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Once one of the world’s highest-paid athletes, Dutch football coach and retired footballer Robin van Persie is also known as one of the greatest strikers of his time. He had successful stints with Arsenal and Manchester United and was also part of the Dutch squad that was the 2010 FIFA World Cup runner-up.
Dutch footballer Georginio Wijnaldum plays as a midfielder for the Italian club Roma and the French club Paris Saint-Germain. Starting his youth career with Feyenoord, as the youngest-ever player of the club, he later had successful stints with Liverpool and PSV and was the 2014 FIFA World Cup third-place-winning Dutch squad.
Robert Wolders was a Dutch actor best known for his portrayal of Erik Hunter in the Western television series, Laredo. Known for his exotic accent and good looks, Wolders' personal life largely overshadowed his professional life. His marriage with Merle Oberon and relationship with Audrey Hepburn kept him in the spotlight throughout his life.
A pioneering computer scientist from the Netherlands, Edsger W. Dijkstra had initially studied theoretical physics, before focusing on computers. He developed the domain of structured programming and also won honors such as the Turing Award. He died at 72, after a long struggle with cancer.
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff was a Dutch physical chemist best remembered for winning the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Van 't Hoff's work helped found the modern theory of chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, and chemical affinity. A highly popular theoretical chemist, Van 't Hoff is also counted among the founders of physical chemistry.
Hannah Hoekstra is a Dutch actress known for her portrayal of the title role in the 2012 film Hemel, for which she won the Golden Calf. A critically acclaimed actress, Hoekstra won another Golden Calf in 2016 for playing Tiny in a film titled De Helleveeg. A recipient of the Theo d'Or, Hoekstra is also renowned for her theatre work.
Born as an illegitimate child of a priest from Rotterdam, Desiderius Erasmus later grew up to be a significant figure of the northern Renaissance. He is remembered for his research on free will and for being the first to edit the New Testament, replacing traditional elements with new-age humanism.
Dutch DJ/producer Ferry Corsten is known for his hit tracks that he churned out throughout the 1990s and 2000s, using a variety of pseudonyms such as Gouryella. A master of trance and progressive house music, he has also created concept albums such as Blueprint and supports VH1’s Save The Music Foundation.
Rajiv van La Parra is a Dutch football player who has played for the Netherlands national team at various youth levels. A versatile player, Rajiv van La Parra can either play as a midfielder or striker. Over the years, he has played for popular clubs like Wolverhampton Wanderers, Huddersfield Town, and SC Heerenveen.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst is a Dutch former football player who played as a midfielder and defender for the Netherlands national football team from 1996 to 2010. He helped his team win the runner-up trophy at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Apart from his national team, Giovanni van Bronckhorst also played for popular clubs like Barcelona and Arsenal.
Dutch politician Ruud Lubbers scripted history as the longest-serving prime minister of his country, having held the office for over a decade. He had also been the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. A bright student of economics, he had initially aspired to be academician but took up construction management and eventually, politics.
Born to an unwed mother in the Netherlands, Antonia Brico later moved to the US with her foster parents. She was the first American to graduate from the master class of conducting at the Berlin State Academy of Music. She was also the first woman to gain respect as a symphony orchestra conductor.
Jetro Willems is a Dutch football player who played for the Netherlands national team from 2012 to 2016. Willems, who currently plays for Greuther Fürth, has also represented other popular clubs like Eintracht Frankfurt and PSV Eindhoven.
Patricia Paay is a Dutch television personality, singer, glamour model, and radio host. She is best known for her musical career and has released popular albums like Beam of Light. In 1984, she became the first glamour model to pose for the Dutch edition of Playboy. Paay posed for Playboy for the third time in 2009 when she was 60!
Ancilla van de Leest is a Dutch former fetish model, presenter, producer, and activist. She appeared in the Dutch edition of the famous Playboy magazine on a couple of occasions before establishing herself as a popular fetish model, specializing in corsets, latex clothes, stockings, and high heels. She then quit her modeling career and became a politician.
Best remembered for introducing the concepts of the fixed-point theorem and mathematical intuitionism, Dutch mathematician L. E. J. Brouwer was dragged into a controversy when he opposed David Hilbert’s formalism. He was also interested in philosophy and penned volumes such as Life, Art, and Mysticism.
Anglo-Dutch social philosopher Bernard Mandeville is best remembered for his satirical work The Fable of the Bees. A qualified physician just like his father, he later settled in London, where he gained fame with his writings. He believed that even the most negative actions are capable of producing positive outcomes.
