PAUL VERHOEVEN
Date of Birth: July 18, 1938
"People seem to have this strange idea that films can influence people to be violent, but in my sincere
opinion, film only reflects the violence of society."
Famous for his extremely violent, yet intelligent, science fiction films, Paul Verhoeven was born in
Amsterdam during the dark years of WWII. He became interested in movies during his six years at the
University of Leiden, where he earned a doctorate in math and physics in 1964 and did early short films.
Serving with the Royal Dutch Navy, he was assigned to the Marine Film Service as a documentary filmmaker.
The grand scale result was The Marine Corps, a stunning 23 minute documentary honored with the Silver
Sun for military films in France.
Returning to civilized life, Verhoeven decided to dedicate his life to the director's chair behind
the camera starting with Dutch television. It was Floris, a 12-episode television adventure series
about a medieval Dutch Ivanhoe that established him as a popular national scale director. Featuring actor
Rutger Hauer (who has appeared in many of Verhoeven's later films), the series became a phenomenon.
The director then started to make feature films. It was his second film, Turkish Delight, which
started him on a roll that would never seem to stop. With its combination of raw sexuality and a
poignant story line, the film gained him great popularity in the Netherlands, especially with male
audiences. Other films were to follow such as Business is Business, a 1971 comedy that remains the
fourth highest grossing Dutch-made film, and Soldier Of Orange which was regarded as one of the finest
Dutch films ever made. Also in 1993, he took a turn at American TV and directed an episode of
the HBO Hitchhiker series.
Following his first American financed film, Flesh + Blood, he hit international gold with the mega-hit
RoboCop. The sci-fi saga of a police officer turned into a destructive machine struck a chord with
the audiences around the world. Verhoven continued to ride the success wave he had created with
his follow up film, Total Recall. Opening in 1990, it also became the hit of the summer. His success
continued with the film Basic Instinct, the number one worldwide box office smash of 1992.
His next film, Showgirls, was his first hiccup in years as it stirred up much controversy. The
film looked at the dark side of Las Vegas and was panned by critics. It was later insulted with a whole
bag of Razzie Awards.
He returned to the sci-fi genre with two more films - Starship Troopers (1997) and The Hollow Man
(2000).
Filmography:
Hollow Man(2000)
Starship Troopers(1997)
Showgirls(1995)
Basic Instinct (1992)
Total Recall(1990)
RoboCop(1987)
Flesh & Blood (1985)
The Fourth Man (1983)
Spetters (1980)
Soldier of Orange (1977)
Cathy Tippel (1975)
Turkish Delight (1973)
Business Is Business (1971)
The Wrestler(1970)
The Royal Dutch Marine Corps (1965)
Let's Have a Party (1963)
De Lifters (1962)
Niets bijzonders (1961)
A Lizzard Too Much (1960)