People magazine is reporting that actress Carice Van Houten, who is best known for her role as Melisandre on Game of Thrones , is expecting her first baby with boyfriend, 48-year-old Aussie actor Guy Pearce. It’s not known how long the two have been a couple. Pearce announced his break from his wife in late 2015. He and Carice have been seen out together holding hands several times since then and spent Valentine’s Day together this year. Originally from the Netherlands, Van Houten is 39-years-old. Currently between seasons of Game of Thrones , Carice appeared as Leni Riefenstahl in Race , a film about the historic performance of sprinter Jessie Owens in the Olympics of 1936 during the time of Hitler’s reign.
In 2012, Van Houten’s Game of Thrones character was pregnant and had a childbirth experience that was, shall we say, like nothing you’ve ever seen. Carice’s character gave birth to a shadow as Game of Thrones character Ser Davos Seaworth watches in horror. Van Houten tweeted yesterday in reference to that birth scene.
Ok. I’m ready for your shadowbaby jokes.
— Carice van Houten ???? (@caricevhouten) March 19, 2016
To which Game of Thrones character Tyrion Lannister replied.
. @caricevhouten Fear not my lady… pic.twitter.com/1TLvBibXgf
— Tyrion Lannister (@GoT_Tyrion) March 19, 2016
Check out some of Carice’s best scenes from Game of Thrones .
Neither the gender or the due date of Carice Van Houten’s firstborn is known at this time. Her rep told Hollywood Reporter, “Carice and Guy are thrilled to be expecting their first child.”
Van Houten’s Melisandre character is at the center of a fan theory regarding the fate of Jon Snow. In that theory, Melisandre uses her magic powers to resurrect Snow. Of course, Carice has been asked about the theory several times. When Entertainment Tonight asked Van Houten about the theory at the Emmys last year, she wouldn’t give a clear answer, but simply said, “I’ve heard, I’ve heard. But I’m not going to say anything!”
Although Carice Van Houten is mostly known for her Game of Thrones in the U.S., she is a highly-acclaimed actress in her native Netherlands. Her parents are Margje Stasse, who is on the board of Dutch educational TV, and writer and broadcaster Theodore van Houten. Carice’s sister is Jelka Van Houten, an actress and designer. Her interest in film began at the age of five when her father took her to see Abel Gance’s Napoleon. Carice has won five Golden Calf Awards in the Netherlands. They were for her roles in Suzy Q in 1999, Undercover Kitty in 2001, Black Book in 2006, The Happy Housewife in 2010, and Black Butterfly in 2011.
Van Houten has a project in pre-production. The Parts You Lose is about a young boy in a small North Dakota town who befriends a potentially dangerous fugitive. A second project, Brimstone , is in post-production and is about a new reverend who poses a danger to family. It also features her Game of Thrones co-star Kit Harington.
Carice Van Houten’s talents go beyond the small and large screen. She also plays the clarinet and sings. In 2010, she was part of a Dutch rock band, Kane, who had a song go to No. 1 on the Netherlands charts. In 2012, the same year Carice began her Melisandre role on Game of Thrones , she released a pop-rock album in the Netherlands that was titled See You on the Ice.
Van Houten published a book with Dutch actress and best friend, Halina Reijn. The book was titled Anti Glamour and was a mock glamour book and a celebration of her friendship with Reijn.
Carice Van Houten also speaks four languages fluently (Dutch, English, French, and German).
Carice resumes her role as Melisandre in season 6 of Game of Thrones, which premieres on HBO on April 24.
[Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]
