Alex Klaasen

Alexander Wilhelmus Johannes (Alex) Klaasen, born in Oirschot on 22 mei 1976, is a Dutch cabaretier, singer and actor. He grew up in Brabantse Oirschot and studied at the Academie voor Kleinkunst in Amsterdam, where in 1998 he received the Pisuisse-prijs, an award for the most promising graduating student. Together with Martine Sandifort he formed the duo Alex en Martine, and the pair won the jury prize at the Camerettenfestival in 2000 and the Pall Mall Exportprijs in 2001. Klaasen has won a Musical Award six times.

After Paul Groot and Owen Schumacher left the VARA programme Kopspijkers, both Klaasen and Sandifort were added to the existing cabaret team, and Klaasen also followed presenter Jack Spijkerman to Talpa to do impressions on the programme Koppensnellers. In 2004 he played the role of Reebout van Vooren in the VPRO television series De Troubabroers, in which Arjan Ederveen played Rombout van Achteren. In the summer of 2007 Klaasen took part in the AVRO programme Wie is de Mol?, where he was eliminated in episode 5, and he played a supporting role as Yari, the stylist of Cheryl Morero (Linda de Mol), in seasons 4, 5 and 6 of the television series Gooische Vrouwen.

Klaasen received the Neerlands Hoop in 2009 for his solo debut Eindelijk Alleen, and in 2011 he won a Musical Award for his role in Toon, a musical about Toon Hermans. He won the Johan Kaartprijs in 2016 and in 2017 the prize for best male lead in a major musical, playing the lead in De Gelaarsde Poes. In 2020 the Annie M.G. Schmidt-prijs 2019 was awarded to him for the song Gewoon Opnieuw from the show Showponies 2, and he won the Annie M.G. Schmidtprijs again in 2023 for the song 152W96TH street. Since 2022 he has appeared in Lidl commercials playing the character Freek, a man from Drenthe, and in 2024/2025 he took part as a baviaan in The Masked Singer, finishing third.