Famke Janssen

Famke Janssen

Born Famke Beumer Janssen
November 5, 1965 (1965-11-05) (age 43)
Amstelveen, Netherlands
Spouse(s) Tod Williams (1995–2000)

is a Dutch actress and former fashion model. She is best known for her roles in GoldenEye, Nip/Tuck and as Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men movies. Janssen is also a UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for Integrity.



Janssen's name is pronounced as Fahm-Kuh Yan-Sin. The first name means little girl in West Frisian, the native language of the Dutch province Friesland.

Famke Beumer Janssen was born in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, as the only brunette in a family of blondes. Besides her native Dutch, Janssen learned to speak English, German and French. She has two sisters, director Antoinette Beumer and actress Marjolein Beumer. Janssen moved to the United States in 1984 and began her professional career as a fashion model. She was signed with Elite Model Management and worked for Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Victoria's Secret.



Janssen also studied writing and literature at Columbia University before moving to Los Angeles to establish her acting career.