35 Stunning Portraits of Truus van Aalten From Betwen the Late 1920s and 1930s

Truus van Aalten (August 2, 1910 – June 27, 1999) was a prominent Dutch actress who achieved widespread stardom in the German film industry during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Known for her vibrant, comedic charm, she appeared in 29 films throughout her career, predominantly working within the Weimar cinema system before political pressures brought her acting days to a premature end.

In 1926, 16-year-old Van Aalten entered a Dutch magazine contest that offered an audition in Berlin with the major German studio UFA. Out of hundreds of entrants, her natural screen presence impressed directors, landing her a role in Die sieben Töchter der Frau Gyurkovics (A Sister of Six, 1926). She earned a multi-year UFA contract and scored her breakthrough in Die selige Exzellenz (His Late Excellency, 1927) alongside Willy Fritsch and Olga Tschechova, the latter of whom became her mentor.

Featuring a sleek dark bob, styled after American star Colleen Moore, she brought an energetic “boyish yet feminine” charm to screen comedies. The German public affectionately nicknamed her “die kleine holländische Käse” (“The Little Dutch Cheese”), while colleagues dubbed her “Trulala.”

Unlike many silent actors whose careers stalled with the arrival of sound, Van Aalten transitioned smoothly into talkies. Her slight Dutch accent added charm to her spoken roles in popular comedies such as Pension Schöller (1931) and Der Bettelstudent (The Beggar Student, 1931). Alongside her film work, she appeared on Berlin stages, including Max Reinhardt’s musical productions like Das Mädchen mit dem Nummernbrett (1930) and Wie werde ich reich und glücklich?

Following the Nazi rise to power in 1933, foreign artists faced strict regulations and political pressure. Disillusioned by the firing of her Jewish colleagues and refusing demands to adopt German citizenship to continue working, Van Aalten returned to the Netherlands. In 1934, she starred in the military comedy Het Meisje met de Blauwe Hoed (The Girl with the Blue Hat), which became her sole Dutch feature film and a notable box-office success.

After a long hiatus, she made her final screen appearance in 1939 (Ein ganzer Kerl). Following the World War II occupation of the Netherlands, she firmly refused to appear in state-censored propaganda films, effectively concluding her acting career.