Tilburg

Nol Havens is the Tilburg-born lead singer of the Tilburg based band The Art Company .

Ruud Jolie is the main guitar player of the symphonic metal band Within Temptation. Ruud is an only child. Growing up, he first initiated himself to... music by playing the keyboards, but his passion for music developed in favor of the guitar soon after he watched a video of an Iron Maiden concert. Thus, after he was done with high school, Ruud attended the conservatory for his college education majoring in jazz guitar. He graduated in 1999. Ruud started out by playing with several local bands. He joined "Brotherhood Foundation", a nu-metal band whom he stayed with for a period of two years. WhenBrotherhood Foundation was playing at the 1998 "Dynamo" festival in the Czech Republic, Ruud met Within Temptation who were also playing there. Back then, Michiel Papenhove was still Within Temptation's guitarist, and there were no initial plans for Ruud to join the symphonic metal band yet. In an interview with Starfacts, Ruud stated that his most embarrassing gig experience was when he still had long hair and it was caught in the microphone while headbanging.
more

Marcel Reinier Wouda is a former Dutch swimmer, who became Holland's first world champion when he won the world title in the 200 m individual... medley at the FINA 1998 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Australia. He is currently the coach of Olympic Champions Maarten van der Weijden and Hinkelien Schreuder at the Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven. Wouda grew up in Uden, where he joined the 'De Zeester' swimming club at a very young age. His trainers were Martien Swinkels and Rob Kennis, who brought him to the top of Dutch swimming. Wouda made his Olympic debut at the 1992 Summer Olympics, where he was the sole male in the Dutch squad of eight females ending 22nd in the 200 m individual medley and 19th in the 400 m individual medley. Afterwards he moved to the United States, where he joined University of Michigan in Ann Arbor under the guidance of trainer-coach Jon Urbanchek, alongside swimmers like Eric Namesnik, Gustavo Borges and Tom Dolan. At the European LC Championships 1993 in Sheffield he won the bronze medal in the 400 m individual medley.
more

Jacques Urlus , was a Dutch dramatic tenor. He sang to great critical acclaim at major opera houses on both sides of the Atlantic, and his recordings... of the music of Richard Wagner are considered to be among the finest ever made. Jacques Urlus was born to music-loving Dutch parents in the then-German, nowadays Belgian town of Hergenrath and grew up in Tilburg in The Netherlands. Since the family was poor, they could not afford a musical education for their son who had to work at a steel mill in Utrecht instead, singing in choirs in his free time. During military service an officer recognised his musical talents and offered to pay for his musical lessons. But since this offer did not include money for food and lodging, the young man could not accept. Although Cornelie van Zanten is credited in some reference books as being Urlus' teacher, the young tenor was more or less an autodidact when he made his stage début at the Amsterdam opera house on 20 September 1894 as Beppe in Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci. He was 27 and a married man.
more

Marcel Reinier Wouda is a former Dutch swimmer, who became Holland's first world champion when he won the world title in the 200 m individual... medley at the FINA 1998 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Australia. He is currently the coach of Olympic Champions Maarten van der Weijden and Hinkelien Schreuder at the Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven. Wouda grew up in Uden, where he joined the 'De Zeester' swimming club at a very young age. His trainers were Martien Swinkels and Rob Kennis, who brought him to the top of Dutch swimming. Wouda made his Olympic debut at the 1992 Summer Olympics, where he was the sole male in the Dutch squad of eight females ending 22nd in the 200 m individual medley and 19th in the 400 m individual medley. Afterwards he moved to the United States, where he joined University of Michigan in Ann Arbor under the guidance of trainer-coach Jon Urbanchek, alongside swimmers like Eric Namesnik, Gustavo Borges and Tom Dolan. At the European LC Championships 1993 in Sheffield he won the bronze medal in the 400 m individual medley.
more

Maggie MacNeal is a Dutch singer. After her first solo record in 1971, she teamed up with Willem Duyn, and the duo became known as Mouth &... MacNeal. After their break up, she formed her own group in 1975 with her husband Frans Smit , Adri de Hont , Ben Vermeulen and Wil de Meyer . In 1977, the line-up changed to: Smit, Jons Pistoor, Lex Bolderdijk, and Robert Verwey . Thereafter, MacNeal participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. Since 2000, she became a member of the Dutch Divas, together with Marga Bult. When you're gone/Mother nature Warner Brothers WBN 16632 Love was in your eyes/Dr.
more

Harry van Rijthoven is a film actor.

Thomas de Bres is a film actor.