Ellen ten Damme (born 7 October 1967) is a Dutch actress, performer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Ten Damme both sings and acts in four languages (Dutch, English, French and German), and plays piano and keyboards, guitar and violin. During her school years Ellen was an enthusiastic

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

, and incorporating some gymnastic tricks or even circus acts into her shows has become a trademark. Ten Damme grew up in the rural village of

Roden Roden is a name of Germanic origin, originally meaning "red valley" or an anglicization of the Gaelic name "O'Rodain". It may refer to: Places * Roden, Bavaria, a town in the Main-Spessart district of Bavaria, Germany * Roden, Netherlands, a tow ...

, close to the university town

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

, where she studied Dutch for a while. However she switched to the Amsterdam

Theatre School A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pr ...

for stage, film, cabaret and musical actors. After spending a great deal of time in Germany, Ten Damme returned to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, where she lives on a

houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. How ...

Acting

After a few small Dutch TV roles, Ten Damme made her film debut starring in the 1991 short film ''The Tears of Maria Machita'' by director Paul Ruven, and was nominated for a

Golden Calf According to the Bible, the golden calf (עֵגֶל הַזָּהָב '' ‘ēgel hazzāhāv'') was an idol (a cult image) made by the Israelites when Moses went up to Mount Sinai. In Hebrew, the incident is known as ''ḥēṭə’ hā‘ēgel'' ...

movie award. Since then Ten Damme has consistently worked in TV and film – mostly in Dutch and German, and mostly in supporting roles and guest parts. Examples are recurring parts in Dutch comedy series ''

We zijn weer thuis ''We zijn weer thuis'' (''Back home again'') is a Dutch dramady-series broadcast by VPRO from 1989 to 1994. It was written by Wim T. Schippers and co-directed with Ellen Jens as his swansong-series for VPRO. The series was released on dvd in Oct ...

'' (1993) and ''Jiskefet'' (1995–1997), and appearing in 25 episodes of lawyer drama ''Pleidooi'' (1993–1995). Further movie parts included '' The Little Blonde, Dead'' (1993), ''

No Trains No Planes '' No Trains No Planes '' is a 1999 in film, 1999 Netherlands, Dutch drama film directed by Jos Stelling. Cast *Dirk van Dijck as Gerard *Kees Prins as Jacques *Peer Mascini as Benny *Petra Sedda as Balie-juffrouw *Leny Breederveld as Coby *A ...

'' (1999), ''

Full Moon Party The Full Moon Party (Thai: ฟูลมูนปาร์ตี้) is an all-night beach party that originated in Hat Rin on the island of Ko Pha-ngan, Thailand in 1985. The party takes place on the night of, before, or after every full moon. ...

'' (2002) and ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

'' (2003), directed by Theo van Gogh. In 2000 Ten Damme played an English language leading role in Irish film drama ''Conamara''. In 2013 she featured in the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

theatre comedy ''To Be or Not to Be'', based on the

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

film of the same name alongside

Waldemar Torenstra Waldemar Govinda Torenstra (born 29 March 1974 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch actor. For several years he worked as an actor in the Noord Nederlands Toneel (NNT, En: "North Netherlands Stage"), a touring theater company. Career After finishing his se ...

Raoul Heertje Raoul Louis Heertje (; born 11 March 1963, in Bussum) is a Dutch comedian. Being Jewish himself, his comedy performances include Jewish humour.Frank Lammers Frank Lammers (born 10 April 1972) is a Dutch television and film actor. In 2006, he won a "Best Actor" Golden Calf for his work in ''Nachtrit ''Nachtrit'' (English ''Night Run'' or ''Night Ride'') is a 2006 Netherlands thriller film about t ...

and others.

Music and artistry

Ellen ten Damme has released five studio albums and one live CD. The first three: ''Kill Your Darlings'' (1995), ''I Am Here'' (2001) and ''Impossible Girl'' (2007) are in English. The next two albums: ''Durf jij'' (2011) and ''Het Regende Zon'' (2012) are in Dutch. Her latest CD, ''Berlin'' (2014) is a live cut of a German language concert at the Royal Dutch

Concertgebouw The Royal Concertgebouw ( nl, Koninklijk Concertgebouw, ) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" translates into English as "concert building". Its superb acoustics place it among the finest concert halls i ...

. In 1996–1997, ten Damme joined new wave band Soviet Sex which featured painter/photographer

Peter Klashorst Peter Klashorst (born Peter van de Klashorst; born 11 February 1957) is a Dutch painter, sculptor, and photographer. Biography Klashorst was always based in the Tabakspanden on the Spuistraat in Amsterdam. But he's also produced works in ci ...

. In 2003–2004, she accompanied German rock musician

Udo Lindenberg Udo Lindenberg (born 17 May 1946) is a German singer, drummer, and composer. Career Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969, he founded his first band Free Orbit, and also appeared as a studio and guest musician (with Micha ...

on the tour for his album ''Atlantic Affairs''. In 2005, she competed to represent Germany in the annual

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

, singing "Plattgefickt", a provocative anti-war protest song written by Lindenberg. Guitarist (who has played with

Sam Lapides Sam Lapides (born David Samuel Lapides, August 14, 1962, Irvington, New Jersey) is an American singer-songwriter, known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the bands Ghosthouse and Folkminers. He cites Paul Westerberg, The Replacements, The Ro ...

and Shannon Lyon) has recorded and performed with her for many years. She has recorded songs that appear on movie soundtracks such as '' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'' and '' Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie''. Dutch

avant garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or 'vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical De ...

filmmaker

Cyrus Frisch Cyrus Frisch (born 1969 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch avant-garde film maker. ''Filmmaker'' magazine called him the wild man of Dutch film. According to Holland Film, Frisch is one of the most daring film makers currently working in the Netherland ...

directed her music video "Stay".

Notes

References

External links

*
Ellen ten Damme biography
(in Dutch) at muziekencyclopedie.nl {{DEFAULTSORT:Damme, Ellen ten 1967 births Living people People from Warnsveld Dutch film actresses Dutch women singers LGBT singers from the Netherlands 20th-century Dutch actresses 21st-century Dutch actresses