Staartjes early in his career
Aart Staartjes (March 1, 1938-January 12, 2020) was a Dutch actor, director, and presenter who played Meneer Aart on Sesamstraat, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street.
Staartjes was also involved behind the scenes of Sesamstraat, fulfilling important duties on the staff and the production team. One of the most important things he achieved was changing the number of writers, from a couple to a whole group, and he had a major influence on the appearance of Pino and Tommie. Because of his insistence, the show got rid of the first non-Muppet versions and got the puppets through Children's Television Workshop and the Muppet Workshop. He also served as advisor and location director.
In 2003, he was one of the Dutch celebrities discussing their affection for The Muppet Show Muppets in the documentary I Love the Muppets.
Staartjes created and performed in many Dutch children's shows, beginning with De Stratemakeropzeeshow (1972-1974). The longer running De film van Ome Willem (1973-1989) followed, with his Sesamstraat work beginning during the show's run. He hosted the live broadcasts of Sinterklaas' arrival in the Netherlands from 1985 to 2001. In film, he starred in the 1978 children's movie Pinkeltje (with Lex Goudsmit). In 2006, Staartjes starred as aging circus owner Willy Waltz on the drama series Waltz.
Staartjes was a regular voice on the puppet series De Fabeltjeskrant as Rocus de Vrije Vogel, and worked on Disney dubs, supervising the 1970s translation of Bambi (and heard in several small parts, including Mr. Mole). He dubbed Bernard and others in The Rescuers. Other dubbing credits include the Pippi Longstocking series and films (dubbing Fredrik Ohlsson as Mr. Settergren and several other actors) and the animated feature Nut Job (as the villainous Raccoon).
Staartjes' biography, Meneer Aart, was published in 2002. That same year, the actor stepped down from his other children's show duties, although he continued to appear on Sesamstraat through 2019. In his later years, Meneer Aart became a bit less grumpy, sometimes playing the part of a grandfather character.
On January 12, 2020, Staartjes passed away from injuries suffered during a traffic accident.