16/07/2024
Actress and singer Wieteke van Dort has passed away. Her son confirmed this following reports from The Telegraph. Van Dort died in her hometown of The Hague. She was 81 years old. Van Dort announced at the end of May that she had metastatic cancer. The tumors in her liver had spread to her lungs and brain. The actress died on Monday, a week following her husband Theo Moody had passed away.
Van Dort gained fame mainly through her roles in children’s and youth programs such as The Stratemakeropzeeshow, Oebele, JJ De Bom formerly The Children’s Friend and the Late Late Lien Show. The children’s programs stood out because they dealt with many subjects that were considered controversial at the time. The tone was not patronizing and the traditional power relations between parents and children were ironically denounced.
Van Dort also presented radio; from 1976 to 1978 Radio Noise Parrot and then the sequel on television, Paperagaaiwaai. Younger television viewers may know her mainly from her role in The core or as a reading voice of fairy tales in De Efteling. In 2008 and 2009 she played in Santa Claus and the Secret of the Big Book in Santa Claus and the Lost Parcel Boat.
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History of the Dutch East Indies
Van Dort, born in Surabaya (East Java), was also known for her commitment to raising awareness regarding the history of the Dutch East Indies. For example, she took the initiative for a memorial in memory of the victims from the Dutch East Indies. The statue was unveiled in 2012 at the Loenen Field of Honour. In recent years, she has also acted as a speaker at theatre evenings regarding the Dutch East Indies.
In love with Bali
In 1999, Van Dort was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau. Van Dort was still seen in cinemas in early 2024, in the romantic comedy In love with Bali by Johan Nijenhuis. It was the first cinema film for the actress in fourteen years. She played the mother of Nadja Hüpscher, who travels to Bali to explore her family history.
Three children
After announcing her illness, the actress immediately stopped working. In 2022, she announced The Telegraph know that she was not thinking regarding retirement for the time being. Van Dort was married to Theo Moody for more than fifty years. Together they had three children: Bas, Larissa and Alexander
