Bond Girl Xenia

Background:

"I don't even like talking about dating. It's like having a stamp on your forehead: 'I'm available and I'm looking.’ “ Famke Janssen
Dutch actress Famke Janssen is best recognized as Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye (1995) and as powerful telepathic, telekinetic Jean Grey in the X-Men movies (2000 and 2003). A former Elite model that debuted in 1992’s film Fathers & Sons, Famke has also played roles in Lord of Illusions (1995), Deep Rising, Celebrity, Rounders, The Faculty (all four in 1998) and House on Haunted Hill (1999). Recently appearing in Eulogy, and Hide and Seek, Famke is currently busy filming her upcoming films: The Treatment, X-Men 3 and The Four Saints.
Brunette, 5' 11" tall Famke Janssen, who has 36-24-36 measurements, was one of Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in The World" (2002). The ex-wife of director Todd Williams once dated actor Ben Affleck (born on August 15, 1972) in 2001.


Little Girl

Childhood and Family:

"I felt different born into a family with two sisters who are blonde and blue-eyed, with me being the only brunette.” Famke Janssen
In Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands, Famke Beumer was born on January 1, 1964. Famke, which means "little girl" in Frisian, has two sisters: actress Marjolein Beumer (born on October 27, 1966) and assistant director Antoinette Beumer. Famke studied Writing and Literature at the Columbia University in New York (1988-1992) and took Economics at the University of Amsterdam.
Famke Janssen speaks Dutch, German, English and French. In 1995, she married director Todd Williams (a.k.a. Kip Williams; born on September 27, 1968), but they divorced later that year.


Fun and Childish Job

Career:

"I would rather not work than play in a movie that nobody watches." Famke Janssen
Starting out as a model, Famke Janssen flew to the U.S. in 1984 and signed up with the Elite modeling agency. She began her professional modeling career with Yves Saint Laurent and followed it up with modeling for Chanel and other designers. While studying at the Columbia University, Famke took acting classes with Harold Guskin and later with Roy London. She eventually got her first acting job in an episode of the series "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in April of 1992.
Writer-director Paul Mones' disappointing thriller Fathers & Sons (1992) was Famke's feature film debut, in which she played Kyle Christian opposite Jeff Goldblum. Two years later, she starred as model-fighter Lady X in Fox’s movie Model by Day and costarred with Leo Rossi in Oley Sassone's thriller Relentless IV: Ashes to Ashes. She also guest starred as a hooker on Fox’s campy nighttime soap "Melrose Place" before playing Kevin J. O'Connor's wife in writer-producer-director Clive Barker's suspense horror Lord of Illusions (1995, also starring Scott Bakula).
Xenia Onatopp, a former Red Air Force jet jockey who works for a Russian crime syndicate in GoldenEye (1995), was Famke breakthrough role. In the film helmed by Martin Campbell's, Famke acted opposite Pierce Brosnan's James Bond and received an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Fight in a movie. On winning the coveted role, Famke said, "I don't think it's fair to compare me with those women in the past. I'm very ambitious and serious about what I do."
Following the success of GoldenEye, Famke received more roles in films like Dead Girl, City of Industry, Snitch, Robert Altman's The Gingerbread Man (as Kenneth Branagh's ex-wife) and RPM. In 1998, Famke costarred with Treat Williams in writer-director Stephen Sommers' Deep Rising, played Kenneth Branagh's girlfriend in Woody Allen's Celebrity and joined Matt Damon and Edward Norton in John Dahl's Rounders. The rest of the 1990s also watched Famke in then-husband writer-director Tod Williams' acclaimed poignant coming-of-age drama The Adventures of Sebastian Cole (starring Adrian Grenier), Robert Rodriguez' high school thriller The Faculty (as Miss Elizabeth Burke) and William Malone's horror remake House on Haunted Hill, playing Geoffrey Rush' wife.
In the new millennium, Famke began working with Jon Favreau in writer-director Valerie Breiman's Sundance-screened romantic comedy Love & Sex, starring as a beautiful young journalist and became John Hannah's wife, an American woman with a shady past, in Rob Walker's thrilling crime story Circus. Afterward, she nabbed another breakthrough role as powerful telepathic and telekinetic Jean Grey in Bryan Singer's sci-fi action movie, based on the long-running Marvel comic book series, X-Men. In the film, Famke joined other cast members including Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Halle Berry and Anna Paquin. Famke later reprised her role in its 2003 installment, X2: X-Men United.
"We've always been ready for female superheroes. Because women want to be them and men want to do them." Famke Janssen (on her role in X-Men)
On the small screen, Famke had a reoccurring role on the series "Ally McBeal," playing Jamie (December 2000-January 2001), the ex-wife of Robert Downey Jr.'s character. She then returned to the big screen, reuniting with actor-writer-director Jon Favreau in his mob comedy Made (also starring Vince Vaughn), in which Famke costarred as Favreau's stripper girlfriend. She was also cast in Gary Fleder's wide screen version of Andrew Klavan's novel, the crime thriller Don't Say a Word, starring Michael Douglas.
Famke was suppose to play a villainous role in Men in Black 2 but had to drop it because of a family illness. She subsequently costarred with Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson, playing Special Agent Rachel Wright, in director-producer Betty Thomas' action comedy movie adopted from the 1960's television series, I Spy.
From July to October 2004, Famke played the reoccurring role of Ava Moore, a seductive and manipulative life coach to Joely Richardson's character, on FX's plastic surgery drama "Nip/Tuck." Moviegoers could also watch her in recent films: writer-director Michael Clancy's ensemble comedy Eulogy (with Ray Romano and Debra Winger) and John Polson's horror Hide and Seek, costarring as Dakota Fanning's doctor Katherine, alongside Robert De Niro.
Famke is currently on set completing upcoming films. She will costar as beautiful widow Allegra Marshall, opposite Chris Eigeman and Ian Holm, in Oren Rudavsky's adaptation of Daniel Menaker's novel, the romantic comedy The Treatment and will team with Lisa Barbuscia and Donald Sutherland in Jean-Pierre Isbouts' war drama The Four Saints. X-Men fans will soon watch Famke in the upcoming X-Men 3 sequel.
"I think acting is just like that. There is something childish and fun about it." Famke Janssen


Awards:
--