Born in Vilvoorde on February 2, 1938, François Beukelaers was also known as Frank Montezuma in the stage and cinema world. After receiving basic education at the Royal Institute of Theatre, Cinema and Sound, he took up a teaching position at the same institution and the National Institute of Higher Performing Arts and Broadcasting Techniques (INSAS) and transferred his experiences to the younger generations.
Beukelaers began his film career with the 1966 film “The Man Who Had His Hair Cut Short” (original title “De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen”), followed by “One Night... A Train” (1968), “Brussels by Night” (1983), “Istanbul” (1985), “Everybody's Famous!” (2000), “JCVD” (2008), “Patser” (2018), “Zillion” (2022) and “Holy Mother” (2024).
On the television screen, he also appeared before the audience with the TV series "Windkracht 10" produced in 1997, "Tabula Rasa" produced in 2017 and "De Dag" produced in 2018. He also showed his directorial experience by directing the film “Achter het scherm” in 1966.
Beukelaers, who won both the "Lifetime Achievement" award of the Ostend Film Festival in 2023 and the "Lifetime Achievement" Ensor Award given in the same year, died of natural causes in Antwerp on February 4, 2026, at the age of 88.
François Beukelaers was born on February 2, 1938 in Vilvoorde, Belgium. He died on February 4, 2026.
Productions in which he took part
He took part in a total of 61 productions; 12 of the most well-known are listed.
- Family (1991) — Fons Verbiest
- Aspe (2004) — Dirk Van Stavoort
- Binnenstebuiten (2013) — Staf Swinnen
- Ella (2010) — Antoine De Prins
- Recht op Recht (1998) — Giovanni Busso
- Tabula Rasa (2017) — Walter
- Melancoly Baby (1979) — Laurent
- Code Name: JCVD (2008) — JCVD's Father
- Danni Lowinski (2012) — Ignace De Baerdemaeker
- Dennis (2002) — Directeur
- Une estonienne à Paris (2012) — Maurice
- Pauline & Paulette (2001) — Directeur
Production and imprint information was taken from TMDB.
