Gaston Berghmans is a Flemish

Flanders

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

 actor and comedian. He and Leo Martin formed a comic duo called Gaston and Leo.

Youth

Gaston Berghmans was the eldest son in a family with two children. His sister, Paula, is four years younger and has lived in the U.S. since 1959. Gaston's father was an independent diamond cutter. Gaston's mother worked as an assistant in her sister's butcher shop.

Early career

He performed at the Ancienne Belgique

Ancienne Belgique

The Ancienne Belgique is a concert hall for contemporary music in Brussels, Belgium. Located in the historic heart of Brussels, it is one the leading concert venues in Belgium, hosting a wide variety of international and local acts.-The venue:...

 concert hall.

He married in 1960; his daughter was born in 1961.

Early film career

In the late 1950s he also appeared in several films directed by Flemish comic Jan Vanderheyden:

• Een zonde waard "A sin worthy"
• Den duivel te slim "Too smart for the devil"
• Hoe zotter hoe liever "The crazier the better"
• De stille genieter "Quiet enjoyment"

They were all successful in Flanders and increased Gaston's reputation and offers of work.

Gaston and Leo

Gaston first met Leo Martin in 1957 in the Billiard Palace, where the orchestra of Willy Rockin played. Leo played the saxophone and clarinet and Gaston performed sketches with him. In the 60s Leo got his own orchestra and it became easier to invite Gaston to come perform sketches Their performances were often comic prologues for Leo's musical moments. These performances were the foundation for what would be later be Gaston and Leo.

In 1972 Leo's band broke up.

BRT

From 1972 Gaston and Leo also appeared on the state-owned Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep (BRT) television network, including some New Year's Eve special broadcasts.

They also made four films together: The boat to Spain (1982) (director: Willy Vanduren), Thugs (1984) (director: Robbe De Hert), The Panic Sowers (1986) (director: Patrick Lebon) and Gaston en Leo in Hong Kong (1988) (director: Paul Cammermans).

VTM

They left BRT for commercial broadcaster vtm (Vlaamse Televisie Maatschappij).

Both comedians had health problems. Gaston got cancer and had to walk around with a stoma. Leo got lung cancer and died on 18 March 1993. Six months earlier they had appeared in the VTM show 20 years Gaston and Leo which was presented by Luc Appermont.

After Leo's death

Leo's death was a severe blow to Gaston and his partner was irreplaceable. On the occasion of his 80th birthday on 6 December 2006 VTM aired a program titled Gaston 80. In 2008 he appeared in the movie Christmas in Paris. The film was an artistic disappointment and a commercial flop.

In 2005 he finished at No. 459 in the Flemish version of The Greatest Belgian, outside the official nomination list. In 2006 King Albert II

Albert II of Belgium

Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...

 awarded Berghmans the title Commander of the Crown. On 27 March 2009 Gaston Berghmans received the Flemish TV Stars Career Star 2009 during a Flemish Television Academy gala.

Film career

• Christmas in Paris (2008)
• Dief! (1998) .... Bompa Van Reeth
• She Good Fighter (1995) .... Rick
• Gaston en Leo in Hong Kong (1988) .... Gaston
• Paniekzaaiers (1986) .... Gaston
• Zware jongens (1984) .... Gaston Berghmans
• De Witte van Sichem (1980) .... Nand
• Pallieter (1976) .... Veldwachter
• De Stille genieter (1961) .... Gaston Somers
• De Duivel te slim (1960) .... Pol
• Hoe zotter, hoe liever (1960) .... Mil
• Een Zonde waard (1959) .... Tony Dertien

External links