Raymond Thiry

Theater as a battlefield

Raymond Thiry didn't come to film to become a box-office star. His career was forged in the mud of experimental theater in the 1980s with the company Alex d’Electrique. There, he learned that the body communicates far more than words. That period was marked by industrial stage design and an aggressive performance style that can still be seen in his gaze today.

His move to the big screen was not an overnight process. Thiry preferred to refine his craft on smaller stages before facing the industry's bright spotlights. But when he did, his presence proved impossible for European casting directors to ignore.

His face is his best script.

In 2006, his role in Langer Licht earned him a nomination for the Golden Calf. That recognition confirmed that his understated style fit perfectly with the aesthetic of the new Dutch cinema. And so he began working on projects that demanded real physical toughness.

The violence of silence

In 2010, the series Penoza gave him the role that changed his career in the Netherlands. He played Luther, a bodyguard who solved problems without ever breaking a sweat. Audiences connected with that surgical coolness that Thiry delivers like no one else. He wasn't after the viewer's sympathy but their absolute respect.

Three years later, in 2013, he worked on Wolf. This film by Jim Taihuttu placed him in a world of juvenile delinquency and boxing gyms. His performance was direct. Thiry understands that in genre cinema, restraint is a virtue few actors truly master.

And his success remained steady.

In 2018, he took part in Bankier van het Verzet, a production based on true events during the Nazi occupation. The film was the most-watched movie of the year in its country of origin. Thiry proved he could fit into historical dramas just as naturally as into contemporary action thrillers.

The move to streaming platforms

The rise of streaming platforms allowed his work to cross borders on a massive scale. In 2019, he played John Zwart in the series Undercover. His character was the right-hand man of an ecstasy dealer on the border between Belgium and Germany. The series became an international phenomenon.

But the actor has never neglected smaller local productions. In 2021, he returned to his best-known role in the film Ferry, which served as a prequel to the original series. Filming lasted seven weeks on real locations in the Limburg region.

His working method is simple. Before filming, he reads the script just once to capture its essence, then focuses on the physical space of the set. He doesn't like to rehearse too much, because he believes the camera detects a lack of spontaneity. So he prefers controlled improvisation.

In 2024, he shot De Jacht op Meral Ö. under director Stijn Bouma. The film tackles the real tax-benefit scandal that affected thousands of families in the Netherlands. The project had a budget of €1.2 million and was shot entirely on location in Amsterdam.