Jan Decleir

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Belgian actor

title: "Jan Decleir" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1946-births", "flemish-male-television-actors", "20th-century-flemish-male-actors", "golden-calf-winners", "flemish-male-film-actors", "living-people", "magritte-award-winners", "21st-century-flemish-male-actors", "sinterklaas"] description: "Belgian actor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Decleir" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Belgian actor ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameJan Decleir
imageJandecleir677.jpg
captionJan Decleir in 2003
birth_nameJan Amanda Gustaaf Decleir
birth_date
birth_placeNiel, Belgium
notable_works"Priest Daens" in Daens;
"Dreverhaven" in Character;
"Angelo Ledda" in The Memory of a Killer
awardsBest Supporting Actor
2007 Wolfsbergen
Culture Prize
2003 Lifetime Achievement
Grolsch Film Award
1997 Character
::

| name = Jan Decleir | image =Jandecleir677.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Jan Decleir in 2003 | birth_name = Jan Amanda Gustaaf Decleir | birth_date = | birth_place = Niel, Belgium | death_date = | death_place = | height = | other_names = | website = | notable_works = "Priest Daens" in Daens; "Dreverhaven" in Character; "Angelo Ledda" in The Memory of a Killer | awards = Best Supporting Actor 2007 Wolfsbergen Culture Prize 2003 Lifetime Achievement Grolsch Film Award 1997 Character | spouse =

Jan Decleir (born as Jan Amanda Gustaaf Decleir on 14 February 1946) is a prolific Belgian movie and stage actor born in Niel, Antwerp.

Career

He had his first big role in Fons Rademakers's Mira (1971). Since then, he has appeared in countless Flemish and Dutch films and TV productions. In the world of theater he gained his fame by acting at the International New Scene for the play Mistero Buffo by Dario Fo. To the larger audiences of television he became known through his role of Sil de strandjutter in 1976 in the equally named TV series. He starred in Academy Award winning movies including Karakter by Mike van Diem and Antonia and the Oscar-nominated social drama Daens. More recently he turned down roles in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (due to commitments to other projects) and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough. Decleir was also Belgium's national performer of Sinterklaas from 1993 until 2019.

In 2003 he had the starring role in the critically acclaimed thriller The Memory of a Killer (The Alzheimer Case) of which the leading American critic Roger Ebert wrote in his review: "Jan Decleir never goes for the easy effect, never pushes too hard, is a rock-solid occupant of his character. Everything he has to say is embodied, not expressed. Talks are underway for a Hollywood remake, but this performance will not be easily equaled. Gene Hackman, maybe. Morgan Freeman. Robert Mitchum, if he were alive. Decleir is the real thing."

For several years he also led the Studio Herman Teirlinck where he brought in many new teachers: actors from various theater companies (e.g., de Blauwe Maandag Compagnie, STAN, etc.).

Personal life

Jan Decleir has been married to Brechtje Louwaard since 1 April 2006. He has three children: Sofie, Jenne and Flor. Two of his siblings – sister Reinhilde Decleir (died in 2022) and brother Dirk Decleir (died in 1974) involved in acting, too.

Honors and awards

Over the lifespan of his career, Jan Decleir has received several prizes for his acting. He was awarded the Best Actor Award for his role in Off Screen (directed by Pieter Kuijpers) at the Montreal World Film Festival. In 2003 he received Golden Calf Culture Prize (Dutch: Gouden Kalf) and in 2007 a Golden Calf for Best Supporting Actor for the movie Wolfsbergen at the Netherlands Film Festival. In 2008 he was awarded the best actor prize at the Tiburon International Film Festival for his role in Man zkt vrouw (A Perfect Match). For his role in The Barons, he received the Magritte Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2013 he also received the Flemish Culture Prize for General Cultural Merit. Decleir is also known as painter. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and has regular expositions in De Zwarte Panter gallery.

Overview

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Jan_Decleir_01.jpg" caption="Jan Decleir in 2009"] ::

Filmography

Decleir appeared in more than a hundred Belgian, Dutch, French and German movies. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Jan_Decleir_-ALL_FOR_LOVE-Blauwe_Maandag_Compagnie-_1993.jpg" caption="Decleir in "All For Love" (1993)"] ::

He is also known from Flemish and Dutch TV series such as:

  • Keromar (1971)
  • Sil de Strandjutter (1976)
  • Adriaen Brouwer (1986)
  • Klein Londen, Klein Berlijn (1988)
  • Moeder, Waarom Leven Wij? (1993)
  • Dag Sinterklaas (1993)
  • Ons Geluk (1995)
  • Gaston Berghmans Show (1995)
  • Kulderzipken (1996)
  • Diamant (1997)
  • Karakter (1997)
  • Retour Den Haag (1999)
  • De Grote Boze Wolf Show (2000)
  • Stille Waters (2001)
  • De 9 Dagen van de Gier (2001)
  • Meiden van De Wit (2002)
  • W817 (2003)
  • Sprookjes (2004-08)
  • Koning van de Wereld (2005)
  • Als 't Maar Beweegt (2005)
  • De Kavijaks (2005)
  • Stellenbosch (2007)
  • Sinteressante Dingen (2009)
  • Met Man en Macht (2013)
  • Nieuw Texas (2015)
  • Den Elfde van den Elfde (2016)
  • Tytgat Chocolat (2017)
  • De Bever & Co (2019)

Theatre

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Jan_Decleir.jpg" caption="Decleir as "Risjaar modderfokker den Derde" (Richard III) in 1997"] ::

  • Het Goudland (1966-67)
  • De Meeuw (1968)
  • Koning Lear (1968-69)
  • Koning Jan (1969-70)
  • De Familie Tót (1969-70)
  • August, August, August (1970-71)
  • Een Blijde Gebeurtenis (1970-71)
  • Mijnheer Puntila en Zijn Knecht Matti (1971-72)
  • De Parochie van Miserie (1972)
  • Mistero Buffo (1972-73)
  • Ballade voor Grote en Kleine Poppen (1974-75)
  • Mezcal (1982-83)
  • Obscene Fabels (1984–85)
  • Het Offer is te Kort (1985-86)
  • Wolfsklem (1986-87)
  • DE TIJGER (1986-87)
  • Gilles! (1987-88)
  • De Meeuw (1988-89)
  • Mijn Zoetje Junior (1989-90)
  • Dodendans (1989-90)
  • Repetitie I (1991-92)
  • All for Love (1992-93)
  • Vrijen met Dieren (1994-95)
  • Meneer Paul (1995-96)
  • Edwaar The King (1997-98)
  • Richaar Deuzième (1997-98)
  • Risjaar Modderfokker den Derde (1997-98)
  • Margaretha di Napoli (1997-98)
  • En Verlos Ins van het Kwade (1999)
  • Lulu (2000-01)
  • Bloedarm (2002-03)
  • Onder het Melkwoud (2009-10)
  • Lucifer (2010-11)
  • Bloedarm (2002)
  • Onvoltooid Verleden (2012)
  • Risjaar Drei (2016-17)
  • MARX (2018)
  • Landru (2020-21)

References

References

  1. Cinémathèque royale de Belgique. (1999). "Belgian Cinema". Royal Belgian Film Archive.
  2. Jozef Deleu. (1998). "The Low Countries: Arts and Society in Flanders and the Netherlands : a Yearbook, 1998-99". Stichting Ons Erfdeel.
  3. (13 September 2023). "Filmografie Jan Decleir".
  4. (8 September 2005). ""The Memory of a Killer" Review".
  5. (10 May 2022). "Jan Decleir reageert voor het eerst op overlijden van Reinhilde: “We hebben onze jongste zus zo verwend”".
  6. (24 March 2008). "Jan Decleir beste acteur in Tiburon".
  7. (13 September 2023). "Jan Decleir awards".
  8. (27 October 2020). "Karakter - Een calvinistisch verhaal op katholieke wijze verbeeld".
  9. (13 September 2023). "Jan Decleir".
  10. (30 December 2022). "Onvoltooid verleden - Toneelhuis & Olympique Dramatique".
  11. (13 September 2023). "Risjaar Drei - Olympique Dramatique / Toneelhuis".
  12. (14 September 2023). "Landru {{!}} Het Banket".

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1946-birthsflemish-male-television-actors20th-century-flemish-male-actorsgolden-calf-winnersflemish-male-film-actorsliving-peoplemagritte-award-winners21st-century-flemish-male-actorssinterklaas