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Rutger Hauer

ACTOR · BORN 1944 · DIED 2019

Rutger Hauer

Born
23 January 1944
Died
19 July 2019
Known for
Batman Begins (2005), Blade Runner (1982), The Hitcher (1986), Ladyhawke (1985)

36 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Rutger Hauer (23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was an actor best known for Batman Begins, Blade Runner and The Hitcher.

Rutger Hauer over the years

Rutger Hauer in 1968 (age 24)
1968 · age 24Eric Koch for Anefo, CC0
Rutger Hauer in 2018 (age 74)
2018 · age 74DWDD, CC BY 3.0

36 Interesting Facts About Rutger Hauer

Interesting Facts (19)

  1. #001

    When Rutger Hauer first appeared on stage in the United States, he was advised to use a more English-sounding name to better attract American public attention. Assuming his career in the US would be short-lived anyway, he rejected the offer.

    Rutger Hauer — a scene
    Rutger Hauer: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Eric Koch for Anefo, CC0

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  2. #002

    In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rutger Hauer became well known to the British mainstream through a series of Guinness commercials in which he dressed in black. He disliked drinking in public and had to spit after every drink. His appearance caused an increase in Guinness sales.

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  3. #003

    Rutger Hauer founded an AIDS research foundation called the Rutger Hauer Starfish Foundation.

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  4. #004

    Rutger Hauer spoke German fluently (more or less without an accent).

    Rutger Hauer — a scene
    Rutger Hauer: a sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · German Film & Comic Con, CC BY 3.0

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  5. #005

    Rutger Hauer enjoyed riding motorcycles. During a break in the shooting of The Blood of Heroes (1989), he went for a ride and then got lost in the Australian desert. It was by luck that he found his way out on his own.

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  6. #006

    In 1995, the Dutch postal service issued a stamp featuring Rutger, taken from a scene in Turkish Delight (1973).

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  7. #007

    Rutger Hauer did his own stunt driving in The Hitcher (1986).

    Rutger Hauer — Floris, in the street
    Rutger Hauer: Floris, in the streetImage: Wikimedia Commons · Eric Koch for Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl

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  8. #008

    In the 1980s, Rutger Hauer designed trucks as a hobby.

    Rutger Hauer — Van Beuningen
    Rutger Hauer: Van BeuningenImage: Wikimedia Commons · Rob Mieremet / Anefo, CC0

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  9. #009

    Rutger Hauer gave master classes in filmmaking to students, new actors and filmmakers. This took place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He had been doing this for several years.

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  10. #010

    Rutger Hauer made one series and five films directed by Paul Verhoeven. However, they had a disagreement on their last joint effort, the very troubled Flesh+Blood (1985), and the two never worked together again.

    Rutger Hauer — Van Beuningen, behind the scenes
    Rutger Hauer: Van Beuningen, behind the scenesImage: Wikimedia Commons · Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, CC0

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  11. #011

    Hauer was an environmentalist. In 1994 he fought for the premiere of Greenpeace co-founder Paul Watson, who had been convicted of sinking an illegal Norwegian whaling ship. According to the official Rutger Hauer website, the ship was sunk in 1992 to protest Norway's announcement of its intention to return to commercial whaling in violation of the International Whaling Commission's global whaling ban.

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  12. #012

    In 1988 Fred DeBoer gave him a Friesian horse for his work promoting the breed in Ladyhawke (1985).

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  13. #013

    He appeared alongside Donald Sutherland in two vampire films: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and Salem's Lot (2004).

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  14. #014

    He played Dracula in Dracula III: Legacy (2005) and Dracula's arch-enemy Van Helsing in Dracula 3D (2012), in which Thomas Kretschmann played Dracula. Ironically, Kretschmann went on to play Van Helsing a year later in the television series Dracula (2013).

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  15. #015

    During the initial release of The Hitcher (1986), he stated that he would not seek out villain roles. In 1986 the Spokane, Washington periodical The Spokesman Review ran the headline "He plays villains without a 'Hitch'". He was worried about being typecast.

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  16. #016

    His parents, Teunke Hauer and Arend Hauer, ran an acting school in Amsterdam.

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  17. #017

    In 1988 he served as Grand Marshall at the Spring Breed Classic USET Benefit Show at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Participants included Fred DeBoer and Family with Friesian horses, and John Koster and Family with Friesian horses.

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  18. #018

    In Salem's Lot (2004) he played a vampire named Kurt Barlow, and in the television series True Blood (2008) he played a fairy named Niall Brigant.

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  19. #019

    Both his first and last names end with the letters "er". He appeared in 13 films or television series whose title or alternative title ends in "er" or "ers". He played 8 characters whose names end in "er".

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Characters & Cast (7)

  1. #020

    Rutger Hauer was offered the lead role in Das Boot (1981). He turned it down in favor of Blade Runner (1982).

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  2. #021

    Director Richard Donner initially wanted to cast Rutger Hauer as the villain Marquet in Ladyhawke (1985), but Hauer turned the role down and expressed more interest in playing the film's hero, Etienne Navarre.

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  3. #022

    Before Peter Weller was cast, Rutger Hauer was Paul Verhoeven's first choice to play RoboCop (1987).

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  4. #023

    Rutger Hauer was considered for the role of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon (1987), but the role went to Mel Gibson.

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  5. #024

    According to an interview Rutger Hauer gave when Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) was first released, he was Anne Rice's original vision for Lestat when she wrote the book. Despite widespread rumors that Julian Sands was her first choice, Sands had not even begun appearing in films or on television until 1982, so Rice could not have known of him when she wrote the book in 1976; Rutger had been acting since 1968. Rice may have said during the film's casting that Sands would be great for the role, because while the film was being made she said Hauer was too old to play Lestat.

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  6. #025

    He turned down a role in Paul Verhoeven's Black Book (2006).

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  7. #026

    He was considered for the role of Dr. Bukovsky in Lifeforce (1985).

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Career & Awards (3)

  1. #027

    Before beginning a serious acting career, Rutger Hauer spent five years with a mime company.

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  2. #028

    He founded the I've Seen Films International Film Festival.

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  3. #029

    In 2016 Hauer joined the film jury of ShortCutz Amsterdam, an annual film festival showcasing short films in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Dutch jury members included Roel Reiné, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Vincent van Ommen, Pieter Kuijpers and Tygo Gernandt.

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Life & Family (7)

  1. #030

    Rutger Hauer had a tattoo on each shoulder: on his right shoulder, one for his wife Ineke Ten Cate, whom he married in 1985 (after a 16-year relationship) and to whom he remained married until his death; the other was for Marius, the closest friend of Ineke Ten Cate's brother, who died of Hodgkin lymphoma in 1980. He explained it, "It's a way of saying 'You're under my skin.'".

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  2. #031

    Rutger Hauer died in 2019, the year in which Blade Runner (1982) is set.

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  3. #032

    Rutger Hauer's wife Ineke ten Kate, whom he married in 1985, was a painter and sculptor.

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  4. #033

    Rutger Hauer was the former father-in-law of his Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) co-star Thomas Jane.

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  5. #034

    Rutger Hauer once named his five favorite films as Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959), Apocalypse Now (1979), Wings of Desire (1987), GasLand (2010) and Position Among the Stars (2010).

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  6. #035

    Father of Ayesha Hauer and grandfather of Leandro Maeder, her son.

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  7. #036

    Although he appeared in Guinness commercials, he never drank alcohol because he was very sensitive to it.

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Related pages

  • Prometheus — Rutger Hauer comes up in the facts on that page
  • Kurt Russell — Rutger Hauer comes up in the facts on that page

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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