Holly Mae Brood

Holly Mae Brod, born on 25 November 1994 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is a versatile Dutch actress and presenter who has built a notable career across film, television, theatre and reality‑show formats. She first entered the public eye in 2014 when she placed seventh in the seventh season of Holland’s Next Top Model, a contest that launched her transition from modelling to on‑screen performance. Two years later she secured the role of Amy Kortenaer in the long‑running soap opera Goede tijden, slechte tijden and its spin‑off Nieuwe Tijden, establishing herself as a familiar face in Dutch households. Her film debut arrived in 2016 with roles in SneekWeek and Hart Beat, and she continued to diversify her portfolio with the comedy Mannen van Mars (2018) and the poignant drama Life as It Should Be (2020), where she portrayed Claudia under director Ruud Schuurman. In addition to acting, Holly has demonstrated strong presenting skills, co‑hosting the Dutch/Flemish version of "Love Island" from 2019 to 2023 and leading the makeover series Holland’s Next Make‑Over in 2019. Her stage work includes a performance in the musical Lazarus at Amsterdam’s DeLaMar theatre, and she has ventured into voice work by providing the Dutch voice of Goldilocks in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). Recent projects showcase her rising prominence: she leads the Netflix film The Takeover, appears in the Videoland series Hockeyvaders, and stars in a string of 2024 releases such as De Break‑Up Club, Tegendraads and Schitterend, the latter featuring a title song she co‑created with the band IOS. Continuing her upward trajectory, she is slated to headline the upcoming 2025 thriller Amsterdamned II, confirming her status as one of the Netherlands’ most dynamic young talents. Though she maintains a private personal life, Holly is known to be in a long‑term relationship with musical actor Soy Kroon, with whom she won the dance competition Dance Dance Dance in 2018. Her lineage links her to the iconic Dutch artist Herman Brood, who, although not her biological father, remains a celebrated influence in her artistic development.