Biography

After graduating from the Amsterdam Theatre School in 1967, she worked for the theatre companies Centrum, Baal, Art en Pro, the National Theatre, Toneelgroep Amsterdam and Dorst, among others.

On January 3, 2026, De Wijn celebrated her 82nd birthday at home. Two days later, it was announced that she had died by euthanasia. She suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

In 1970, Elsje de Wijn's single "Karel," taken from the theater production "Met man en muis," spent five weeks in the Top 40, peaking at number 14. The song was composed by Harry Bannink with lyrics by Annie M.G. Schmidt became an unexpected hit among carnival-goers It was a parody of a carnival song, but managed to gain great popularity.

During De Wijn's time with Centrum, she "absolutely" wanted to join Toneelgroep Baal, which was founded in 1973 by director Leonard Frank. For several decades, Baal presented cutting-edge musical theater, primarily by German writers such as Peter Handke, Botho Strauss, and Bertolt Brecht. At Baal, she appeared in works including Handke's The Last of the Unwise and Strauss's "Familiar Faces, Mixed Feelings," a rising star in German theater at the time. The play was filmed by Ate de Jong in 1980, with the cast playing more or less the same roles.

According to Elsje de Wijn herself, her role as war mother Riet in Leedvermaak (1982) by Judith Herzberg was the most dear to her.