Jan Decleir (born as Jan Amanda Gustaaf Decleir on 14 February 1946)
is a prolific Belgian movie and stage actor born in Niel, Antwerp.He
had his first big role in Fons Rademakers's Mira (1971). Since then,
he has appeared in countless Flemish and Dutch films and TV
productions. In the world of theater he gained his fame by acting at
the International New Scene for the play Mistero Buffo by Dario Fo. To
the larger audiences of television he became known through his role of
Sil de strandjutter in 1976 in the equally named TV series. He starred
in Academy Award winning movies including Karakter by Mike van Diem
and Antonia and the Oscar-nominated social drama Daens. More recently
he turned down roles in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (due to
commitments to other projects) and the James Bond film The World Is
Not Enough. Decleir was also Belgium's national performer of
Sinterklaas from 1993 until 2019.In 2003 he had the starring role in
the critically acclaimed thriller The Memory of a Killer (The
Alzheimer Case) of which the leading American critic Roger Ebert wrote
in his review: "Jan Decleir never goes for the easy effect, never
pushes too hard, is a rock-solid occupant of his character. Everything
he has to say is embodied, not expressed. Talks are under way for a
Hollywood remake, but this performance will not be easily equaled.
Gene Hackman, maybe. Morgan Freeman. Robert Mitchum, if he were alive.
Decleir is the real thing."
is a prolific Belgian movie and stage actor born in Niel, Antwerp.He
had his first big role in Fons Rademakers's Mira (1971). Since then,
he has appeared in countless Flemish and Dutch films and TV
productions. In the world of theater he gained his fame by acting at
the International New Scene for the play Mistero Buffo by Dario Fo. To
the larger audiences of television he became known through his role of
Sil de strandjutter in 1976 in the equally named TV series. He starred
in Academy Award winning movies including Karakter by Mike van Diem
and Antonia and the Oscar-nominated social drama Daens. More recently
he turned down roles in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (due to
commitments to other projects) and the James Bond film The World Is
Not Enough. Decleir was also Belgium's national performer of
Sinterklaas from 1993 until 2019.In 2003 he had the starring role in
the critically acclaimed thriller The Memory of a Killer (The
Alzheimer Case) of which the leading American critic Roger Ebert wrote
in his review: "Jan Decleir never goes for the easy effect, never
pushes too hard, is a rock-solid occupant of his character. Everything
he has to say is embodied, not expressed. Talks are under way for a
Hollywood remake, but this performance will not be easily equaled.
Gene Hackman, maybe. Morgan Freeman. Robert Mitchum, if he were alive.
Decleir is the real thing."
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