Carice Van Houten Biography, Partner, Baby, Movie Career and Other Facts

Quick Facts

Carice Van Houten is famed to be one of the most successful actresses out of Europe. A Dutch native, Houten shot into the limelight in her native country for her lead role in the thriller film Black Book (2006) which remains the country’s highest-grossing film till date. She equally garnered much critical acclaim for her performance in the movie as well as several other movie roles. Since 2012, the talented actress has gained international fame for her role as Melisandre in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones.

Carice Van Houten’s Bio, Age

Carice Anouk van Houten was born on September 5, 1976, in Leiderdorp, Netherlands. Her father Theodore van Houten was a writer, journalist, and theatre-radio producer. Her mother Margje Stasse is a TV executive in their native country. Carice was raised alongside one sibling, a younger sister named Jelka. She had her high school education at St. Bonifatius college located in Utrecht and there, she took part in several plays. She enrolled at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts and after one year, she moved to the Kleinkunstacademie (The Academy of Theatre and Dance) where she completed her studies.

Movie Career

Clarice Van Houten began her acting career on stage before delving into film and television in her home country. She had her first major on-screen role in the telefilm Suzy Q (1999) for which she received her first Golden Calf Award, the award of the Netherlands Film Festival. She received a second Golden Calf for her lead role in the comedy film Undercover Kitty (2001). With further starring roles in films like Father’s Affair (2003), Black Swans (2005) and A Thousand Kisses (2006), Van Houten easily established herself as one of the most notable actresses in the Netherlands.

Van Houten received several accolades for her performance as Rachel Stein in Black Book (2006), the highest-grossing Dutch film of that year. She won the Golden Calf Award and was also nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress. The talented actress had her first English role in the thriller film Dorothy Mills (2008) which marked her entry into the realm of English-language movies.

In addition to her already thriving career in her home country, she began to get film roles in other European countries as well as the United States. She had roles in Valkyrie (2008), From Time to Time (2009), Repo Men (2010), Black Death (2010), Intruders (2011), The Happy Housewife (2011), Black Butterflies (2012) among several others. She received numerous accolades for her performance in some of these films including 2 Golden Calf Awards and 2 Saturn Award nominations.

In July 2011, Carice Van Houten landed her most notable TV role yet when she was cast as Melisandre of Asshai in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2012-present). The role effectively launched her into international stardom and cemented her status as an A-list actress. While her work on Game of Thrones continued, the actress has recorded further acting credits in diverse movie genres both in her home country and in Hollywood. More recently, she has had starring roles in Race (2016),  Brimstone (2016) and Incarnate (2016).

Partner, Baby

Carice Van Houten is in a relationship with English-born actor Guy Pearce. The duo got together in 2015 after meeting on the set of the film Brimstone and they have had a pretty smooth romance ever since. In early 2016, Houten announced that she was expecting a child with her partner. Expectedly, the couple welcomed their first child on August 29, 2016, a son named Monte Pearce.

Other Facts About Carice Van Houten

Interestingly, Carice Van Houten is not the only member of her family with amazing acting talents. Her younger sister Jelka Van Houten is also an actress. She has featured in several Dutch films and TV series including the British comedy-drama series Fresh Meat.

Van Houten also has a lifelong friendship with fellow Dutch actress Halina Reijn. In 2013, the duo collaborated on a book Anti Glamour in commemoration of their friendship.

Carice Van Houten is 5 feet 6½ inches (169 cm) in height. Now in her forties, the ageless actress still looks as gorgeous as ever. She maintains a body weight of 61 kg (134.5 lb).

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