Famke Beumer Janssen was born on November 5, 1964 in
Amsterdam, Netherlands, and has two other siblings. She studied
economics for a year at the University of Amsterdam, which she has
called "the stupidest idea I ever had." Moving to America in 1984, Famke
modeled for Chanel in New York City. Later, taking a break from
modeling, she majored in writing and literature at Columbia University
and studied acting with Harold Guskin. She then went to Los Angeles,
California, where she continued to study acting under Roy London.
Her
first film was the crime drama Fathers & Sons (1992), where she
played the love interest of Jeff Goldblum. Later, she became James
Bond's enemy in GoldenEye (1995) opposite Pierce Brosnan. Famke received
strong critical acclaim for her electrifying performance as the femme
fatale Xenia Onatopp. Her career has bloomed since then with her
starring in such films as House on Haunted Hill (1999), a reoccurring
role on FX's "Nip/Tuck" (2003) and the blockbuster trilogy X-Men (2000),
X2 (2003), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Early life and education
Janssen was born in Amstelveen, Noord-Holland, Netherlands.
[2] Her first name, Famke, means "girl" in West Frisian, the native language of the Dutch province Friesland.
[3] She has two sisters, director Antoinette Beumer and actress Marjolein Beumer.
[4] In addition to her native Dutch, Janssen speaks English and French. She also learned German, but has not kept up with it.
[5] Following her high school graduation, Janssen studied economics for a year at the University of Amsterdam, which she later called "the stupidest idea I ever had."
[4] In the early 1990s, she enrolled at Columbia University to study creative writing and literature.
Career
In 1984, Janssen moved to the United States to begin her professional career as a fashion model. She signed with Elite Model Management and worked for Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Victoria's Secret. She starred in a 1988 commercial for the perfume Exclamation by Coty, Inc.
[6] Her looks have been compared to Hedy Lamarr and other 1940s films stars.
[3]
After retiring from modelling in the early 1990s, Janssen had guest
roles on several television series, including a starring role in the
1992
Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Perfect Mate", as empathic metamorph Kamala, opposite Patrick Stewart, with whom she later starred in the
X-Men film series.
[3] That same year, Janssen was offered the role of Jadzia Dax in
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but turned it down to pursue film roles.
[7] Her first film role was alongside Jeff Goldblum in the 1992 crime drama film
Fathers & Sons.
In 1995, Janssen appeared in Pierce Brosnan's first James Bond film,
GoldenEye, as femme fatale Xenia Onatopp. She also appeared in
Lord of Illusions with Scott Bakula. In an attempt to fight against typecasting after her Bond girl performance, Janssen began seeking out more intriguing support roles, appearing in John Irvin's
City of Industry, Woody Allen's
Celebrity, Robert Altman's
The Gingerbread Man, and Ted Demme's
Monument Ave.[8] Denis Leary, her co-star in
Monument Ave., was impressed by how easily she blended in, initially not recognizing her as she was already in character.
[3] In the late 1990s, she also appeared in
The Faculty,
Rounders,
Deep Rising, and
House on Haunted Hill.
In 2000, Janssen played superhero Dr. Jean Grey in
X-Men. She reprised the role in
X2 (2003) and again in
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) as well as portraying a darker role of Jean Grey's alternate personality, Phoenix, for which she won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.
[9] She returned as Jean Grey in the film
The Wolverine (2013).
In 2002, Janssen landed the role of villainess Serleena in
Men in Black II, but had to abandon the film due to a death in her family.
In addition, Janssen had a prominent role in the second season of the popular TV series
Nip/Tuck, as the seductive and manipulative life coach Ava Moore, which earned her Hollywood Life's Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award.
[10] She reprised her role in the final two episodes of the series.
In 2007, she starred in
Turn the River, for which she was awarded the Special Recognition Best Actress Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival.
[11] The following year, she starred in Luc Besson's
Taken. Janssen also continued to work in television, appearing in TV pilots for NBC's cop drama
Winters and Showtime's
The Farm, a
The L Word
spin-off set in a women's prison. Both pilots were rejected by their
respective networks. Janssen also provided the Dutch-language narration
for the Studio Tram Tour at all Disney theme parks.
[8]
In 2011, Janssen made her directorial début with the drama
Bringing Up Bobby. She also wrote the screenplay to the film, which stars Milla Jovovich, Bill Pullman, and Marcia Cross.
[12] She reprised her role as Lenore Mills in
Taken 2 (2012) and starred as the main villain Muriel in
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013).
Janssen starred in the series
Hemlock Grove (2013) where she plays the role of Olivia Godfrey.
Personal life and activism
Janssen was married to writer and director Kip Williams, son of architect Tod Williams, from 1995 to 2000.
[2]
Janssen appeared with her dog Licorice, a brindle Boston Terrier, in a 2007 PETA campaign to raise awareness for animal rights. The campaign used the slogan "Be an Angel for Animals."
[13] On 28 January 2008, she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for Integrity for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime at a United Nations anti-corruption conference held in Nusa Dua, Bali.
[14]
Filmography
| 1992 |
Fathers & Sons |
Kyle Christian |
|
| 1992 |
Star Trek: The Next Generation |
Kamala |
TV series (1 episode: "The Perfect Mate") |
| 1994 |
Melrose Place |
Diane Adamson |
TV series (1 episode: "Michael's Game") |
| 1994 |
Model by Day |
Lex/Lady X |
TV movie |
| 1994 |
The Untouchables |
Cleo |
TV series (1 episode: "Voyeur") |
| 1994 |
Relentless IV: Ashes to Ashes |
Dr. Sara Lee Jaffee |
|
| 1995 |
GoldenEye |
Xenia Onatopp |
|
| 1995 |
Lord of Illusions |
Dorothea Swann |
|
| 1996 |
Dead Girl |
Treasure |
|
| 1997 |
City of Industry |
Rachel Montana |
|
| 1998 |
Monument Ave. |
Katy O'Connor |
|
| 1998 |
The Gingerbread Man |
Leeanne Magruder |
|
| 1998 |
Deep Rising |
Trillian St. James |
|
| 1998 |
RPM |
Claudia Haggs |
|
| 1998 |
Rounders |
Petra |
|
| 1998 |
Celebrity |
Bonnie |
|
| 1998 |
The Adventures of Sebastian Cole |
Fiona |
|
| 1998 |
The Faculty |
Miss Elizabeth Burke |
|
| 1999 |
House on Haunted Hill |
Evelyn Stockard-Price |
|
| 2000 |
Love & Sex |
Kate Welles |
|
| 2000 |
Circus |
Lily Garfield |
|
| 2000 |
X-Men |
Jean Grey |
|
| 2000-2001 |
Ally McBeal |
Jamie |
TV series (2 episodes) |
| 2001 |
Made |
Jessica |
|
| 2001 |
Don't Say a Word |
Agatha "Aggie" Conrad |
|
| 2002 |
I Spy |
Rachel Wright |
|
| 2003 |
X2 |
Jean Grey |
|
| 2004 |
Nip/Tuck |
Ava Moore |
TV series (12 episodes) |
| 2004 |
Eulogy |
Judy Arnolds |
|
| 2005 |
Hide and Seek |
Dr. Katherine Carson |
|
| 2005 |
Nip/Tuck |
Ava Moore |
TV series (1 episode: "KiKi") |
| 2006 |
X-Men: The Last Stand |
Jean Grey/Phoenix |
|
| 2006 |
The Treatment |
Allegra Marshall |
|
| 2007 |
Winters |
Christie Winters |
TV movie |
| 2007 |
The Ten |
Gretchen Reigert |
|
| 2007 |
Turn the River |
Kailey Sullivan |
|
| 2008 |
The Wackness |
Kristen Squires |
|
| 2008 |
Taken |
Lenore "Lenny" Mills |
|
| 2008 |
100 Feet |
Marnie Watson |
|
| 2008 |
Puppy Love |
Maya |
TV series |
| 2009 |
The Farm |
Valentina Galindo |
TV movie |
| 2010 |
Nip/Tuck |
Ava Moore |
TV series (2 episodes) |
| 2010 |
The Chameleon |
Jennifer Johnson |
|
| 2011 |
Down the Shore |
Mary Reed |
|
| 2011 |
Bringing Up Bobby |
|
Director, producer, writer |
| 2012 |
Taken 2 |
Lenore "Lenny" Mills |
|
| 2013 |
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters |
Muriel |
|
| 2013 |
Hemlock Grove |
Olivia Godfrey |
TV series (13 episodes) |
| 2013 |
The Wolverine |
Jean Grey |
|
| 2013 |
Unity |
Narrator (voice) |
Documentary; post-production |
| 2013 |
In the Woods |
|
Post-production |
| 2014 |
A Fighting Man |
|
Filming |
Awards and nominations
Date of Birth
