts and plays, as well as his novel De Hand van een Vreemde (The Hand of a Stranger) have been published by publishing house Thomas Rap. In 2006 publishing house Nieuw Amsterdam published his collection of poems Van alle kanten komen ze (They’re Coming From All Sides).
In addition to many film awards, he received the prestigious Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation Theatre Award for his body of work as maker of theatre and film, as well as the Albert van Dalsum Award from the city of Amsterdam and the Dutch/Flemish Toneelschrijfprijs for his theatrical work, amongst others. In 2001, he entertained and astonished readers of the newspaper NRC Handelsblad with his weekly gouaches. In the spring of 2010, the city museum of Schiedam put on a special exhibition of his multidisciplinary work, titled Alex van Warmerdam: exhibition, paintings, film, theatre. On 15 November, Alex van Warmerdam receives Holland’s highest artistic and cultural distinction, the Johannes Vermeer Award 2010, the state prize for the arts.
Alex van Warmerdam Music, 2000
Gouache on paper. From a series of eight personifications of the arts, included in the annual report of the Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation, Amsterdam, 2000.
Collection: Alex van Warmerdam
Alex van Warmerdam Visual Art, 2000
Gouache on paper. From a series of eight personifications of the arts, included in the annual report of the Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation, Amsterdam, 2000.
Collection: Alex van Warmerdam
Alex van Warmerdam Man met koffers (Man with suitcases), 2005
Oil on canvas, 150 x 100 cm.
Collection: Jan Mulder. Photo: John Stoel
Alex van Warmerdam Man in bos (Man in woods), 2000
Acrylic paint on canvas, 180 x 240 cm. Stedelijk Museum Schiedam.
Photo: Bob Goedewaagen
Alex van Warmerdam as postal worker Simon Plagge, 1991
Black-and-white photo taken on the film set of De Noorderlingen in Almere
Photo: Fran van der Hoeven
Alex van Warmerdam Meisje met hond (Girl with Dog), 2001
Gouache on paper, 50 x 35 cm. From a series of gouaches, published weekly in NRC Handelsblad in 2000 and 2001.
Collection: Alex van Warmerdam. Photo: Bob Goedewaagen
Alex van Warmerdam Meisje en jager (Girl and Hunter), 2001
Gouache on paper, 50 x 35 cm. From a series of gouaches, published weekly in NRC Handelsblad in 2000 and 2001.
Collection: Alex van Warmerdam. Photo: Bob Goedewaagen
Annet Malherbe and Pierre Bokma in Welkom in het Bos (Welcome in the Woods)
A theatrical performance by De Mexicaanse Hond.
Photo: Ben van Duin
Still from Grimm, 2003
Photo: Victor Arnolds
Still from Grimm, 2003
Photo: Victor Arnolds
Still from Grimm, 2003
Photo: Victor Arnolds
Still from the film De Noordelingen, 1992
Photo: Fran van der Hoeven
Still from the film De Noordelingen, 1992
Photo: Fran van der Hoeven
Still from the film Ober (Waiter), 2006.
Photo: Victor Arnolds
Still from the film Ober (Waiter), 2006.
Photo: Victor Arnolds
Olga Zuiderhoek and Alex van Warmerdam in Kaatje is verdronken (Cathy has Drowned), 1993.
Photo: Clemens Boon
16
Oeuvrelijst
17 January 1970 Alex thinks up a public act for the Eksperimentele Tejatergroep of the Witte Tejater from IJmuiden. A group of fourteen youngsters, amongst who Alex and Marc van Warmerdam, hold a march across the Lange Nieuwstraat in IJmuiden, with the mayor’s permission. The group carries signs and banners without any text and hand out blank stencils.
17 September 1975 Famous Artists, the second show of Hauser Orkater, premieres at the Shaffy Theatre in Amsterdam. The name is taken from a then popular American drawing school, where you could take courses by mail. The show was a joint effort by all members.
April 1977 ’t Vermoeden (The Suspicion) premieres at the Shaffy Theatre. The third show by Hauser Orkater is another collective effort. It also launches Alex van Warmerdam the author. He writes the lyrics for actor Peer Mascini’s character and two songs in Dutch, amongst them Neckermann’s ongerief, which is recorded in 1978 for Hauser Orkater’s first studio album. The show includes Striptease, by Alex and Jim van der Woude which is made into a film in 1979.
22 May 1979 Zie de mannen vallen (Watch The Men Fall), the last collective show by Hauser Orkater, officially premieres at the Shaffy Theatre, after some weeks of try-outs and trial performances. This time practically all spoken lines are by Alex van Warmerdam.
6 January 1981 Broers (Brothers), the first performance by the new music theatre company De Mexicaanse Hond, premieres at the former ADM shipyard in North Amsterdam. With Alex and Marc van Warmerdam, Thijs van der Poll, Gerard Thoolen and Hans Dagelet. Production: Orkater. Although De Mexicaanse Hond’s first performances are still collective productions, the new label gradually evolves into dramatist Alex van Warmerdam’s brand.
April 1982 Premiere of Graniet (Granite) by De Mexicaanse Hond at the Shaffy Theatre. With Alex and Marc van Warmerdam, Thijs van der Poll, Chris Bolczek and Aat Ceelen. Text and design: Alex van Warmerdam. Production: Orkater. Graniet is also made into a film, again directed by Frans Weisz, and broadcast by the VPRO.
1987 Publication of De hand van een Vreemde (The Hand of a Stranger), the first and thus far only novel by Alex van Warmerdam. The first edition appears at publishing house Thomas Rap. Twenty years later the novel will be published again at publishing house Nieuw Amsterdam. 176 pages.
15 January 1988 Premiere of De Leugenbroeders (The Brothers of the Lie) by De Mexicaanse Hond in the Amsterdam city theatre. With Alex, Marc and Vincent van Warmerdam, Aat Ceelen, Christan Muiser, Werner Herbers and Hein Offermans. Text, direction and design: Alex van Warmerdam. Production: Orkater.
2 November 1989 Premiere of Het Noorderkwartier (The Northern Quarter) by De Mexicaanse Hond in De Lantaren in Rotterdam. With Alex, Marc and Vincent van Warmerdam, Aat Ceelen, Loes Luca, Christan Muiser, Hein Offermans and Jack Vecht. Text, direction and design: Alex van Warmerdam. Production: Orkater.
1992 Feature film De Noorderlingen (The Northerners). Starring amongst others Alex van Warmerdam, Rudolf and Leonard Lucieer, Annet Malherbe, Jack Wouterse and Loes Wouterson. Screenplay and direction: Alex van Warmerdam. Camera: Marc Felperlaan. Music: Vincent van Warmerdam. Production: First Floor Features.
1998 Feature film Kleine Teun. Starring amongst others Alex van Warmerdam, Annet Malherbe and Ariane Schluter. Screenplay, direction and music: Alex van Warmerdam. Production: Graniet Film.
April 1999 Premiere of Adel Blank by De Mexicaanse Hond at the Trusttheater in Amsterdam. With Sylvia Poorta, Halina Reijn, Annet Malherbe, Peter Blok, Jacob Derwig and Jaap Spijkers. Text, direction, design and music: Alex van Warmerdam. Production: Orkater.
2000-2001 Series of gouaches for the newspaper NRC Handelsblad’s supplement on Saturday.
3 May 2002 Premiere of Welkom in het bos (Welcome to the Woods) by De Mexicaanse Hond at the Toneelschuur in Haarlem. With Pierre Bokma, Annet Malherbe and Liz Snoijink. Text and direction: Alex van Warmerdam. Music: Alex van Warmerdam and Frans Waxman. Production: Orkater.
2003 Feature film Grimm. Starring amongst others Halina Reijn, Jacob Derwig, Carmelo Gómez, Elvira Mínguez, Ulises Dumont, Kees Prins and Peggy Sandaal. Screenplay: Alex van Warmerdam in collaboration with Otakar Votocek. Direction and music: Alex van Warmerdam. Production: Graniet Film.
September 2004 Premiere of De verschrikkelijke moeder (The Horrible Mother) by De Mexicaanse Hond in the Amsterdam city theatre. Amongst others with Pierre Bokma, Kees Hulst, Annet Malherbe, Tina de Bruin, Katja Herbers, Mees van Warmerdam and Kees van der Vooren. Text, direction, design and music: Alex van Warmerdam. Production Orkater.
March 2007 Premiere of Wees ons genadig (Have Mercy On Us) by De Mexicaanse Hond at the Amsterdam City Theatre. With Ariane Schluter, Pierre Bokma, Aat Ceelen and Stefaan Degand. Text, direction, design and music: Alex van Warmerdam. Production: Orkater.
14 February until 24 May 2010 Alex van Warmerdam, Exhibition, paintings, film, theatre at the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam. Curator: Wilma Sütö.
Awards and Distinctions
Film
Theatre
Lifetime Awards