Carel Struycken facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carel Struycken
Struycken at the 2016 Brussels Comic-Con
Born	(1948-07-30) 30 July 1948 (age 76) The Hague, Netherlands
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978–present
Height	2.13 m (7 ft 0 in)
Children	2
Relatives	Peter Struycken (brother)

Carel Struycken (born July 30, 1948) is a Dutch actor. He is famous for playing tall, unique characters in movies and TV shows. You might know him as the mysterious Giant or Fireman in the TV series Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017). He also played the quiet butler Lurch in the 1990s Addams Family films. Another well-known role was Mr. Homn in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1992). He also appeared in the films Gerald's Game (2017) and Doctor Sleep (2019).

Early Life and Education

Carel Struycken was born in The Hague, Netherlands, on July 30, 1948. When he was four years old, his family moved to Curaçao, an island in the Netherlands Antilles. There, at age 15, he wrote several Caribbean waltz songs.

At 16, he returned to the Netherlands and finished high school. He then studied directing at a film school in Amsterdam. After that, he spent a year at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, USA.

Acting Career

In 1978, Carel Struycken was discovered as an actor in Los Angeles. A woman saw him and said, "We need you for a movie!" That movie was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

He played Terak in the 1985 TV film Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. This movie was a spin-off from the original Star Wars trilogy.

In 1987, Struycken appeared as Fidel, a manservant, in the film The Witches of Eastwick. In the same year, he started playing Mr. Homn in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. He played this role in five episodes until 1992.

One of his most famous roles came in 1991. He starred as the butler Lurch in the movie The Addams Family. He played Lurch again in the 1993 sequel, Addams Family Values, and in the TV film Addams Family Reunion. Director Barry Sonnenfeld also cast Struycken in a small role in Men in Black.

He also played the mysterious character "The Giant" in David Lynch and Mark Frost's popular TV series Twin Peaks (1990–91). He returned as "The Fireman" in the 2017 sequel series, Twin Peaks: The Return. In 2017, he appeared as the "Moonlight Man" in the film Gerald's Game.

Struycken has also worked on other projects, including the 1986 punk rock musical Population: 1.

Personal Life

When Carel Struycken was 20, he was diagnosed with acromegaly. This is a condition that causes the body to produce too much growth hormone. It explains his tall height of 2.13 meters (7 feet) and his unique facial features.

Struycken loves photography. He has a website where he shares his special spherical panoramas (photos that show a full 360-degree view). He also shares a photography blog with Josh Korwin.

Carel Struycken and his wife have two children. They live in the Los Angeles area. His brother, Peter Struycken, is also well-known. Peter won the 2012 Heineken Prize for Arts from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Filmography

Television Series

Music Videos

• 1983 "Mexican Radio" by Wall of Voodoo
• 1996 "A.D.I.D.A.S." by Korn

See also

In Spanish: Carel Struycken para niños