Willeke Alberti
Encyclopedia
Willeke Alberti (real name: Willy Albertina Verbrugge) is a Dutch
singer and actress, the daughter of entertainer and singer Willy Alberti
.
From 1964 to 1974 she was married to musician Joop Onk, and they had a daughter. She married John de Mol in 1976, and they had a son, Johnny de Mol
. The couple divorced in 1980, and Alberti married a third time, with football player Søren Lerby
. Another son was born from that marriage. Søren Lerby and Willeke Alberti separated in 1990.
In 1994, she represented the Netherlands
in the Eurovision Song Contest
with the song "Waar is de zon?" ("Where is the Sun"), which claimed a meagre four points from the international juries, all coming from Austria
. The Netherlands beat only Estonia
and Lithuania
that evening.
Through the years, Alberti has become embraced in the Netherlands as a gay icon
, due to a combination of her song repertoire, her durability, and her performances in support of manifold gay causes.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
singer and actress, the daughter of entertainer and singer Willy Alberti
Willy Alberti
Willy Alberti , born Carel Verbrugge, was a Dutch singer, who sang in Dutch and Italian. He was also an actor and a radio and TV personality....
.
Biography
Willeke Alberti started her career at the early age of eleven in the musical Duel om Barbara and she recorded her first single in 1958 together with her father. During the 1960s, she was a well-known singer in the Netherlands and had at least one #1 hit with "De Winter Was Lang" ("The Winter Was Long"), however there was no official Dutch chart at the time. Willeke and her father had a television show between 1965 and 1969. Her singing career from 1970 onwards is less active, however Alberti still releases singles and albums at an irregular interval and plays minor roles in television programs and movies.From 1964 to 1974 she was married to musician Joop Onk, and they had a daughter. She married John de Mol in 1976, and they had a son, Johnny de Mol
Johnny de Mol
John Carel de Mol , known as Johnny de Mol, is a Dutch actor and presenter. He is the son of John de Mol and Willeke Alberti.-Filmography:*Oysters at Nam Kee's *Boy Ecury...
. The couple divorced in 1980, and Alberti married a third time, with football player Søren Lerby
Søren Lerby
Søren Lerby, is a Danish former football player, manager, and licensed agent. As a player, he spent the bulk of his career in Dutch football, winning five Eredivisie championships with Ajax Amsterdam as well as the 1988 European Cup and two further Eredivise titles with PSV Eindhoven...
. Another son was born from that marriage. Søren Lerby and Willeke Alberti separated in 1990.
In 1994, she represented the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
with the song "Waar is de zon?" ("Where is the Sun"), which claimed a meagre four points from the international juries, all coming from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The Netherlands beat only Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
that evening.
Through the years, Alberti has become embraced in the Netherlands as a gay icon
Gay icon
A gay icon is a public figure who is embraced by many within :lesbian, :gay, :bisexual and :transgender communities...
, due to a combination of her song repertoire, her durability, and her performances in support of manifold gay causes.
External links
- Official site (Dutch)