- Parents were actors.
- The grandson of a sea captain, he ran away at age 15 to work on a freighter.
- Served in the Dutch army, but pretended to be mentally unfit for military service and was discharged.
- Was the spokesperson for Guinness stout for six years.
- In 1995, a Dutch stamp was issued portraying his role as Eric Vonk in Turkish Delight (1973).
- In 2000, founded the Starfish Association, which helps children and pregnant women with HIV/AIDS.
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