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Julien Schoenaerts, a Flemish (Dutch-speaking Belgian) actor, built a distinguished career primarily in theatre, but also appeared in films and on television.
Born on August 30, 1925, in Eigenbilzen, Limburg, Belgium, Schoenaerts recalled his first public role at age four as St. John, when his sister placed a live lamb in his arms during a Catholic procession. At six, he joined "Lust en Leven," an amateur theatre group his father belonged to. After studying classical humanities (Latin and Greek), he enrolled in the young Studio Herman Teirlinck in 1948. He then spent a decade performing at Herman Teirlinck's "Koninklijke Nederlandse Schouwburg" (KNS) in Antwerp. During the 1950s, he toured Dutch-speaking regions with Dutch translations of plays such as Harold Pinter's "De huisbewaarder" and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "De kleine prins."
Disappointed by the limited theatre opportunities in Flanders, Schoenaerts moved north, spending one year with Karl Guttmann's Ensemble and two years with De Nederlandse Comedie, though he felt unsettled. He eventually returned to Belgium, collaborating with the Flemish public broadcaster BRT and founding his own Ringtheater. Unable to manage both, he embarked on a solo career, with his final theatre performance taking place in 1993.
Schoenaerts made his screen debut in 1955 in "Meeuwen sterven in de haven," scripted by Ivo Michiels. Notable film roles include Pieter De Coninck in Hugo Claus' "De Leeuw van Vlaanderen" (1983) and Monseigneur Stillemans in the Oscar-winning "Daens" (1992). In 1999, he appeared in a film aimed at younger audiences, and in 2004, he acted alongside his son Matthias Schoenaerts in Rudolph Mestdagh's "Ellektra."
His artistic pursuits extended beyond acting; in 2003, Antwerp's "kunstkring Jacques Gorus" gallery showcased an exhibition of his paintings and etchings. From the 1970s onward, he experienced mental health challenges.
