Jan Hendrik (John) Kraaijkamp Sr. (19 April 1925 â€" 17 July 2011) was
a Dutch Golden Calf and Louis d'Or winning actor, comedian and singer.
For years, he formed a comedy team with Rijk de Gooyer. One of The
Netherlands' most popular comedians, praised for his perfect timing,
he also played in more serious plays, including the title role in King
Lear (1979) and in the Academy Award winning WOII drama film The
Assault (1986). From 1993 until 2003, he starred in the successful
sitcom "Het Zonnetje in Huis" along his son John Kraaijkamp
Jr.Kraaijkamp was one of four children of a greengrocer and a
housecleaner. He grew up in the Kinkerbuurt in Amsterdam. After an
accident, his father was declared unfit for work and Johnny had to
find work at a young age. At the age of 14, he already performed as a
boy soprano in the famous Amsterdam theatre Carré.Kraaijkamp worked
for a short while as acrobat, but then moved on to become a singer in
a show orchestra. He performed as an entertainer and bass player in
local bars, where he was discovered in the 1950s by Rijk de
Gooyer.Together they recorded the song "Twee jongens op een gitaar"
(Two guys on a guitar). It was the start of a long and successful
partnership. John (then "Johnny") and Rijk began to perform together
on radio and television. In spring 1956, they joined the
"Weekendshow", an entertainment show from the broadcasting company
AVRO which also included comedians Huub Matron and later René van
Vooren. They also toured with the Snip & Snap Revue and perform in
several comedy plays written for TV, together and apart. John Kraaijkamp Sr. Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter