Television maker Maarten Spanjer dies of cancer aged 73
Maarten Spanjer, the actor, television maker and writer best known for the hidden-camera programme Taxi, died of bladder and prostate cancer in a hospice in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, his partner confirmed.
Actor, television maker and writer Maarten Spanjer died on Saturday aged 73 in a hospice in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. His partner, Monique Waterham, confirmed his death. Spanjer had bladder and prostate cancer. He was diagnosed in 2025 and made his illness public in August.
Broadcaster KRO-NCRV said in a statement that it was saddened by his death. Spanjer appeared in programmes including Taxi and Spanjer, the broadcaster said. It said he "knew how to get people talking in a special way and made television that touched people".
Culture minister Rianne Letschert offered condolences to his family on social media and wished them strength.
After going public with his illness, Spanjer wrote columns about it for a national newspaper.
Spanjer broke through in 1980 with Paul Verhoeven's film Spetters. In the 1990s he presented Taxi, in which he posed as a taxi driver and talked with passengers in front of a hidden camera. The programme won a Gouden Roos at the Montreux television festival in 1995. More than ten books are credited to him.
Filmmaker Steven de Jong said he was shocked by the death. "He had the laugh hanging off his backside," he said, meaning Spanjer was constantly cheerful.
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KRO-NCRV (Katholieke Radio Omroep - Nederlandse Christelijke Radio Vereniging)
KRO-NCRV is a Dutch public broadcasting association that makes radio and television programmes. It is one of the broadcasters within the Dutch public broadcasting system, which is funded from public money and gives member associations airtime on the public channels. Its programmes cover drama, entertainment, current affairs and documentaries, and it is often named in news about Dutch television personalities.