17 Facts About Willemijn Verkaik

Willemijn Verkaik is best known for her stage roles in the musicals Wicked and Elisabeth, and for providing the voice of Elsa in the German version and the Dutch version of Disney's Frozen.

Willemijn Verkaik was born in Son en Breugel, Netherlands, on 16 June 1975, and grew up in Nuenen near Eindhoven.

Willemijn Verkaik began her career singing in various pop bands for over ten years.

In 2004, Willemijn Verkaik recorded the singing voice of Erica for the Dutch version of the animated movie Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper.

Willemijn Verkaik originated the role in the first German-language production, Wicked: Die Hexen Von Oz, in Stuttgart from 1 November 2007 until 29 January 2010.

Willemijn Verkaik played it in the Dutch-language production in Scheveningen from 6 November 2011 until 11 January 2013, and transferred to the Broadway production from 12 February 2013 to 26 May 2013.

Willemijn Verkaik left the production on 19 July 2014 for health reasons.

Willemijn Verkaik appears on Wickeds German-language cast recording and the Scott Alan albums What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up and Live, recorded at the Birdland jazz club in New York City on 30 April 2012.

Willemijn Verkaik provided the Dutch speaking and singing voice and the German singing voice of Elsa in dubs of Disney's 2013 animated movie Frozen.

Willemijn Verkaik played Pauline in musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in the West End from 16 December 2014 until 23 May 2015.

Willemijn Verkaik returned to Stuttgart as Kala in Tarzan in August 2015.

Willemijn Verkaik returned to the role of Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked beginning 30 January 2017 as part of the production's 10th-anniversary celebrations.

Willemijn Verkaik played her final performance there on 22 July 2017.

Willemijn Verkaik appeared as Sloane at the Metronom Theater in Bat Out of Hell from 8 November 2018 to 30 March 2019.

Willemijn Verkaik played Pepa in the Amsterdam production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown from 4 July 2019 to 14 July 2019 and toured the Netherlands as Miss Hannigan in Annie from 26 November 2019 to 24 May 2020.

On 9 February 2020, Willemijn Verkaik joined Idina Menzel, Aurora and eight more of Elsa's international dubbers to perform the song "Into the Unknown" during the 92nd Academy Awards.

Willemijn Verkaik is married to musician Bart van Hoof, a saxophone player.