Kees Brusse

Kees Brusse (; 26 February 1925 – 9 December 2013) was a Dutch actor, film director and screenwriter. A self-taught actor, he was remarkable for his natural acting style at a time when more theatrical performances were the norm in The Netherlands. One of the first Dutch actors who managed to combine a stage and film career with a career on TV, radio and in commercials, he appeared in 47 films and television shows between 1936 and 2004, including Pension Hommeles (1957-1959), Ciske de Rat (1955), and Dokter Pulder zaait papavers (1975). Early life Kees Brusse was born in Rotterdam, the son of author and journalist M.J. Brusse and opera singer Antje Ebes. His parents divorced when he was young. Brusse started acting at a young age. At the age of 11 he made his film debut in Merijntje Gijzens Jeugd. Career At the age of 15 he ran away from home to pursue an acting career. Rejected from drama school he became volunteer at the theater company of Cor van der Lugt Melsert at the Stadsschouwburg. He made his stage debut in 1941 as Pietje Puck in Boefje, a play written by his father. After the end of World War II Brusse performed at the cabaret of Wim Sonneveld, toured Switzerland, and in 1948, visited Indonesia with his theater group Toneelgroep C 6. In the following years he became a much sought and celebrated actor. As a self-taught actor his acting style was different from his contemporaries: more natural and dosed in a time when Dutch acting was characterized by large gestures and theatrical delivery. He was involved with several theater companies, including Toneelgroep Theater, De Haagse Comedie, Het Amsterdams Toneel and the Nederlandse Comedie. From 1952 to 1954 he was artistic leader of the Rotterdamse Comedie, where he worked with his later wife Mieke Verstraete.