Willemijn Verkaik facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Willemijn Verkaik
Verkaik in 2017
Background information
Born	(1975-06-16) 16 June 1975 (age 50) Son en Breugel, Netherlands
Genres	Musical theatre
Occupation(s)	Singer, actress

Willemijn Verkaik (born June 16, 1975) is a talented singer and actress from the Netherlands. She is famous for her amazing performances in musicals like Wicked and Elisabeth. Many people also know her as the voice of Elsa in the German and Dutch versions of Disney's movie Frozen.

Willemijn is the only person to have played the role of Elphaba in the musical Wicked in three different languages. She has performed this role over 2,000 times, which is more than any other actress! Her first time playing Elphaba was in 2007 in Germany. Her last performance as Elphaba was in 2017 in London.

Willemijn started her career singing in bands for more than ten years. Then, she moved into musical theatre. From 2001, she appeared in groups and smaller parts. In 2006, she got her first main role as Elisabeth. After that, she played Elphaba in Wicked many times between 2007 and 2017. This included shows on Broadway in New York and in London's West End.

She has also starred in other big musicals. These include Donna in Mamma Mia! (2013) and Kala in Tarzan (2015). More recently, she played Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca (2022–2023) and Elsa in Frozen (2023). In 2024, she took on the role of Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Most of her work has been in the Netherlands and Germany. She has also performed in Switzerland, the US, the UK, and Austria.

Early Life and Education

Willemijn Verkaik was born in Son en Breugel, Netherlands, on June 16, 1975. She grew up in a town called Nuenen, which is close to Eindhoven. She studied and graduated from the Rotterdam Conservatory. This is a special school for music and performing arts.

Her Amazing Career

Willemijn Verkaik started her singing journey in pop bands. She sang with different groups for over ten years. Her first professional role in theatre was in the musical Elisabeth in the Netherlands in 2001.

In 2004, Willemijn lent her voice to the character of Erica. This was for the Dutch version of the animated movie Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. Later, in 2008, she was the Dutch voice of Lydia in Barbie & the Diamond Castle.

Playing Elphaba in Wicked

Verkaik as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked in 2014

Willemijn is most famous for her role as Elphaba in the musical Wicked. She is the only actress who has played Elphaba in three different languages. She was the first to play the role in the German version, Wicked: Die Hexen Von Oz. This was in Stuttgart, Germany, starting in November 2007. She performed as Elphaba more than 2,000 times, which is a record! She continued in this role until January 2010.

She then played Elphaba in the Dutch version of Wicked. This was in Scheveningen, Netherlands, from November 2011 to January 2013. After that, she moved to Broadway in New York City. She played Elphaba there from February to May 2013.

Willemijn returned to the role of Elphaba in London's West End. She performed from November 2013 to July 2014. She took a break for health reasons. She came back to play Elphaba in the West End again from January to July 2017.

Other Major Roles

After her first time on Broadway, Willemijn played Donna in Mamma Mia! in Stuttgart, Germany, in 2013. She then played Paulina in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in London from December 2014 to May 2015. This was her first role after having surgery.

In August 2015, she returned to Stuttgart to play Kala in Tarzan. Later, she starred as Molly in Ghost – Das Musical in Berlin from December 2017 to October 2018. She also played Sloane in Bat Out of Hell in Germany from November 2018 to March 2019.

In 2019, she played Pepa in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in Amsterdam. She also toured the Netherlands as Mrs. Hannigan in Annie from 2019 to 2020. From 2022 to 2023, she played Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca in Vienna, Austria.

In 2023, Willemijn took over the role of Elsa in the German production of Frozen. She later left the show to play Anne Hathaway in & Juliet in Hamburg. However, she returned to Frozen and her last performance as Elsa was on September 29, 2024.

Voice Acting and Recordings

Willemijn Verkaik is also known for her voice work. She provided the Dutch speaking and singing voice for Elsa in Disney's 2013 animated movie Frozen. She also sang as Elsa for the German version of the movie.

On February 9, 2020, Willemijn joined Idina Menzel and other international voice actresses of Elsa. They performed the song "Into the Unknown" at the 92nd Academy Awards. Each singer sang a line of the song in a different language.

She has recorded many cast albums for the musicals she has been in. These include the German-language cast recording for Wicked. She also appears on the Dutch and German cast recordings for Frozen and Frozen II.

Personal Life

Willemijn Verkaik is married to Bart van Hoof. He is a musician who plays the saxophone.

Theatre Performances

Verkaik, 2014

Film and TV Roles

See also

In Spanish: Willemijn Verkaik para niños