Michiel Huisman

Michiel Huisman (Dutch pronunciation: [miˈɣil ˈɦœysmɑn]; born 18 July 1981)[1] is a Dutch actor, musician, and singer-songwriter, who has acted in both Dutch and English language TV series and films. Huisman played Ellis Jones in the fantasy romance film The Age of Adaline (2015), Sonny on the television series Treme (2010–13), Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones (2014–16) and Steven Crain on The Haunting of Hill House (2018). He has also played recurring roles on television such as Liam McGuinnis on Nashville (2012–14) and as Cal Morrison on Orphan Black (2014–15).

Michiel Huisman
Huisman at an event for Game of Thrones in 2015
Born	(1981-07-18) 18 July 1981 Amstelveen, Netherlands
Occupation	Actor, musician, singer-songwriter
Years active	1995–present
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Spouse(s)	Tara Elders ( m. 2008)
Children	1

Huisman began his career on Dutch television, in the Dutch soap opera Goede tijden, slechte tijden (1998). He later played starring roles in the Dutch TV series De co-assistent (2007–10) and Bloedverwanten (2010), supporting roles in the Dutch films Costa! (2001) and Full Moon Party (2002), and leading roles in Phileine Says Sorry (2003) and Floris (2004). He also played a supporting role in Black Book (2006). During the early years of his acting career, Huisman was also part of a band called Fontane.

Huisman's first international acting experience came in 2006, when he guest-starred in an episode of the British TV series Dalziel and Pascoe. He subsequently appeared in The Young Victoria (2009), World War Z (2013), Wild (2014), The Invitation (2015) and The Age of Adaline (2015).

Personal life

Huisman was born in Amstelveen, Netherlands. He is the brother of former professional football player Dustin Huisman.[2] Huisman is fond of table tennis, which he has played since childhood.[3] He is of Jewish heritage.[4]

Huisman is married to Dutch actress Tara Elders,[5] and they have a daughter who was born in 2007.[6] The couple formerly lived in New Orleans, Louisiana;[5] and now reside in New York City.[3]

Career

Music career

Huisman was singer and guitarist in the Dutch band Fontane, which he formed together with Roland van der Hoofd, Gilles Tuinder, Bas van Geldere, and Donny Griffioen.[7] The band released the singles "1+1=2" (2001), "Slapeloos" (2002), and "Neem Me Mee" (2003).[8] The first single was on the soundtrack of the film Costa! (2001) and the second was on the soundtrack of Full Moon Party (2002), both in which Huisman played a starring role. The band also recorded a version of Willeke Alberti's song "Telkens weer" for the soundtrack of the movie Love to Love (2003).[9]

After two members left the band, Fontane split up and Huisman decided to pursue music on his own.[9] Huisman released the singles "Deel Van Mij" (2005) and "Geef Je Over" (2006), and the album Luchtige Verhalen (2005) as a solo artist.[10] Huisman said in interview about his solo career: "It doesn't feel like a new start, but as if I've started just now." and "It is personal and closerby. Also the sound of the album."[9]

Acting career

Huisman began his acting career with a supporting role on Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden – the longest-running soap opera on Dutch television – where he played Rover, a 14-year-old model who accuses his employers of engaging in child pornography. He was then cast in the made-for-TV films Suzy Q and Uitgesloten.

He played supporting roles in the Dutch films Costa! and Volle Maan, both of which were directed by Johan Nijenhuis and aimed at a teen-aged audience. At the same time, he also had a recurring role on the Dutch police series Spangen. Huisman moved into leading-man territory in 2003 with the film Phileine Says Sorry, which was an adaptation of Ronald Giphart's book of the same title. He also starred as medieval knight Floris in the film Floris, based on the Dutch TV series.

In the years that followed he played a leading role in the football comedy Johan, recurring guest roles in the comedy series Meiden van De Wit and the first season of the drama series Bloedverwanten, and the leading role in the medical drama series De Co-Assistent. He also played a small supporting role in the 2006 film Zwartboek by Paul Verhoeven, which became the most successful Dutch film of all time.[11]

In 2006, Huisman made his first foray into the international acting world with a supporting role in an episode of the British TV series Dalziel and Pascoe. He followed this with a role as Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in The Young Victoria, and the BBC made-for-TV drama Margot in which he portrayed Rudolf Nureyev. He then joined the main cast of the HBO series Treme, as Sonny, a Dutch busker who plays keyboards and guitar. He was taught New Orleans piano by Davis Rogan.[12] During his time on Treme, Huisman also played a small supporting role in the apocalyptic action film World War Z and started recurring as Liam McGuinnis on Nashville.

Huisman replaced English actor Ed Skrein in the role of Daario Naharis for the fourth season (2014) of Game of Thrones.[13] Huisman was promoted to series regular for the fifth season (2015) of the series.[14] Huisman also recurred on seasons 2 and 3 of Orphan Black, portraying Cal Morrison, a rugged outdoorsman who crosses paths with the clones.[15]

In 2014, Huisman appeared in the Academy Award-nominated biographical drama film Wild[16] and starred in the advertising campaign for Chanel No.5's The One That I Want, which was directed by Baz Luhrmann.[17] In 2015, Huisman co-starred in the thriller The Invitation,[18] and played the leading role in the fantasy romance film The Age of Adaline.

In 2016, Huisman was cast as the lead role in the war-drama The Ottoman Lieutenant which tells the story of a Turkish officer (Huisman) who falls in love with an idealistic American nurse, played by Hera Hilmar, during World War I. The film also stars Josh Hartnett and Ben Kingsley. The film was released for an Oscar-qualifying run in December 2016 before wide release in March 2017.[19][20]

Also in 2016, Huisman played Walter Davidson in the Discovery Channel limited series Harley and the Davidsons which told the origin story of Harley-Davidson Inc.[21] The three-part series premiered in September 2016 and gained reasonable reviews from critics[22] and from Harley-Davidson themselves.[23]

Huisman starred in the thriller film 2:22 which was released on 30 June 2017.[24][25] That year, Huisman was cast as Sam, the male lead in the romantic drama Irreplaceable You.[26] The film co-starred Gugu Mbatha-Raw as his childhood sweetheart, and later fiancée, who is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Steve Coogan and Christopher Walken also appear.[27] The film was released on 16 February 2018 on Netflix and has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 33% Fresh. Also in 2018, Huisman starred opposite Lily James as Dawsey Adams, the male lead in the romantic drama The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, based on the 2008 novel of the same name.[28]

In 2018, Huisman starred in the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House, which is based on Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel of the same name. The 10-episode drama, released on 12 October 2018, is a modern re-imagining of the original story, now about a family of seven. Huisman plays Steven Crain, the oldest sibling, who becomes a published writer of supernatural books, including a memoir about his family's time living at Hill House. Mike Flanagan wrote, directed and executive-produced the series.[29] In 2019, Huisman had a lead role in the Netflix film The Red Sea Diving Resort, as an Israeli agent.

Discography

Singles with Fontane

• "1+1=2" (2001)[8]
• "Slapeloos" (2002)[8]
• "Neem Me Mee" (2003)[8]

Solo singles

• "Deel Van Mij" (2005)[10]
• "Geef Je Over" (2006)[10]

Solo albums

• Luchtige Verhalen (2005)[30]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Format
2001	Costa!	Bart
2002	Exit	Renate's friend	Short film
2002	Full Moon Party	Bobbie
2003	Phileine Says Sorry	Max
2004	Floris	Floris
2005	Johan	Johan Dros
2006	Black Book	Rob
2007	Funny Dewdrop	Orpheus	Short film
2009	Unmade Beds	X Ray Man
2009	The Young Victoria	Prince Ernest
2009	Winterland	Francis Young
2010	First Mission	Wout
2013	World War Z	Ellis
2013	The Woman in the Dress	Tom	Short film
2014	Wild	Jonathan
2015	The Invitation	David
2015	The Age of Adaline	Ellis Jones	Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Kiss (shared with Blake Lively)
2017	The Ottoman Lieutenant	İsmail Veli
2017	2:22	Dylan Branson
2017	Indian Horse	Father Gaston
2018	Irreplaceable You	Sam
2018	The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society	Dawsey Adams
2019	The Red Sea Diving Resort	Jacob "Jake" Wolf
2019	The Other Lamb	Shepherd
2019	The Last Right	Daniel Murphy
TBA	A Boy Called Christmas	Joel	Post-production
TBA	Kate		Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Voor hete vuren		Episode: "Prettige feestdagen"
1998	Goede tijden, slechte tijden	Rover
1998	Kees & Co	Loopjongen	Episode: "Sonja's trouwdag"
1999	Suzy Q	Palmer	Television film
1999–2002	Spangen	Pelle	4 episodes
2001	Dok 12	Frederik van Kemenade	Episode: "Geen lijk, geen dader"
2001	Costa!	Bart	10 episodes
2001	Uitgesloten	Coen	Television film
2005	Meiden van De Wit	Boudewijn Peuts	9 episodes
2006	Dalziel and Pascoe	Back-packer	Episode: "Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Part 1"
2006	't Schaep met de 5 pooten	Freddy	Episode: "Het zal je kind maar wezen"
2007–2010	De co-assistent	Hugo Biesterveld	Starring; 41 episodes
2009	Margot	Rudolph Nureyev	Television film
2010	Bloedverwanten	Martijn Zwager	12 episodes
2010–2013	Treme	Sonny	Starring; 35 episodes
2012–2014	Nashville	Liam McGuinnis	Recurring; 13 episodes
2013	The Sixth Gun	Drake Sinclair	Television film
2014–2015	Orphan Black	Cal Morrison	Recurring; 6 episodes
2014–2016	Game of Thrones	Daario Naharis	Recurring (Season 4; 5 episodes) Starring (Season 5–6; 13 episodes) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2016) Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2017)[31]
2016	Harley and the Davidsons	Walter Davidson	TV Mini-Series 3 episodes
2018	The Haunting of Hill House	Steven Crain	Main role (season 1) Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in Streaming Presentation (2019)[32]

References

1. "Famous birthdays for July 18: Vin Diesel, Kristen Bell". United Press International. 18 July 2019. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019. Actor Michiel Huisman in 1981 (age 38)
2. (in Dutch) Michiel Huisman filling in for Dirk Kuijt in Footvolley tournament organized by younger brother Dustin, De Volkskrant, 2005. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
3. "Michiel Huisman Isn't Spooked by Table Tennis". New York Times. 12 November 2018.
4. https://www.ajax.nl/streams/actueel/vol-beloften-dustin-huisman.htm
5. (in Dutch) "Zo woont Michiel Huisman in de VS", De Telegraaf, 2015. Retrieved on 22 April 2015.
6. Tara Elders – Game Of Thrones Actor Michiel Huisman’s Wife, Daily Entertainment News, 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
7. (in Dutch) Fontane, Festivalinfo.nl. Retrieved on 20 April 2015.
8. Fontane, Discogs. Retrieved on 20 April 2015.
9. (in Dutch) "'Luchtige verhalen' van Michiel Huisman", Trouw, 2005. Retrieved on 20 April 2015.
10. (in Dutch) Michiel Huisman, Who's Next Records. Retrieved on 20 April 2015.
11. Byrnes, Paul (7 July 2007). "Film Reviews: Black Book". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Publications.
12. Reilly, Dan (4 June 2010). "'Treme' Creator David Simon Crafts a Love Letter to New Orleans' Musical Culture". Spinner. AOL. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
13. Lesley Goldberg (28 August 2013). "'Game of Thrones' Books 'Treme' Alum for Season 4". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
14. 'Game of Thrones': Michiel Huisman's Daario upped to Season 5 series regular from 8 January 2014
15. 'Orphan Black': 3 new spoilers for Season 3 from 16 October 2014
16. ComingSoon.net Production Begins on Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon from 11 October 2013.
17. A Conversation with Baz Luhrmann on Chanel No. 5’s The One That I Want, Retrieved 24 April 2015.
18. "Gather Around For 'The Invitation' SXSW Poster -". bloody-disgusting.com.
19. Busch, Anita (9 September 2016). "'The Ottoman Lieutenant' To Be Released For Oscar-Qualifying Run". Deadline. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
20. "The Ottoman Lieutenant (2017) Release Info". IMDb.com. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
21. Cynthia Littleton (7 January 2016). "'Game of Thrones' Actors to Star in Harley-Davidson Miniseries". Variety. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
23. Kathy Mykleby (6 September 2016). "Bill Davidson talks about Harley-Davidson miniseries". Wisn.com. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
24. ‘Game of Thrones’ Star Michiel Huisman Gets Call for ‘2:22′ from January 2015
25. "2:22 (2017)". IMDb.com. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
26. Justin Kroll (23 February 2017). "Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michiel Huisman to Star in 'Irreplaceable You'". Variety. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
27. "Christopher Walken, Steve Coogan Join 'Irreplaceable You' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 31 December 1969. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
28. "'Game of Thrones' Star Michiel Huisman Joins Lily James in 'Guernsey' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
29. "'Game of Thrones' Favorite to Star in 'Haunting of Hill House' Series for Netflix (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
30. (in Dutch) Michiel Huisman, Muziekencyclopedie. Retrieved on 20 April 2015.
31. Nolfi, Joey (14 December 2016). "SAG Awards nominations 2017: See the full list". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
32. Mancuso, Vinnie (16 July 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame', 'Game of Thrones' Lead the 2019 Saturn Awards Nominations". Collider. Retrieved 16 July 2019.

External links

• Michiel Huisman on IMDb
• Michiel Huisman at the TCM Movie Database
• Michiel Huisman at AllMovie