Erland Philip Peter Van Lidth De Jeude (June 3, 1953 – September 23, 1987) was a
Dutch-American
Dutch Americans ( nl, Nederlandse Amerikanen) are Americans of Dutch descent whose ancestors came from the Netherlands in the recent or distant past. Dutch settlement in the Americas started in 1613 with New Amsterdam, which was exchanged with ...
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
,
opera singer
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...
, and
amateur wrestler.
Early life and education
Van Lidth De Jeude was born in
Hilversum
Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hilvers ...
, the Netherlands, and came to the United States with his family in 1958, where they resided in
Orange, New Jersey
The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000.
Orange was original ...
(until 1960), then
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
(1960–1962),
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York ...
(1962–1970) where he attended
Ridgefield High School, and moved to Mont Vernon, New Hampshire in 1970 where he attended Milford Area Senior High School, from which he was graduated in 1972. He appeared in theatrical productions, and played center and nose guard on the varsity football team. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
and was graduated with a
B.S.
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
in Computer Science & Electrical Engineering in 1977. He also distinguished himself on the wrestling team, where he was the 1976 NCAA Division III runner-up in the heavyweight division,
and in stage productions, the most successful of which was ''
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart.
Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specifica ...
'', in which he played
Miles Gloriosus
''Alazṓn'' ( grc, ἀλαζών) is one of three stock characters in comedy of the theatre of ancient Greece. He is the opponent of the '' eirôn''. The ''alazṓn'' is an impostor that sees himself as greater than he actually is. The ''senex ...
.
Career
After graduation he worked in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
as a computer professional, while also attending the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
as an alternate in the
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
wrestling team.
His preparation for the
1980 Olympics in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
was cut short when the United States
boycott
A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
ed the event. He also won the Bronze Medal in the international competition held in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
in 1978.
The 6'6" (198 cm), 340-pound (154 kg) wrestler was spotted in the
New York Athletic Club
The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Travers ...
by a
casting director
In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra (acting), extra for a particular role or part in a scr ...
, which led to his role as the fearsome "Terror", leader of the Fordham Baldies, in the 1979
Philip Kaufman
Philip Kaufman (born October 23, 1936) is an American film director and screenwriter who has directed fifteen films over a career spanning more than six decades. He has been described as a "maverick" and an "iconoclast," notable for his versati ...
film ''
The Wanderers''. He continued to juggle his careers in film and information technology while also singing frequently with the
Amato Opera
Amato ( Calabrian: ; ) is an Arbëreshë ''comune'' and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy.
History
Amato is one of the oldest towns in Calabria. It is mentioned by the Greek philosopher Aristotle and by the Roman ...
in New York, studying to become a
Heldenbaritone {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
A Heldenbaritone, also known as dramatic bass-baritone or hoher bass (high bass), is an opera singer, a German dramatic baritone.
"Heldenbaritone" (Ger. "Heroic baritone) is a fach (operatic voice type) that i ...
, and teaching computer programming at
Manhattan Community College. He is perhaps best known for his role as Grossberger in ''
Stir Crazy'' with
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...
and
Gene Wilder
Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He is known mainly for his comedic roles, but also for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Won ...
, which was released in December 1980 and has been regularly shown on TV over the years. Erland was also featured in the 1987
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
film ''
The Running Man'', which was his last film appearance. He played Dynamo, a sadistic stalker who announces his presence by singing an aria from Mozart's ''
Marriage of Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...
'' and electrocutes his victims. He once turned down a film role because he did not want to shave his head as he did for ''The Wanderers'' and ''Stir Crazy''.
Personal life
Van Lidth De Jeude married
Annette Friend on September 22, 1986, with whom he had one son, Christiaan. His brother Philip Van Lidth De Jeude, who was featured in the Dutch children's film ''
Abeltje
''Abeltje'' is a children's novel by celebrated Dutch people, Dutch author Annie M. G. Schmidt, originally published in 1953 by De Arbeiderspers. It was one of Annie M. G. Schmidt's first children's books, and such an instant success that it wa ...
'' (released November 1998) as the Generalissimo, originally sang as a baritone and then as a dramatic tenor in both Europe and the United States, and sister Philine van Lidth de Jeude is a dramatic soprano and free-lance photographer.
He was born into the Dutch
noble family
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
Van Lidth De Jeude and held the predicate of untitled nobility ''
Jonkheer
(female equivalent: ; french: Écuyer; en, Squire) is an honorific in the Low Countries denoting the lowest rank within the nobility. In the Netherlands, this in general concerns a prefix used by the untitled nobility. In Belgium, this is the ...
'' (comparable to the archaic usage of the British ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' and cognate to the German ''
Junker
Junker ( da, Junker, german: Junker, nl, Jonkheer, en, Yunker, no, Junker, sv, Junker ka, იუნკერი (Iunkeri)) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German ''Juncherre'', meaning "young nobleman"Duden; Meaning of Junke ...
'').
Death
Van Lidth De Jeude died of
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
on September 23, 1987 at age 34, a few months after finishing work on ''The Running Man'' and one day after his first wedding anniversary.
Wrestling career
Collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...
*
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
**
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division III
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
Heavyweight - 6th place
out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
(1975)
**
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division III
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
Heavyweight - 2nd place
out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
(1976)
Filmography
See also
*
List of Dutch noble families
Dutch nobility is regulated by act of law in the ''Wet op de adeldom'' (Law Regarding Nobility, passed into law on May 10, 1994) and is overseen by the (High Council of Nobility), an official state institution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
B ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lidth De Jeude, Erland Van
1953 births
1987 deaths
American male film actors
20th-century American male opera singers
American male sport wrestlers
Dutch male film actors
MIT School of Engineering alumni
People from Hilversum
People from Ridgefield, Connecticut
Dutch emigrants to the United States
20th-century American male actors