Heintje Simons

Hendrik Nikolaas Theodoor "Heintje" Simons (born 12 August 1955) in Heerlen, later known as Hein Simons, is a Dutch schlager singer and actor.

Background Heintje was born the son of a coal miner who had to retire because of silicosis, reducing the family to near poverty. The family opened a small café where Heintje used to sing along with the jukebox. in 1968, and as a child actor, with his appearances in numerous German films in the 1960s and 1970s (some of these were dubbed into English and also Afrikaans). He enjoyed success with English songs, notable of which is "I'm Your Little Boy". The same article quoted the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as saying of him "No one is bigger in German show business." The following year his debut album Heintje went on to sell over two million copies, resulting in a platinum record award. Other records selling over a million units included "Du sollst nicht weinen", "Heidschi bumbeidschi" and the seasonal album, Weihnachten mit Heintje. His sales in 1968 and 1969 alone totaled over 10 million. In a subsequent interview, he brushed off the criticism, remarking that he was opposed to apartheid, but said, regarding his appearance in South Africa, that he was there as a singer and that it was not his business to get involved in politics. He told the Limburgsch Dagblad:

Heintje also gained great popularity in China in the 1980s. As China introduced its "Gaige Kaifang" policy, his 1970 film was among the first wave of movies from the capitalist First World to be imported into China and made available to the general urban population. Heintje – Einmal wird die Sonne wieder scheinen, like most of other foreign films imported into China in the 1980s, received unprecedented popularity among Chinese viewers, with the majority of them having never encountered Western culture before under communist rule. His song "Kleine Kinder Kleine Sorgen" in the movie was so popular that it became an important part of an entire generation of Chinese 80s memory. On two occasions (2010 and 2015), Heintje was invited by Beijing Television as guest performer to sing "Kleine Kinder Kleine Sorgen" on BTV's Chinese New Year Gala.

Heintje continued to sing as an adult, billed as "Hein Simons", and is particularly popular in German-speaking countries. More than 40 million Heintje records have been sold worldwide. Since his marriage he has lived at in Moresnet, Plombières, Belgium. He was married from 1981 to 2014 and has three children. and leading to a Christmas album Heintje und Ich.

In March 2024, he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.

Discography

Filmography

1967 1968 Zum Teufel mit der Penne 1969 Heintje – Ein Herz geht auf Reisen 1969 Hurra, die Schule brennt! 1970 1970 1971 Morgen fällt die Schule aus