SHAZAM

With an astounding 85-year career as a professional entertainer, Dutch actor and singer Johannes Heesters, who turned 103 years old in 2007, may well be the oldest active performer on the planet. He was born Johan Marius Nicolaas Heesters on December 5, 1903, in Amersfoort, Netherlands, and by his 16th birthday had made the decision to devote his life to the stage. He made his stage debut in 1921 and took the leap to films three years later. As a singer he specialized initially on Viennese opera, working on more mainstream material as his career progressed. He stopped making films around 1960 and began to concentrate on stage, television, and recording work, and continued to do so into the 21st century, an amazing feat of longevity. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi