Lily Bouwmeester

Lily Bouwmeester

Lily Geertruida Maria Henriëtte Bouwmeester (1901–1993) was a Dutch stage and film actress, who received an honorary Golden Calf for being "the best actress in Pre-War Dutch cinema". The daughter of two musicians, Bouwmeester spent her youth touring Europe with her parents. When constant travelling proved to be too exhausting, she moved in with her aunt, actress Theo Mann-Bouwmeester. She dreamed to become a dancer, but her aunt demanded for her to become an actress and sent her to several auditions. At the age of 14, she debuted in a stage production by Herman Heijermans. Bouwmeester made her screen debut in silent film Majoor Frans (1916). In 1917, she landed a contract with a prestigious theatre in Amsterdam and performed at the Stadsschouwburg, receiving much acclaim from theatre critics. While working on a play in 1920, she met actor Theo Frenkel Jr., whom she married in 1921. Soon after that she left the Stadsschouwburg to produce her own plays with her husband. After her divorce in the early 30s, Bouwmeester decided she needed a break and left the theatre. She did not, however, give up acting. In 1935, when the sound film had just been introduced in the Netherlands, she auditioned for the lead role in The Cross-Patch (1935), but had no luck. She was noticed by director Ludwig Berger, who cast her in Pygmalion (1937). The production was a success; Bouwmeester became an instant star and was offered a five-year contract with Paramount Pictures. She declined, however, because her new husband, actor Cor van der Lugt Melsert, was unwilling to travel to the United States with her. During World War II, Bouwmeester secretly took in two Jewish children in her home. After the liberation in 1945, she was offered movie roles again, but declined all offers. She decided to return to theatre instead and played in the famous stage production of Pygmalion. In 1969, she resigned from acting completely.

  • Title: Lily Bouwmeester
  • Popularity: 0.124
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1901-09-28
  • Place of Birth: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As:
img

Lily Bouwmeester Movies

  • 1918
    imgMovies

    Pro Domo

    Pro Domo

    1 1918 HD

    Count De Grancé have two degenerate children. For the adolescent daughter there is still some hope, as her main vice appears to be that she...

    img
  • 1931
    imgMovies

    Koffie Hag Spaart Hart en Zenuwen

    Koffie Hag Spaart Hart en Zenuwen

    1 1931 HD

    img
  • 1940
    imgMovies

    Somewhere in the Netherlands

    Somewhere in the Netherlands

    5.5 1940 HD

    Mobilization on the brink of the Second World War divides a husband and wife. When lawyer Frans van Loon is called up to join the mine clearance...

    img
  • 1937
    imgMovies

    Pygmalion

    Pygmalion

    7.5 1937 HD

    Prof. Henry Higgens takes a wager on turning a low class flower seller named Liesje Doeluttel into a presentably lady. Adaptation of Bernard Shaw's...

    img
  • 1916
    imgMovies

    Major Frans

    Major Frans

    5.5 1916 HD

    When his granddaughter is born, debt-ridden Colonel von Zwenken misses out on Aunt Roselaar's allowance of 20,000 guilders. Anxious to keep the...

    img
  • 1917
    imgMovies

    The Secret of Delft

    The Secret of Delft

    6 1917 HD

    The secret from the title is the lost recipe for shiny Delft pottery, that Jan Vogel is desperately trying to rediscover. For his attempts he needs...

    img
  • 1939
    imgMovies

    Tomorrow It Will Be Better

    Tomorrow It Will Be Better

    6.5 1939 HD

    Still coming to terms with the death of her mother, Willy Verhulst loses her father as well -- just as she is about to sit her final exams. She...

    img
  • 1938
    imgMovies

    Daddy Long Legs

    Daddy Long Legs

    1 1938 HD

    Judy Aalders grows up in an orphanage. Albert Woudenberg happens to be present when Judy confronts the trustees of the orphanage and is expelled. He...

    img
  • 1938
    imgMovies

    Forty Years

    Forty Years

    1 1938 HD

    This government commissioned film -- made on the occasion of the forty year anniversary of queen Wilhelmina's reign -- chronicles the lives of two...

    img
  • 1919
    imgMovies

    The Devil in Amsterdam

    The Devil in Amsterdam

    1 1919 HD

    The devil has arrived in Amsterdam, hell-bent on bombarding a poor girl, a wealthy banker and a young painter with great misfortune. This film is...

    img
  • 1937
    imgMovies

    De Man Zonder Hart

    De Man Zonder Hart

    1 1937 HD

    When his colleague presents him with (forged) evidence of his wife Sylvette's unfaithfulness, factory owner Jean Sourdier kills him in a fit of rage....

    img