Theo Maassen
Encyclopedia
Theodorus Wilhelmus Maassen (born 8 December 1966 in Oegstgeest
, Zuid-Holland) is a Dutch comedian
and actor
who grew up in Zijtaart
in the Dutch
province
of Noord-Brabant. He currently lives in Eindhoven. In addition to his shows, he has also made a number of appearances in film
s.
In the following years, however, Maassen fame grew steadily, especially amongst students. Maassens style was based on stand-up comedy
: Alone on stage, telling jokes and stories to amuse the public, without any musical support (a thing common for most Dutch comedian
s up to that point).
Since 2000, Maassens shows are shown on Dutch national television, making him more and more a household name.
In 2006, Maassen received the 'Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Theater Prijs 2006' (Prince Bernhard Culture Fund Theatre Prize 2006) for his 'daring combination of theatre and comedy'. The same year he also received the Prijs van de Kritiek (Prize of the critics), a yearly prize by Dutch theatre critics.
Theo Maassen is a self proclaimed fan of Bill Hicks
.
from the stadium of football team PSV Eindhoven. For several years it was unknown who had been responsible for the disappearance of the trophy. The true story was confessed by Maassen himself, live on a TV talkshow about football. That night the show had several guests that were in the possession of rare football artifacts. When the host asked Maassen about his artifact, he took the UEFA cup out of his bag and put it on the table, in front of the baffled host and guests. Later, he also showed on Studio Voetbal that he had stolen PSV's second prize of the UEFA Supercup.
He also has released a song titled Lauwe Pis (Lukewarm Piss) which peaked at #1 on the Dutch Top 40
On May 31, 2008 Maassen destroyed the camera worth €15.000 belonging to photographer Ilvy Njiokiktjien after asking her to join him on stage, because she made photographs, although Maassen had told the organization he did not want that, and assumed that she was informed about this. However, the organization had failed to do that. Maassen and the organization have promised to pay for the damage.
Oegstgeest
Oegstgeest is a town and municipality in the province of South Holland in the western Netherlands. Its population was 22,576 in 2008.-Location :...
, Zuid-Holland) is a Dutch comedian
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who grew up in Zijtaart
Veghel
Veghel is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.Since 1994 Veghel and the neighbouring village of Erp have formed a single municipality.Veghel is twinned with Goch in Germany.- Population centres :*Boerdonk*Eerde*Erp*Keldonk...
in the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of Noord-Brabant. He currently lives in Eindhoven. In addition to his shows, he has also made a number of appearances in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s.
Themes
Maassen won two of the biggest comedy contests in the Netherlands in 1990, the Groninger Studenten Cabaret Festival(GSCF), and Cameretten. The GSCF jury was not pleased with the quality of the contestants that year, and gave Maassen the first prize, remarking he was the best of the year, but still not very good.In the following years, however, Maassen fame grew steadily, especially amongst students. Maassens style was based on stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
: Alone on stage, telling jokes and stories to amuse the public, without any musical support (a thing common for most Dutch comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s up to that point).
Since 2000, Maassens shows are shown on Dutch national television, making him more and more a household name.
In 2006, Maassen received the 'Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Theater Prijs 2006' (Prince Bernhard Culture Fund Theatre Prize 2006) for his 'daring combination of theatre and comedy'. The same year he also received the Prijs van de Kritiek (Prize of the critics), a yearly prize by Dutch theatre critics.
Theo Maassen is a self proclaimed fan of Bill Hicks
Bill Hicks
William Melvin "Bill" Hicks was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material largely consisted of general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy, and personal issues. Hicks' material was often controversial and steeped in dark comedy...
.
Shows
- 1994: Bepaalde dingen ("Certain Things")
- 1996: Neuk het systeem ("Fuck the System")
- 1998: Ruwe pit ("Rough seed")
- 2002: Functioneel naakt ("Functional Nudity")
- 2006: Tegen Beter Weten In ("Against Better Judgment")
- 2009: Zonder Pardon ("Without Pardon"), registered as feature film, released 2009
Films
Maassen played large and small roles in the following Dutch movies:- 2001: AmnesiA as Wouter
- 2001: Adriaans plaag (short film) as trader Benedikt
- 2001: Undercover Kitty (Minoes)Undercover Kitty (film)Undercover Kitty is a 2001 Dutch film, based on the children's novel Minoes by Annie M.G. Schmidt. The film was a box office success grossing $4,227,362 in the Netherlands, $111,858 in Germany, $34,164 in Austria, and $389,200 in Norway.-Plot:...
as Tibbe - 2003: www.eenzaam.nl as Marcel
- 2003: Interview as Theo
- 2003: Kees de jongen as Vader Bakels
- 2003: De onterechte kampioen as himself (he also directed and produced this movie)
- 2004: Amazones as Achilles
- 2006: Black Book (directed by Paul Verhoeven)
- 2008: TBS as main character Johan
- 2008: Dunya en Desie in Marokko as Jeff
- 2009: Zonder Pardon ("Without Pardon"), registration of the show (see above)
- 2010: New Kids Turbo as a drunk in the bar
Television
Maassen plays the role of 'Roel' in the television series 'Mevrouw de minister'. He also had a supporting role in the serie Dunya en Desie.Trivia
Maassen once stole the UEFA cupUEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
from the stadium of football team PSV Eindhoven. For several years it was unknown who had been responsible for the disappearance of the trophy. The true story was confessed by Maassen himself, live on a TV talkshow about football. That night the show had several guests that were in the possession of rare football artifacts. When the host asked Maassen about his artifact, he took the UEFA cup out of his bag and put it on the table, in front of the baffled host and guests. Later, he also showed on Studio Voetbal that he had stolen PSV's second prize of the UEFA Supercup.
He also has released a song titled Lauwe Pis (Lukewarm Piss) which peaked at #1 on the Dutch Top 40
On May 31, 2008 Maassen destroyed the camera worth €15.000 belonging to photographer Ilvy Njiokiktjien after asking her to join him on stage, because she made photographs, although Maassen had told the organization he did not want that, and assumed that she was informed about this. However, the organization had failed to do that. Maassen and the organization have promised to pay for the damage.