Dutch actress and model (born 1964)
Famke Beumer Janssen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfɑmkə ˈbøːmər ˈjɑnsə(n)] ; born 5 November 1964) is a Dutch actress and former model. She playedXenia Onatopp inGoldenEye (1995),Jean Grey / Phoenix in theX-Men film series (2000–2014), and Lenore Mills in theTaken film trilogy (2008–2014). In 2008, she was appointed aGoodwill Ambassador for Integrity by the United Nations. She made her directorial debut withBringing Up Bobby in 2011. She is also known for her roles in theNetflix original seriesHemlock Grove (2013–2015),FX 'sNip/Tuck (2003–2010), andABC 'sHow to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020). Janssen starred in the 2017NBC crime thriller The Blacklist: Redemption . Most recently, starring as Betty Jonkers, a scorned wife who is determined to destroy her husband’s Amsterdam coffee shop empire in the Netflix Dutch crime series,Amsterdam Empire (2025). This marks the first time she has performed speaking her native Dutch language.[ 1]
Famke Beumer Janssen[ 2] was born on November 5, 1964,[ 3] inAmstelveen , the Netherlands.[ 4] [ 5] She has two sisters, directorAntoinette Beumer and actressMarjolein Beumer , both of whom changed their surnames to Beumer after their parents divorced.[ 6]
In addition to her native Dutch, Janssen speaks English and French. She learned German, but has not kept up with it.[ 7] Following her high school graduation, Janssen studied economics for a year at theUniversity of Amsterdam , which she later called "the stupidest idea I ever had."[ 6] In the early 1990s, she enrolled atColumbia University 'sSchool of General Studies to study creative writing and literature.[ 8] [ 9]
This section needs to beupdated . Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2024 )
In 1984, Janssen moved to the United States to begin her professional career as a fashion model. She signed withElite Model Management and worked forYves Saint Laurent ,Giorgio Armani ,Chanel , andVictoria's Secret . She starred in a 1988 commercial for the perfume Exclamation byCoty .[ 10] Her looks have been compared to 1940s movie stars likeHedy Lamarr .[ 4]
After retiring from modelling in the early 1990s, Janssen had guest roles on several television series, including a role in the 1992Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Perfect Mate ", as empathic metamorph Kamala, oppositePatrick Stewart , with whom she later starred in theX-Men film series.[ 4] That same year, Janssen was offered the role ofJadzia Dax inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine ,[ 11] but turned it down to pursue film roles. Her first film role was alongsideJeff Goldblum in the 1992 crime drama filmFathers & Sons .
Janssen in 2008 In 1995, Janssen appeared inPierce Brosnan 's debutJames Bond film,GoldenEye , asfemme fatale Xenia Onatopp. She appeared inLord of Illusions withScott Bakula . In an attempt to fight againsttypecasting after herBond girl performance, Janssen began seeking out more intriguing supporting roles, appearing inJohn Irvin 'sCity of Industry ,Woody Allen 'sCelebrity ,Robert Altman 'sThe Gingerbread Man , andTed Demme 'sMonument Ave. [ 12] Denis Leary , her co-star inMonument Ave. , was impressed by how easily she blended in, initially not recognizing her, as she was already in character.[ 4] In the late 1990s, she appeared inThe Faculty ,Rounders ,Deep Rising , andHouse on Haunted Hill .
In 2000, Janssen playedsuperhero Dr. Jean Grey in the20th Century Fox filmX-Men . She later reprised the role in the 2003 sequel,X2 , where her character shows signs of increasing powers, but at the end of the film, she is presumably killed. Janssen returns as Jean, whose death inX2 awoke her dark alternate personality,Phoenix , inX-Men: The Last Stand (2006). For that role, she won aSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actress .[ 13] She returned as Jean in the 2013 filmThe Wolverine as a hallucination of Wolverine,[ 14] followed by a brief cameo forX-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).[ 15] [ 16]
In 2002, Janssen landed the role of villainess Serleena inMen in Black II , but had to abandon the film due to a death in her family and was replaced byLara Flynn Boyle .[ 17] Janssen had a prominent role in the second season of the TV seriesNip/Tuck , as the seductive and manipulativelife coach Ava Moore, which earned herHollywood Life ' s Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award.[ 18] She reprised her role in the final two episodes of the series.
In 2007, she starred inTurn the River , for which she was awarded the Special Recognition Best Actress Award at theHamptons International Film Festival .[ 19] The following year, she starred inLuc Besson 'sTaken . Janssen continued to work in television, appearing in TV pilots forNBC 's police dramaWinters andShowtime 'sThe Farm , a spinoff ofThe L Word , set in a women's prison. Both pilots were rejected by their networks. Janssen provided theDutch language narration for the Studio Tram Tour at allDisney theme parks.[ 12]
In 2011, Janssen made her directorial debut with the dramaBringing Up Bobby . She wrote the screenplay to the film, which starsMilla Jovovich ,Bill Pullman , andMarcia Cross .[ 20] She reprised her role as Lenore Mills inTaken 2 (2012) andTaken 3 (2014). She starred as the main villain Muriel inHansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013).
Janssen in 2016 Janssen starred in the Netflix original horror thriller television seriesHemlock Grove , wherein she plays the role of family matriarch Olivia Godfrey.[ 21] Janssen had a recurring role in theABC crime thriller television seriesHow To Get Away With Murder , appearing in ten episodes throughout the series, beginning her role in season two of the show and concluding it in the series finale.
Janssen was cast in a starring role in the NBC crime thrillerThe Blacklist: Redemption , a spin-off of the NBC seriesThe Blacklist , in March 2016;[ 22] it was picked up to series in May 2016.[ 23] The following month, Janssen expressed frustration in not being cast inX-Men: Apocalypse , saying Hollywood was sexist toward older women. She said: "Women, it's interesting because they're replaced, and the older versions are never to be seen again... whereas the men are allowed to be both ages."[ 24]
In 2019, she served as a juror for theTribeca Film Festival .[ 25] Also in 2019, Janssen joinedJeffrey Dean Morgan inThe Postcard Killings , which was released in 2020.[ 26] In 2021, Janssen starred in the Christian romantic drama filmRedeeming Love [ 27] and the action-thrillerDangerous .[ 28]
In a March 2021 interview, she revealed toForbes some details about her involvement with thelive-action adaptation ofSaint Seiya , a popular anime and manga. Janssen declared that filming was supposed to take place in Europe the previous year, but production had been postponed twice due to thecoronavirus pandemic . She also hinted that she will play one of the main characters, but did not specify their name.[ 29] The movie, titledKnights of the Zodiac , was eventually released in 2023, with Janssen playing the role of Vander Guraad.[ 30]
Famke Janssen made her first Dutch-language acting appearance in the 2025 Netflix crime drama seriesAmsterdam Empire , set in Amsterdam's cannabis scene, where she stars as Betty, an ex-pop diva seeking revenge. She also served as an executive producer on the series.[ 31]
Janssen appeared with her dog, Licorice, abrindle Boston Terrier , in a 2007PETA campaign to raise awareness for animal rights. The campaign used the slogan "Be an Angel for Animals."[ 32] On 28 January 2008, she was appointed aGoodwill Ambassador for Integrity for theUnited Nations Office on Drugs and Crime at a United Nations anticorruption conference held inNusa Dua ,Bali .[ 33]
From 1989 to 2000,[ 34] Janssen was married to writer and directorKip Williams , son of architectTod Williams .[ 5] [ 35]
Awards and nominations [ edit ] ^ DeAngelo, Mike (31 October 2025)." 'Amsterdam Empire': Famke Janssen On Her Wild Weed Fueled Netflix Crime Series, Netherlands, & Why She's Not In 'Avengers: Doomsday' [Bingeworthy Podcast]" .The Playlist . Retrieved13 November 2025 . ^ "Famke Janssen- Biography" .Yahoo! Movies . Archived fromthe original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved23 December 2012 .^ "Famous birthdays for Nov. 5: Kris Jenner, Famke Janssen" .UPI . 5 November 2022.^a b c d Elias, Justine (15 November 1998)."Famke Janssen; Transformations As a Way of Life, Not Just on Screen" .The New York Times . Retrieved16 October 2011 . ^a b "Famke Janssen [1965] Stage and Screen Performer" . New Netherland Institute. Retrieved2 May 2016 .Also note that Famke retained her family name Janssen but her sisters changed their family name to Beumer. ^a b Malanowski, Jamie (20 August 2000)."A Scene Stealer's Big Score" .The New York Times . Retrieved16 October 2009 . ^ Toal, Drew (7–13 May 2008)."The Hot Seat: She's a hustler, baby" .Time Out New York . Archived fromthe original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved16 October 2011 . ^ Ruyle, Megan (8 May 2012)."Famke Janssen" .TheHill . Retrieved25 June 2020 . ^ "The Owl Magazine" (PDF) .Columbia University School of General Studies . Retrieved25 June 2020 .^ "Famke Janssen Exclamation perfume commercial" . 24 March 2009. Retrieved16 October 2011 – viaYouTube .^ "X-Men's Famke Janssen Changed Star Trek: DS9's Trills, Says Dax Actress" .Screen Rant . 7 December 2023. Retrieved16 March 2024 .^a b "Famke Janssen onTavis Smiley " .PBS . 6 May 2008. Archived fromthe original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved16 October 2011 .^ "Famke Janssen [1965] Stage and Screen Performer" . New Netherland Institute. Retrieved2 May 2016 .In 2007, she won three awards, the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress... ^ Robert Yaniz Jr. (29 March 2013)." 'The Wolverine': Hugh Jackman on Jean Grey's Return" .Screen Rant . Retrieved24 June 2014 . ^ Keyes, Rob (1 October 2012)."Famke Janssen on 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' Return: 'Stay Tuned' " .Screen Rant . Retrieved24 June 2014 . ^ Malkin, Marc (30 May 2014)."X-Men: How Famke Janssen Kept Her Days of Future Past Cameo a Secret" .E! News . Retrieved24 June 2014 . ^ Brodesser, Claude (18 July 2001)."Inside Move: Janssen out of 'MIB:2' " .Variety . Retrieved27 November 2017 . ^ "Famke Janssen at the Hollywood Life Magazine's Breakthrough of the..." Getty Images. 27 July 2007.^ "2007 Hamptons International Film Festival Awards" .HamptonsFilmFest.org . 4 January 2008. Archived fromthe original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved16 October 2011 .^ Gilmore, Joan (5 August 2010)."Around Town: Bobby crew at JRB gallery" .The Journal Record . Retrieved16 October 2011 . ^ Gina McIntyre (27 May 2014)." 'Hemlock Grove' first look: Famke Janssen, Bill Skarsgard in Season 2" .Los Angeles Times . Retrieved24 June 2014 . ^ Andreeva, Nellie (29 March 2016)."The Blacklist Spinoff Starring Famke Janssen In the Works At NBC" .Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved29 March 2016 . ^ Andreeva, Nellie (14 May 2016)."The Blacklist Spinoff Picked Up To Series, NBC, Cruel Intentions Alive" .Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved16 May 2016 . ^ Ross, Dalton (22 April 2016)."X-Men: Famke Janssen pushes for return of 'older' Jean Grey" .Entertainment Weekly . Archived fromthe original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved21 April 2024 . ^ Lewis, Hilary (16 April 2019)."Tribeca: Aaron Rodgers, Angela Bassett, Sheila Nevins Among Jurors" .The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved24 April 2019 . ^ Barraclough, Leo (15 May 2019)."Famke Janssen Joins Jeffrey Dean Morgan in 'The Postcard Killings,' First Look Image (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . Retrieved20 February 2021 . ^ Bryan Welk (29 April 2020)."DJ Caruso Adapts Romance Novel 'Redeeming Love' With Abigail Cowen, Tom Lewis" .The Wrap . Retrieved20 February 2021 . ^ Ritman, Alex (12 November 2020)."Scott Eastwood, Tyrese Gibson to Lead Action-Thriller 'Dangerous' " .The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved20 February 2021 . ^ Dawson, Angela." 'For Queen And Country' Drives Famke Janssen's Character In 'The Vault' " .Forbes . Retrieved31 March 2021 . ^a b Kit, Borys (20 September 2021)."Mackenyu, Madison Iseman, Sean Bean, Famke Janssen to Star in Live-Action 'Knights of the Zodiac' Adaptation (Exclusive)" .The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved30 September 2021 . ^ "Netflix Unveils Official Trailer for Amsterdam Empire Starring Famke Janssen" . Netflix. 2 October 2025. Retrieved2 October 2025 .^ "Famke Janssen Is an Angel for Animals" .PETA . Archived fromthe original on 26 November 2009. Retrieved16 October 2011 .^ "UN Anti-Corruption Conference Opens in Bali" . United Nations Information Service Vienna. 28 January 2008. Retrieved16 October 2011 .^ Ancestry.com.New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017. ^ "Famke Janssen says 'no' to kids" .OK Magazine . 8 July 2008. Retrieved5 November 2020 .^ Ritman, Alex (7 October 2016)."Sharon Stone's 'A Little Something for Your Birthday Rounds Out Cast (Exclusive)" .The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved14 January 2017 . ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (19 July 2016)."Rob Riggle, Famke Janssen, Wendi McMcLendon-Covey & More Round Out 'Status Update' Cast" .Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved14 January 2017 . ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (19 June 2017)."Cuba Gooding Jr's Helming Debut Is 'Louisiana Caviar'; Richard Dreyfuss & Famke Janssen Star" .Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved25 August 2017 . ^ Busch, Anita (27 April 2017)."Famke Janssen Joining Cast Of Michael Caton-Jones' Movie 'Asher' " .Deadline Hollywood . Archived fromthe original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved25 August 2017 . ^ McNary, Dave (15 May 2018)."Famke Janssen Joins John Travolta's Crime Thriller 'The Poison Rose' (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . Retrieved13 June 2018 . ^ Barraclough, Leo (15 May 2019)."Famke Janssen Joins Jeffrey Dean Morgan in 'The Postcard Killings,' First Look Image (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . Retrieved21 May 2019 . ^ Harvey, Dennis (12 March 2020)." 'The Postcard Killings' Film Review" .Variety . Retrieved5 April 2020 . ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (27 November 2018)." 'X-Men' Star Famke Janssen Boards Scott Speer's Drama 'Endless' " .Deadline . Retrieved30 December 2018 . ^ Kennedy, Lisa (12 August 2020)." 'Endless' Review: A Young Adult 'Ghost' Story" .Variety . Retrieved29 October 2020 . ^ Hopewell, John (12 November 2020)."Saban Films Takes 'The Vault' as TF1 Studio Closes U.K, Italy (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . Retrieved27 January 2021 . ^ Wiseman, Andrea (12 November 2020)."Scott Eastwood, Tyrese Gibson, Famke Janssen, Kevin Durand & Mel Gibson Set For Action-Thriller - AFM" .Deadline . Retrieved27 January 2021 . ^ N'Duka, Amanda (29 April 2020)."Logan Marshall Green, Abigail Cowen, Nina Dobrev, Famke Janssen & More Star In 'Redeeming Love' Adaptation From 'Eagle Eye' Helmer D.J. Caruso" .Deadline . Retrieved30 April 2020 . ^ Grobar, Matt (8 June 2021)."Hayley Law And Keith Powers To Topline Avan Jogia's Debut Feature 'Door Mouse' " .Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved15 June 2021 . ^ Ravindran, Manori (9 May 2022)."Bill Skarsgard, Michelle Dockery Action Thriller 'Boy Kills World' Boarded by Capstone Global (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . Retrieved13 May 2022 . ^ Grobar, Matt (21 December 2022)."Famke Janssen & Rose Williams To Topline Netflix's Psychological Thriller 'Locked In' From Director Nour Wazzi; Alex Hassell, Finn Cole And Anna Friel Also Set" .Deadline . Retrieved24 February 2023 . ^ Wiseman, Andreas (15 September 2022)." 'The Experiment': Rhona Mitra, Famke Janssen & Stefanie Martini Lead Sci-Fi Horror Filming At UK's Rebellion Studios" .Deadline . Retrieved24 February 2023 . ^ Levy, Gianna (15 September 2025)."Famke Janssen to Lead Post-Apocalyptic Thriller 'One Second After' From MPI Original Films (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . Retrieved15 September 2025 . ^ Hermanns, Grant (24 August 2018)."Famke Janssen & More Join Ava DuVernay's Central Park Five miniseries" .ComingSoon.net . Retrieved7 October 2018 . ^ Clarke, Stewart (5 March 2019)."Ron Perlman, Famke Janssen, Laura Haddock Join BBC's 'The Capture' (EXCLUSIVE)" .Variety . Retrieved5 March 2019 . ^ Petski, Denise (9 March 2021)."Famke Janssen Joins 'Long Slow Exhale' Basketball Drama Series At Spectrum Originals" .Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved27 March 2021 . ^ "Netflix Unveils First Glimpse of Amsterdam Empire with Famke Janssen (Love Goes Up in Smoke!)" (Press release). Netflix Newsroom. 3 September 2025. Retrieved3 September 2025 .^ "GoldenEye (1995)" .screenmusings.org . Retrieved22 February 2022 .^a b c d e f "Famke Janssen" .codepen.io . 6 January 2010. Retrieved22 February 2022 .^ "Fangoria Chainsaw Awards (2000 Awards)" .imdb.com . Retrieved22 February 2022 .^ "52 Famke Janssen Movies, Ranked Best to Worst" .through the clutter.com . Retrieved22 February 2022 .^ "14th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival - "The Treatment" - Screening" .gettyimages.in . 17 August 2011. Retrieved22 February 2022 .^ " "The Lives of Others" and "American Blackout" Take Top High Falls Film Festival Honors" .IndieWire . 14 November 2006. Retrieved22 February 2022 .^ "Spike TV's Scream Awards Winners!" .geeksofdoom.com . 9 October 2006. Retrieved22 February 2022 .^ "Famke Janssen" .mymoviepicker.com . Retrieved22 February 2022 .^ "Famke Janssen (Bond Girl)" .jamesbond007.se . 6 January 2010. Retrieved22 February 2022 .
International National People Other