Leen Jongewaard

Leen Jongewaard was a Dutch actor and singer best known for his roles in TV shows. The actor was born on March 30, 1927, in Rozenstraat, Amsterdam. He is the youngest among eight brothers and sisters. His father was a fisherman and a Salvation Army senior officer. After his mother died at the start of WWII, Jongewaard was sent to the Haags Hervormd orphanage in The Hague, where his elder brother Cornelis worked. He returned to his father in 1942. His older brothers were stationed in Germany at the time. In 1947, Jongewaard and a companion saw a concert by the then-unknown Wim Kan at the Leidseplein Theater and were highly inspired.

He worked as a waiter, a youth worker, a bookbinder, and at numerous factories. The actor had been discovered by the administration of the theatre group Puck (van Egbert van Paridon) in the early 1950s, and he made his professional acting debut in 1953. In February 1959, he made his television debut in Mies Bouhuys' children's program Tinkeltje. In this series, the character, Mr. King (Piet Römer) had all kinds of adventures with his ship 'De Krikkemikke'. It is broadcasted every Wednesday afternoon. Jongewaard portrayed the Eskimo, Agent De Reus, and Lo Flodder in the series. He later performed in the radio cabaret Minerva VI - De Wilde Vaart from 1959 until 1962.

Jelle de Vries hosted a popular radio lounge in which Jongewaard was joined by Enny Mols-de Leeuwe, Conny Stuart, Herbert Joeks, Andrea Domburg, Christel Adelaar, Guus Verstraete, Coen Flink, and Dick Doorn. Jongewaardsang Jordanian songs while portraying a sailor in this cabaret. He starred in Bob Verstraete's popular kids show Flip the Magician's Apprentice from 1961 until May 1964. As a result, Jongewaard became well-known and associated with the job.Wim Ibo invited him to sing a lounge song (House troubles) in Ibo's new program Men’s Dare to Live in 1963. Ibo had seen him perform in the musical Mensen, he Mensen, written by Walter Kous and MiesBouhuys, in 1962.

Jongewaard’s talent was introduced to the TV audience through his performance of the cabaret song. Leen Jongewaard left Centrum in 1964 to join the cabaret Lurelei, which featured Eric Autumn, Jasperina de Jong, and Sylvia de Leur, among others. He wanted to switch to cabaret after all these years on stage.Botanical Dispute, which he performed with Sylvia de Leur, is another well-known song from the show. However, Jongewaard received an offer to come to play in the musical Delicious takes the longest by Annie MG Schmidt in 1965, when he had just started at Lurelei. Lemon with sugar, a new Eli Asser television series, premiered at the end of 1971.

The series purposefully breathed the spirit of the Schaep with five legs, and Jongewaard, together with Lex Goudsmit and Piet Römer (Adèle Bloemendaal was initially missing), once again played a starring part. He appeared in various TV shows, plays, and youth films in the late 1970s. During rehearsals for Seth Gaaikema's musical Swingpop in 1978, he met the singer Robert Long. Long's songs had touched Jongewaard for years, so when the possibility to be in a production together arrived, Jongewaard jumped at it. They hit it off right away. Although Swingpop was a flop, Long already had ideas for a stage production and requested Jongewaard to collaborate with him on it.

In early 1988, he was brought to the hospital after suffering a heart attack.Jongewaard reappeared in (side) roles in films and TV dramas in the years that followed, but otherwise, he faded into obscurity.On June 4, 1996, while on vacation in the south of France, Leen Jongewaard died of a heart attack. He was buried in Zorgvlied. For many years, Leen Jongewaard was Barrie Stevens' life partner. They'd known one other since working together in the 1960s on the musical Delicious Lasts the Longest.