John Leerdam

John Arnold Walther Julius Leerdam (born 23 July 1961) is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from 30 January 2003 until 17 June 2010 and again from 28 February 2012 until 5 April 2012.

Biography

Early life

Born on Curacao, John Arnold Walther Julius Leerdam, the son of a Surinamese father and a mother from the island of Saint Kitts. In 1982 he moved to study in the Netherlands, where he trained as a theater director and drama teacher at the Amsterdam Theatre School. From 1986 to 1987 and from 1991 to 1996 Leerdam stayed in New York City, where he followed courses in film directing and production; at the Columbia University and got a Master of Fine Arts. He took an additional course in international and public affairs, and received management training communication skills. He got further actor training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and director training at the Tisch School of the Arts. His specialization is in 'Black theater' and 'Musical theater'. Later, he was involved in various theater companies.

Leerdam

Leerdam (Dutch: [leːrˈdɑm]; population: 20,563 in 2014) is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland.

The municipality covers an area of 34.42 km² (13.29 sq mi) of which 0.63 km² (0.24 sq mi) is water. It comprises the town of Leerdam, the rural villages Kedichem, Schoonrewoerd and Oosterwijk. The south border of the town is formed by the river Linge. Leerdam is the most eastern town of the province of South Holland and is situated almost exactly in the middle of the three highways A2, A15 and A27.

History

Leerdam received city rights in 1407. The small river Linge, bordered by beautiful water meadows, defines the atmosphere and tone of the landscape. Several centuries ago Leerdam formed a part of the Vijfheerenlanden domain, before it was raised to the level of County in 1498.

In 1551, Leerdam, together with Acquoy, became property of the House of Orange and part of the County of Holland.

The rich history of Leerdam can be found in well-kept historic buildings such as the Grote Kerk (Great Church), the Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden (Mrs. Aerden Almshouses, now a museum), the remaining and restored city walls on the Zuidwal and the Oude Raadhuis (Old City Hall).

Leerdam (surname)

Leerdam is a Dutch surname. Notable people with the surname include: