Famke Janssen

05 Nov, 1964 | Amstelveen, Noord-Holland

Actress

Biography

Famke Janssen is a Dutch actress and former fashion model. She is best known for her roles in GoldenEye, Nip/Tuck and as Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men movies. Janssen is also a UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for Integrity. Janssen's name is pronounced as Fahm-Kuh Yan-Sin. The first name means little girl in West Frisian, the native language of the Dutch province Friesland. Early life Famke Beumer Janssen was born in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, as the only brunette in a family of blondes. Besides her native Dutch, Janssen learned to speak English, German and French. She has two sisters, director Antoinette Beumer and actress Marjolein Beumer. Janssen moved to the United States in 1984 and began her professional career as a fashion model. She was signed with Elite Model Management and worked for Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Victoria's Secret. Janssen also studied writing and literature at Columbia University before moving to Los Angeles to establish her acting career. Career Upon moving to Los Angeles, Janssen obtained her first parts, appearing in guest roles on TV series. One of her first appearances was in 1992, when she starred in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Perfect Mate" as empathic metamorph Kamala, opposite Patrick Stewart (who would later star with her in the X-Men film series).Then, in that same year, Janssen was offered the role of Jadzia Dax of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but turned it down in favor of film roles. Janssen's first film role was with Jeff Goldblum in the 1992 film Fathers & Sons. In 1995, she appeared in the first Pierce Brosnan James Bond film, GoldenEye, as femme fatale Xenia Onatopp. Janssen played superheroine Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix in X-Men, X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand. She won a Saturn Award for the role in X-Men: The Last Stand. She also starred in the movies Lord of Illusions, The Faculty, House on Haunted Hill, I Spy, Rounders, Deep Rising and Hide and Seek. In addition, Janssen had a prominent role in the second season of the popular TV show, Nip/Tuck, as the seductive and manipulative transsexual life coach, Ava Moore. Janssen tried to fight against typecasting by appearing in Woody Allen's Celebrity, Robert Altman's The Gingerbread Man, John Irvin's City of Industry and Ted Demme's Monument Ave. She was awarded the Special Jury Best Actress Award at the 2007 Hamptons International Film Festival for her role as a female pool hustler in Chris Eigeman's Turn the River. In 2003, Janssen was awarded the International Star of the Year. In 2004, she won the Hollywood Life Breakthrough Artist of the Year for her work on Nip/Tuck. In 2006, the Hamptons International Film Festival awarded her with the Golden Starfish Award for career achievement in acting. Janssen provides the Dutch-language narration for the Studio Tram Tour at all Disney parks. On January 28, 2008, Janssen was appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Integrity at the Second Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, held in Nusa Dua, Bali. In December 2008 Janssen filmed a 20 minute presentation for Showtime that will serve as a pilot for a spinoff of The L Word set in a women's Prison. Janssen plays one of the prisoners starring alongside Melissa Leo, Leisha Hailey and Laurie Metcalf. Personal life Janssen lives in West Village in New York City. She was married to writer/director Tod Culpan Williams, son of architect Tod Williams, from 1995 to 2000. Janssen has a brindle Boston terrier named Licorice, with whom she frequently travels.