Last Friday, well-known Dutch actor Rutger Hauer passed away at age 75 in Beesterzwaag in Friesland, after a short illness. The private funeral took place on Wednesday, his family told Dutch press bureau ANP.

The most successful Dutch actor overseas

Rutger Hauer was the Netherlands’ most internationally successful actor, with a whopping 172 acting credits listed on his IMDB page. The actor also won various prestigious awards for his work, including a Golden Globe for his performance in the 1987 film Escape From Sobibor.

The Dutch Paul Newman

Often called the Dutch Paul Newman, Hauer started his career as a theatre actor in the 60s, before a lead role in the Dutch TV show about knights, Floris, made him famous in the Netherlands. He then appeared in various Dutch movies, including Paul Verhouven’s Soldaat van Oranje (1977) and Turks Fruit (1973).

Hauer in Hollywood

After Soldaat van Oranje (1977) received a Golden Globe nomination, Hauer became a familiar face in Hollywood, acting alongside many famous actors, including Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone and Michelle Pfeiffer. One of his most iconic roles was that of android Roy Batty in sci-fi classic Blade Runner (1982).

You may also have seen him in Ladyhawke (1985), The Hitcher (1986), Escape From Sobibor (1987), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Merlin (1998), Sin City (2005), Batman Begins (2005), True Blood (2013-2014) and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017).