Wim Sonneveld

• Name — Wim Sonneveld • Born — 28 June 1917 • Birthplace — Utrecht, Netherlands • Died — 8 March 1974 • Place of death — Amsterdam, Netherlands • Medium — Stand-up, television, film • Active — 1932–1974

Wim Sonneveld was born on 28 June 1917 in Utrecht, Netherlands, to Gerrit Sonneveld and Geertruida van den Berg. In 1922, at a very young age, he lost his mother. After his time at school, where he was the class clown, he had a few unsuccessful jobs. In 1932, he started singing in an amateur choir, the Keep Smiling Singers, after which he teamed up with Fons Goossens in 1934 to form a duo and perform at anniversaries of associations and institutions. Later that year, he met reviewer Huub Janssen and after a journey through France in 1936 they started living together in Amsterdam, at first on the Westermarkt, later on the Prinsengracht. In that same year, he worked for Louis Davids. During the day he worked as an administrator and in evening he played small roles and sang chansons. In that same period, he performed with his partner Huub in his own club, De Rarekiek. In 1937, he sang in "cabarets" (floor shows in nightclubs) with Suzy Solidor and Agnes Capri in France. After the declaration of war of 1940, Sonneveld returned to the Netherlands, where he acted in plays and in the revue of Loekie Bouwmeester. In 1940, he performed in the Theater der Prominenten and at Abraham van der Vies' De Sprookjesspelers. Here he met Conny Stuart. In 1943, he formed his own association, consisting among others of Conny Stuart, Lia Dorana, Albert Mol, Joop Doderer, Hetty Blok and Emmy Arbous. Sonneveld was gay, though not openly, as it would have been unacceptable during that era.

On 20 February 1974, Sonneveld suffered a heart attack while driving on the highway from Amsterdam to Rotterdam. He had just picked up two hitchhikers and asked one of them to take the wheel. The hitchhiker did so, and drove at full speed back to the VU Hospital in Amsterdam. Initially, Sonneveld began to recover, but on Friday 8 March, a second heart attack proved fatal. He was buried on Monday 11 March at the Roman Catholic Cemetery Buitenveldert.

Between 1943 and 1959, he staged with his own cabaret association Rim Ram a great number of shows: • 1943: Alleen voor dames (text by Hella Haasse) • 1944: Sprookjes • 1944: Opus drie • 1945: De bloemetjes buiten • 1945: Tingeltangel • 1946: Verre reizen • 1946: Tutti frutti • 1946: Leidscheplein • 1947: Vanavond om acht uur • 1947: ' t Is maar comedie • 1948: ' t Is historisch • 1949: We spelen pantomime • 1949: Iene-miene-mutten • 1950: ' t Is mij een raadsel • 1951: Herhalingsoefeningen • 1951: Artiestenpension • 1952: Boekenfeest • 1952: Gastenboek • 1952: Het meisje met de grote voeten • 1953: Bloemlezing (compilation show) • 1953: In de winckel van Sinckel • 1954: Waar de blanke top der duinen • 1955: Huis tuin en keuken • 1957: À la carte • 1959: Rim Ram

A famous creation of Wim Sonneveld was Willem Parel, son and grandson of a Dutch street organ grinder as well as chairman of the En-pé-gé, the Dutch Pearl Association (Nederlands ParelGenootschap). This brought him great success on the VARA-radio in the early 1950s. Parel would expose movingly about "organ grinding in general and the psychology of the penny cup in particular". Over time Wim Sonneveld came to hate his creation, but he knew that Willem Parel drew a large audience and he couldn't live from just singing chansons. In 1955, a movie was shot called The Wondrous life of Willem Parel.

• Illustration — Statue of the fictional character "Nikkelen Nelis", a street singer character invented by Wim Sonneveld • Willem Parel • Nikkelen Nelis the street singer • Friar Venantius • The Stable Master

• Artificial insemination • Hello, man behind the counter • Croquettes • Grandfather • The Boys (about the father-problems with the love-life of his just-married 'daughter')

• "Aan de Amsterdamse grachten2 • "Het dorp" (La montagne) • "Katootje" • "Margootje" • "Tearoom Tango" • "Zo heerlijk rustig" • "Daar is de orgelman" • "In een rijtuigie" • "Doe het doek maar dicht"

• Title — Release date — Entrance date — Highest position — Weeks — Comments • Wim Sonneveld, Willem Nijholt & Corrie van Gorp — 16 October 1971 — 9 — 7 — with Willem Nijholt and Corrie van Gorp • Muziek mozaïek, 10 maart 1974 (Recording of Duys' radio show) — 30 March 1974 — 1 — 11 — with Willem Duys • Complete discografie — 5 October 1974 — 24 — 16 • De beste van Wim Sonneveld — 9 November 1974 — 7 — 11 • Het beste van Wim Sonneveld — 24 February 1979 — 24 — 21 • Een herinnering aan Wim Sonneveld — 2 November 1985 — 50 — 13 • Haal het doek maar op — 21 May 1994 — 39 — 5 • Voor altijd — 10 April 1999 — 32 — 9 — | • Op de plaat – De complete reeks — 31 October 2015 — 46

• Title — Release date — Entrance date — Highest position — Weeks — Comments • Frater Venantius — 16 January 1965 — 10 — 15 • Tearoom tango — 26 March 1966 — 11 — 12 • De kat van Ome Willem — 2 March 1968 — 2 — 10 • Mooi Amsterdam — 23 March 1968 — tip — with Willy Alberti • In een rijtuigje — 23 March 1968 — 12 — 6 — with Leen Jongewaard • Het dorp — 18 May 1974 — 27 — 5

The following is established of the heading itself.