Who? Jan Decleir is a national treasure of Belgium. Despite having never had major roles in big Hollywood productions, movie buffs consider his talent and range to be on par with the world’s greatest.
Why? Decleir is an extremely versatile actor. He can handle kid-friendly, avuncular roles such as Saint-Nicholas (many people still consider him to be the ultimate Saint-Nicholas), but he can also be dramatic and engaging in playing businessmen, crime lords, manipulative politicians and priests.
What resonates with me? Even if he was once approached by Stanley Kubrick for a role (in ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, his last movie), to me Decleir remains an avatar of Belgium, and Flanders in particular, in all its emotional complexity. He can be funny, walled-off, wry, fiercely good-hearted and gruff at the same time. I suspect many fellow Flemings can recognise themselves in this.
Best bit? Arguably, his most-internationally noted performance was in ‘De zaak Alzheimer’ (‘The Memory of a Killer’ to English-speaking audiences), where he played an assassin plagued by Alzheimer’s disease and a sudden uptick in his conscience.
Next up: Neil deGrasse Tyson, American astronomer and physicist
Why? Decleir is an extremely versatile actor. He can handle kid-friendly, avuncular roles such as Saint-Nicholas (many people still consider him to be the ultimate Saint-Nicholas), but he can also be dramatic and engaging in playing businessmen, crime lords, manipulative politicians and priests.
What resonates with me? Even if he was once approached by Stanley Kubrick for a role (in ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, his last movie), to me Decleir remains an avatar of Belgium, and Flanders in particular, in all its emotional complexity. He can be funny, walled-off, wry, fiercely good-hearted and gruff at the same time. I suspect many fellow Flemings can recognise themselves in this.
Best bit? Arguably, his most-internationally noted performance was in ‘De zaak Alzheimer’ (‘The Memory of a Killer’ to English-speaking audiences), where he played an assassin plagued by Alzheimer’s disease and a sudden uptick in his conscience.
Next up: Neil deGrasse Tyson, American astronomer and physicist
