Julien Schoenaerts, a renowned Flemish actor, has had a distinguished acting career, with a significant presence in both the theatre and the movie and TV screen.
Born on August 30, 1925, in Eigenbilzen, Belgian province of Limburg, Schoenaerts began his acting journey at a tender age. He made his first public appearance at four years old, playing the role of St-John, when his sister cleverly placed a living lamb in his arms during a Catholic procession.
From the age of six, Schoenaerts joined the amateur theatre society "Lust en Leven", where his father was a member. After completing his classical humanities studies in Latin and Greek, he joined the Studio Herman Teirlinck in 1948 and went on to play for ten years in Herman Teirlinck's theatre, the Koninklijke Nederlandse Schouwburg (KNS) in Antwerp.
Throughout the 1950s, Schoenaerts toured both Dutch-speaking countries, performing in notable plays such as Harold Pinter's "De huisbewaarder" and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "De kleine prins", both in Dutch translation.
However, Schoenaerts grew frustrated with Flanders' weak theatre policy and decided to emigrate north, where he played for a year with Karl Guttmann's Ensemble and two years with De Nederlandse Comedie. Despite this, he remained unsatisfied and eventually returned to Belgium, working with the Flemish public broadcaster BRT, while simultaneously starting his own Ringtheater.
Unable to continue both ventures, Schoenaerts began a solo career, with his last theatre performance taking place in 1993. His first screen appearance was in 1955 in the film "Meeuwen sterven in de haven", followed by memorable roles in Hugo Claus' "De Leeuw van Vlaanderen" (1983) and "Daens" (1992),for which he received an Oscar.
Schoenaerts continued to act in various films throughout his career, including a 1999 movie for a young audience and a 2004 film, "Ellektra", alongside his son Matthias Schoenaerts. His artistic endeavors extended beyond acting, as he was also a painter and etcher, with an exhibition of his work held at the gallery "kunstkring Jacques Gorus" in Antwerp in 2003.
Unfortunately, Schoenaerts struggled with mental health issues since the 1970s.
