Thomas van Luyn

Thomas van Luyn was born in 1968 in Kinshasa, Congo. As a young boy, he dreamed of becoming like his father: boss of the world. At least, that was his childlike interpretation of a job at a development organization—“boss” just sounded better. Behind the piano in the living room, he imagined a life in the spotlight.

Education

“Fear of failure makes me want to do it right. I love the feeling when the lights go down and the chatter fades, that moment when you simply have to perform.” After finishing secondary school in Utrecht, Thomas went on to study, though he did not complete his degrees. It was nevertheless an important period during which he met Mike Boddé.

Cabaret Group

The partnership clicked, leading to the formation of the cabaret group Ajuinen & Look. Thomas thrived in the creative theater world. When Mike Boddé temporarily stepped away, Thomas seized the opportunity to make a definitive choice: theater and television would become his home.

Television

Together with Sanne Wallis de Vries, he appeared in the VPRO TV program Waskracht!. Later, he co-created the Mike en Thomas Show for television. He contributed significantly to the program Kopspijkers, portraying a wide variety of characters. He then presented three seasons of the satirical program Cojones for NPO1/BNNVARA and has been writing a weekly column for Volkskrant Magazine for many years.