Wim Kan

Wim Kan (15 January 1911 - 8 September 1983), born Willem Cornelis Kan, was a Dutch cabaret artist. Together with Toon Hermans and Wim Sonneveld, he is considered to be one of the Great Three of Dutch cabaret. In 1936 he established the ABC Cabaret, which soon became one of the most successful Dutch cabaret groups and in which several artists who later became famous made their debut.

In 1940 the ABC Cabaret was touring the Dutch East Indies and, because of the German invasion, could not return to the Netherlands. After the Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies, Kan was deported to camps at the Burma Railway. Because of his experiences at these camps, he later agitated against Hirohito's visit to the Netherlands in 1971.

Kan is possibly best known as the originator of the tradition of the so-called Oudejaarsconference, performances of political cabaret on or around New Year's Eve that discussed the events of the past year. He made the first oudejaarsconference in 1954, which was broadcast on radio, and his first televised oudejaarsconference in 1973 scored an audience measurement of 75% and a record appreciation rating of 8.8 out of 10. Although he actually made only five television conferences, in 1973, 1976, 1979, 1981 and 1982, they made such an impact that many people remember it as a yearly tradition.