The Verhoevens have been working in acting and directing for generations: Simon Verhoeven's grandfather Paul Verhoeven (not the Dutch filmmaker of the same name) ran the renowned Deutsches Theater in Berlin as well as the Munich Kammerspiele. Michael Verhoeven's sister Lis Verhoeven was a stage actress and director who was briefly married to international screen actor Mario Adorf. Simon Verhoeven's brother Luca is also an actor who debuted in Simon's first cinematic directorial effort 100 Pro (2001).[1] The family legacy on stage and screen was captured in the documentary film The Verhoevens (2003).[2]
Verhoeven and his father run their own production company, Sentana Filmproduktion, which Michael Verhoeven and Senta Berger founded already in 1965.[3]
Verhoeven belongs to the most bankable German film directors and screenwriters of the 2010s until today.[4] His most successful film so far has been Welcome to Germany (Willkommen bei den Hartmanns),[5] which became 2016's biggest domestic theatrical release in Germany[6] with over 4 million tickets sold[7] and a global box office of almost $50m.[8] This comedy about the 2015 refugee crisis was screened at many international film festivals,[9][10][11] and it won many German as well as international awards[12] and nominations.[13]
After making a few short films and music videos in the late 1990s, Verhoeven's screenwriting and directing career started in 2001 with the buddy comedy 100 Pro.[14] He followed up with his 2009 ensemble comedy Men in the City (Männerherzen), which sold over 2 million tickets at the domestic box office. This success sparked the equally successful sequel[15]Men in the City 2 in 2011 (also written and directed by Verhoeven), as well as a number of international remakes in the Netherlands, Belgium, and other countries.[16][17]
With his first English-language feature film Friend Request (2014) starring Alycia Debnam Carrey, Verhoeven tried his hand in the horror genre. The film made a respectable $2m opening weekend gross at the US box office.[18] Additionally the German production sold well at the international film markets and was screened in theaters worldwide.
Returning to his homeland, Verhoeven landed a huge hit with his aforementioned political comedy Welcome to Germany (2016)[19] that convinced audiences as well as critics world-wide.[20] The film marks also a special collaboration, since Verhoeven directed his mother for the first time, the international screen and TV actress Senta Berger. His film got adapted for the stage, premiering at the Akademietheater of the world-famous Viennese Burgtheater. Many travelling productions followed that tour the German-language stages until today.
In February 2020, Warner Bros. released his sixth theatrical feature Nightlife starring Elias M'Barek and Frederik Lau, which started as number 1 of the German box office.[21] The comedy had sold over 1 million tickets within 10 days of release, when the COVID-19 crisis forced all cinemas to close down, stopping its success in the tracks. It then topped the drive-in charts when regular cinematic screenings weren't possible. Still, the comedy remained the most successful domestic film at the German box office 2020.[22] On May 23, 2020 the comedy received the Austrian Romy Award for the Best Screenplay.[23] At the Monte-Carlo Comedy Film FestivalNightlife received numerous accolades: The prizes for Best Film, Best Director, the Audience Award as well as a Special Mention for the cast.[24] Due to the ongoing COVID-19 travel situation, Verhoeven didn't attend the ceremony on 10 October 2020. The renowned Berlin film critic society awarded Nightlife with the Ernst-Lubitsch-Preis[25] for the best comedy 2020. Mario Adorf presented him the award in person 8 months later on 28 September 2021.[26] Three days later, he also received another Lola German Film Award for the most successful theatrically released film in 2020 for Nightlife. The same night, the Deutsche Filmakademie also honoured his mother Senta Berger with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her works in German cinema.[27]
In 2021/2022, Verhoeven directed and wrote the Milli-Vanilli-BiopicGirl You Know It's True, which was filmed in Munich, Berlin, Cape Town, and Los Angeles. The film was again produced by Wiedemann & Berg Film, with Leonine as the theatrical distributor. The movie, stars Matthias Schweighöfer as music producerFrank Farian, and Tijan Njie and Elan Ben Ali as the infamous dancers / faux-singers Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan.[29] It will be released in cinemas 2023. Associate producers are Jasmin Davis, daughter of the late John Davis, and Brad Howell, the true voices behind Milli Vanilli. Carmen Pilatus, sister of the late Rob Pilatus, Milli Vanilli's former assistant Todd Headlee, and Ingrid Segieth aka Milli, are also attached as associate producers.[30]
As his writing and directing idols, Verhoeven names the comedy legends Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch[31] – who both started their careers in Germany before moving to Hollywood.
Verhoeven landed his first film role while still studying in New York, playing in the 1995 indie comedy Party Girl next to Parker Posey and Liev Schreiber. The same year he was directed by his father in My Mother's Courage [de].[33] In the Russian-German co-production Vasilia (2000) he worked alongside punk icon Nina Hagen.
