Paul Verhoeven

'Paul Verhoeven' (qv) graduated from the University of Leiden, with a degree in math and physics. He entered the Royal Netherlands Navy, where he began his film career by making documentaries for the Navy and later for TV. In 1969, he directed the popular Dutch TV series, _Floris - Der Mann mit dem Schwert (1969)_ (qv), about a medieval knight. This featured actor 'Rutger Hauer' (qv), who has appeared in many of Verhoeven's later films. Verhoeven's first feature, _Diary of a Hooker (1971)_ (qv) (trans. "What do I See?"), was released in 1971. However, it was his second, _Turkish Delight (1973)_ (qv), with its combination of raw sexuality and a poignant story-line, that gained him great popularity in the Netherlands, especially with male audiences. When his films, especially _Soldier of Orange (1977)_ (qv) and _The 4th Man (1983)_ (qv), received international recognition, Verhoeven moved to the US. His first US film was _Flesh+Blood (1985)_ (qv) in 1985, but it was _RoboCop (1987)_ (qv) and, especially, _Total Recall (1990)_ (qv) that made him a big box office success. Sometimes accused of portraying excessive violence in his films, Verhoeven replies that he is only recording the violence of society. Verhoeven has co-scripted two of his films: _Soldier of Orange (1977)_ (qv) and _Flesh+Blood (1985)_ (qv). He also directed an episode of the HBO _The Hitchhiker (1983)_ (qv) TV series. Several of his films have been photographed by 'Jost Vacano' (qv), including the hit cult film, _Starship Troopers (1997)_ (qv), starring 'Casper Van Dien' (qv).::R.J. Lahey <rlahey@random.ucs.mun.ca>