Ramses Shaffy

Ramses Shaffy (29 August 1933 – 1 December 2009) was a Dutch singer and actor who became popular during the 1960s. His most famous songs include "Zing, vecht, huil, bid, lach, werk en bewonder", "We zullen doorgaan", "Pastorale", "Sammy" and "Laat me". He frequently collaborated with Dutch singer Liesbeth List.

Biography Shaffy was born on 29 August 1933 in Paris, in the suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine. His father was the Egyptian diplomat Ramsès Shaffy Bey, and his mother was the Polish-Russian countess Alexandra de Wysocka. In 1964 he founded Shaffy Chantant, a theatre group, which led to his first collaborations with chanteuse Liesbeth List. He worked with Dutch pianist Louis van Dijk. Among others, musician Thijs van Leer was a member of the group for a short period of time. With Liesbeth List, Shaffy recorded the classic song "Pastorale" (Sun and Moon). His hit song "We zullen doorgaan" was parodied by comedian André van Duin in 1975.

He temporarily stopped his habit of heavy drinking when he became a member of the Rajneesh movement in the 1980s.

In the 1980s, Shaffy returned to the stage and the set as an actor. He played Don Quixote in the musical De man van La Mancha in 1993. He also played the role of Count of Egmont in the Flemish/Dutch miniseries Willem van Oranje. He had to move to a rest home, suffering from Korsakoff-like symptoms, caused by heavy alcohol use. He died of the disease in the Dr. Sarphati House, Amsterdam, where he had lived the last seven years, on 1 December 2009, aged 76. A public memorial service was held at the Royal Carré Theatre in Amsterdam.

Portrayal In 2014, a four-part drama series about the young Ramses Shaffy titled Ramses was produced by the AVRO for Dutch television. Actor Maarten Heijmans portrayed Shaffy.

The municipal artwork in Vijzelgracht metro station, Amsterdam is a highly stylised transit map which portrays events in Shaffy's life.

Accolades In 2002, Ramses Shaffy received a Knighthood of the Order of the Dutch Lion. On 23 June 2017, the Ramses Shaffy Home (residential space for artists) was opened in Amsterdam.

Discography

Shaffy Chantant (1966) Ramses II (1966) Shaffy Chantate (1967) Sunset Sunkiss (1970) Zonder bagage (1971) We zullen doorgaan (1972) We leven nog (1975) Samen (1976, with Liesbeth List) Ramses en Liesbeth live (1977, with Liesbeth List) Dag en nacht (1978) Live (1980) Sterven van geluk (1988)