29 Facts About Paul Verhoeven

Paul Verhoeven later directed successful Dutch films including the period drama Keetje Tippel, the war film Soldier of Orange, the teen drama Spetters and the psychological thriller The Fourth Man.

In 1985, Paul Verhoeven made his first Hollywood film Flesh and Blood and later had a successful career in the United States, directing science fiction films such as RoboCop, Total Recall, Starship Troopers and Hollow Man, as well as the erotic thriller Basic Instinct.

Paul Verhoeven later returned to Europe, making the Dutch war film Black Book, French psychological thriller Elle, and the religious drama Benedetta, all receiving positive reviews.

Paul Verhoeven was born in Amsterdam on 18 July 1938, the son of a schoolteacher, Wim Verhoeven, and a hatmaker, Nel van Schaardenburg.

The Paul Verhoeven house was near a German military base with V1- and V2-rocket launchers, which was repeatedly bombed by Allied forces.

From this period, Paul Verhoeven mentioned in interviews, he remembers images of violence, burning houses, dead bodies on the street, and continuous danger.

Verhoeven's father became headteacher at the Van Heutszschool in The Hague, and Paul attended this school.

Paul Verhoeven liked comic drawing; he created The Killer, a character in a detailed story of revenge.

Paul Verhoeven attended public secondary school Gymnasium Haganum in The Hague.

Paul Verhoeven graduated with a doctorandus with a double major, in Mathematics and Physics.

Paul Verhoeven made his first film Een hagedis teveel for the anniversary of his students' corps in 1960.

Paul Verhoeven has not professionally used his mathematics and physics degree, opting instead to invest his energies in a career in film.

Paul Verhoeven made the documentary Het Korps Mariniers, which won the French 'Golden Sun' award for military films.

When he left the Navy, Paul Verhoeven took his skills to Dutch television.

Paul Verhoeven built on his reputation and achieved international success with the Golden Globe-nominated Soldier of Orange, starring Rutger Hauer and Jeroen Krabbe.

In 1980, Paul Verhoeven made Spetters with Renee Soutendijk and Rutger Hauer.

The Seattle Times praised Paul Verhoeven by saying he "often appears to be a one-man Dutch movie industry".

Paul Verhoeven moved to Hollywood for a wider range of opportunities in filmmaking.

Paul Verhoeven followed those successes with the equally intense and provocative Basic Instinct, an erotic thriller.

The ninth-highest-grossing film of the year, the movie was a return to themes Paul Verhoeven had explored in Turkish Delight and The Fourth Man.

Together with his screenwriter Gerard Soeteman, Paul Verhoeven made Black Book.

Paul Verhoeven was knighted in the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 2007.

Since Black Book, Paul Verhoeven has been connected to a large number of projects, but in the first decade after his return, none came to fruition.

In 2016 Paul Verhoeven followed Black Book by directing a French film: Elle, an adaptation of a novel by Philippe Djian.

In December 2016, it was announced that Paul Verhoeven would be the president of the jury for the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, scheduled to take place in February 2017.

Paul Verhoeven is currently preparing his next film, which reunites him with RoboCop screenwriter Edward Neumeier.

Paul Verhoeven was a member of the Jesus Seminar, and he was the only member who does not have a degree in biblical studies.

Paul Verhoeven graduated with a degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Leiden.

In 2007, Paul Verhoeven wrote the book Jesus of Nazareth about the life of Jesus of Nazareth.