Bart de Graaff

Bart de Graaff (1991)

Bart Frederikus de Graaff (born April 16, 1967 in Haarlem ; † May 25, 2002 in Leiden ) was a Dutch radio and television presenter and founder of the broadcasting company BNN .

biography

Bart de Graaff was the son of an entrepreneur who worked in bed construction. At the age of nine, he was hit by a truck and suffered serious injuries. I.a. He broke both legs, resulting in a kidney infection that developed into severe kidney problems for life . A resulting stunted growth caused de Graaff to maintain the physique and facial features of a nine-year-old throughout his life and not be taller than 1.52 meters.

De Graaff discovered his love for acting in his youth. He shot commercials and also worked as an actor in a musical. In 1988 he was engaged by the private broadcaster Veronica for the children's program "BOOS" (Bart Omroep Organizatie Stichting). Viewers and critics were enthusiastic about de Graaff as a child, who combines the appearance of a fourth grader with the humor of a stand-up comedian. The show, which was broadcast until 1995, established de Graaff with Veronica, where he also worked. a. moderated the fun sport show “Super Champs” and the hidden camera show “Boobytrap”. In the mid-1990s, the show "Bart's News Network" started, aimed at teenagers and young adults and u. a. included many reality shows. In 1997 the broadcasting company of the same name (BNN) emerged from this and initially had considerable financing problems. But in the autumn of 1998 she broadcast the first in-house productions and in 2000 finally achieved the status of a public broadcasting company.

Because of his severe kidney problems, de Graaff often had to be treated in the hospital. Two donor kidneys that were transplanted to him there repelled his body, and in 2001 he was operated on for canker sores in his mouth. In 2002 he suffered a stroke and also had to cope with the separation from his girlfriend. Bart de Graaff died on May 25, 2002 after several weeks of serious illness of peritonitis . He was survived by his parents and sister.

In memory of the company's founder, de Graaffs Rundfunkgesellschaft renamed itself Barts Neverending Network . In 2008 the biographical film Bikkel appeared posthumously , in which family, confidants and de Graaff himself have their say.

Web links

• Bart de Graaff in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Entry by Bart de Graaf on BNN.nl (Dutch)
• RTL.nl obituary notice (Dutch)
• Bikkel , biographical film about and with Bart de Graaff