| Kees van Kooten | |
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Kees van Kooten in 2007 |
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| Born | Cornelis Reinier van Kooten 10 August 1941 The Hague, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Other names | Koot |
| Occupation | Comedian, actor, writer |
| Known for | Van Kooten en De Bie |
| Spouse | Barbara Kits (1968 to date) |
| Children | Kasper van Kooten (1971) Kim van Kooten (1974) |
Cornelis Reinier (Kees) van Kooten (born 10 August 1941 The Hague) is a Dutch comedian, television actor, and author.
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Van Kooten was born as the oldest child of Cornelis Reinier van Kooten en Anna Geertruida Snaauw. He has one sister, Anke, who is a year younger. He met his wife Barbara Kits in 1959 and married her on October 18, 1968. They lived in Van Kooten's birth city The Hague, but, after their marriage, moved to the polder village of Zuidoostbeemster, where their two children were born, Kasper in 1971 and Kim in 1974. Both would become well-known performers in the Netherlands. In 1978 the family moved to Hilversum and in 1996 to Amsterdam.
Van Kooten is best known for his collaboration with Wim de Bie. With him he formed the comedic duo Van Kooten en De Bie, often abbreviated as "Koot en Bie," in a variety of often very popular programs for the VPRO broadcasting organization from 1972 to 1998. Their collaboration had started in the Dalton Lyceum high school in The Hague, where they had formed a theater group named Cebrah. Between 1972 and 1985 they also yearly published a tear-off calendar named Bescheurkalender (combining the Dutch words for tear-off and splitting one's sides), a word which is now officially included in Dutch dictionaries for any humorous block-calendar.
Van Kooten has written some 47 books, including novels, short story and poetry collections, and autobiographical material. Few have been translated in English. He often wrote under a wide variety of pseudonyms, including Koot, Jan Blommers, Hans van Dek, Tj. Hekking, Heer Kooten, Harry F. Kriele en Roman Tate, and wrote several books together with Wim de Bie. Most of his books are published by De Bezige Bij. Among his better known works are:
Van Kooten has received many awards for his television shows and writing, individually and with de Bie. Among these are: