Carice van Houten
Carice van Houten – Life, Career, and Highlights
Learn about Carice van Houten — Dutch actress born September 5, 1976 — her early life, breakthrough roles, international fame, awards, and personal life.
Introduction
Carice Anouk van Houten (born 5 September 1976) is a Dutch actress and singer who has earned both national acclaim in the Netherlands and international recognition for her powerful screen presence.
She is perhaps best known internationally for her role as Melisandre in Game of Thrones (2012–2019), a performance that brought her Emmy and SAG nominations.
Early Life and Family
Carice van Houten was born in Leiderdorp, in the Netherlands.
Her father, Theodore van Houten, was a writer, broadcaster, and film scholar with Dutch-Scottish heritage.
Her mother, Margje Stasse, has been involved in educational television.
She has a younger sister, Jelka van Houten, who is also an actress.
Growing up, Carice was exposed to the arts—her father would take her and her sister to museums, cinema, and theater.
In school she performed in theatrical productions; for example, at St. Bonifatius College in Utrecht she played the lead in Hugo Claus’s Tijl Uilenspieghel.
She briefly studied at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts, and then continued at the Kleinkunstacademie in Amsterdam.
Career & Breakthroughs
Early Roles & Dutch Acclaim
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Carice’s first leading role was in the Dutch television film Suzy Q (1999). She won a Golden Calf (Nederland’s top film award) for Best Acting in a Television Drama for that role.
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Soon after, she won another Golden Calf for Miss Minoes (2001), in which she played a cat-turned-woman.
Her rise within Dutch cinema was solidified with Black Book (2006), directed by Paul Verhoeven. Her portrayal of Rachel Stein earned her another Golden Calf and acclaim beyond the Netherlands.
In Black Book, Verhoeven was quoted praising her talent.
Other notable Dutch roles include The Happy Housewife (2010) and Black Butterflies (2011), both of which won her Golden Calf awards.
International & English-Language Work
Van Houten’s international career comprises a mix of genre films and prestige works:
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Valkyrie (2008) opposite Tom Cruise — she earned a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for that role.
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Repo Men (2010), Black Death (2010), Brimstone (2016) are among her English-language film appearances.
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In 2011, she was cast as Melisandre of Asshai in Game of Thrones, playing a mysterious red priestess over multiple seasons (2012–2019).
Her performance earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (for her final appearance in Season 8) and multiple Screen Actors Guild ensemble nominations.
In Game of Thrones, she became widely recognized globally and solidified her place in popular culture.
In 2019, she starred in Instinct, directed by Halina Reijn, playing a prison therapist involved in a fraught relationship with a patient.
The film debuted at the Locarno Film Festival and was selected as the Dutch submission for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.
She also contributed musically: she released the album See You on the Ice in 2012, which features her vocals.
Awards, Honors & Recognition
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Golden Calf Awards: Carice has won multiple Golden Calf Awards for Best Actress (for Suzy Q, Miss Minoes, Black Book, The Happy Housewife, Black Butterflies) among her nominations.
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Saturn Award nomination for Valkyrie (Best Supporting Actress)
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Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Game of Thrones (Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series)
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Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for ensemble performance in Game of Thrones
These accolades reflect her versatility and cross-cultural appeal.
Personal Life & Views
Carice van Houten has been involved in relationships that gained media attention:
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From 2005 to about 2009, she was in a relationship with German actor Sebastian Koch, whom she met during Black Book.
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Starting in 2015, she was in a relationship with Guy Pearce (Australian actor). Their son, Monte, was born in August 2016.
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In a 2025 statement, she clarified that she and Pearce “haven’t been a couple for years,” but that they remain good friends and co-parent their son.
Carice is multilingual: she speaks Dutch, English, German, and French.
She has expressed ambivalence toward Hollywood: although she takes offered roles, she has said she does not want to live there full time, preferring to remain based in Europe.
She is also known for her activism — for instance, in 2023 she was arrested (alongside others) during a climate protest in the Netherlands (A12 motorway blockade).
Legacy & Influence
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Carice van Houten bridged Dutch cinema and international television, showing that a European actor could maintain roots in her own language cinema while crossing over into global roles.
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Her performances of complex, morally ambiguous characters (e.g. Melisandre) have demonstrated her range and depth as an actor.
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She remains a significant figure in Dutch cultural life, inspiring younger actors (including her sister Jelka) and contributing to projects in multiple media (film, TV, music).
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Her choices—balancing domestic and international work, maintaining cultural identity, speaking out on causes—have given her a distinctive position in the entertainment world.