Yes! It is almost time for the Winter Edition of Dutch Comic Con (it's not Winter yet, but Winter is coming...) and we can't wait to make our way to the Jaarbeurshallen in Utrecht. Heroes Dutch Comic Con is the biggest comic con of The Netherlands and for every edition more than 55000 people immerse themselves in the world movie, TV, comics, gaming, cosplay and lots more. In our first article, we already wrote about one of the movie and TV guests for this edition, because none other than Elijah Wood will be a guest at HDCC this upcoming weekend. How awesome is that? Of course, Mr. Wood will not be the only movie and TV guest and in this article, we will tell you everything about the other amazing names on the guestlist, starting with one of the most successful Dutch actresses in Hollywood...

Yes, the one and only Famke Janssen is coming to Heroes Dutch Comic Con. She is one of the few Dutch stars, that made a name for herself in Hollywood. She broke through to the general public with her role as Bond Girl Xenia Onatopp in the 1995 Bond movie "Goldeneye", but you will also know her as Jean Grey in the "X-Men" franchise and much more. Let us tell you more about this Dutch actress...

Famke moved to Los Angeles and started auditioning. She started getting small guest roles in TV series and in 1992 she played the role of Kamala in one episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (opposite Sir Patrick Stewart and this would not be the last time...). Also in 1992, she got offered the role of Jadzia Dax in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine". Famke turned down this offer, because she wanted to pursue movie roles. In the same year, she made her movie debut as Kyle Christian (and alongside Jeff Goldblum) in "Fathers and Sons". In the years that followed, Famke had some small roles in movies and TV shows, like: "Melrose Place", "The Untouchables", "Model by Day" and "Lord of Illusions". In 1995, she broke through with her role as femme fatale Xenia Onatopp in the James Bond movie "Goldeneye". Fun Fact: This was also the role, that made her famous in her own country, The Netherlands. Famke never had an acting career, when she still lived in The Netherlands. 

After the success of "Goldeneye", Famke wanted to shake off the danger of being typecast and started looking for some intriguing support roles. In the years that followed, Famke had a steady stream of work, starring in movies, like: "City of Industry" (1997, as Rachel Montana), "Snitch" (1998, as Katy), "The Gingerbread Man" (1998, as Leeanne Magruder), "Rounders" (1998, as Petra), "Celebrity" (1998, as Bonnie), "The Faculty" (1998, as Miss Elizabeth Burke) and "House on Haunted Hill" (1999, as Evelyn). In 2000, Famke's star rose to fame even more, when she landed the role of Jean Grey in "X-Men". Famke reprised her role in "X2" (2003) and "X-Men: Last Stand" (2006). For her role as Grey's dark personality Phoenix in "X- Men: Last Stand", she won a Saturn Award for 'Best Supporting Actress". In 2013, Famke took on the role of Jean once again in the movie "The Wolverine" (as a hallucination of Wolverine) and in 2014 this was followed by a small cameo in the first of the prequel movies "X-Men: Days of Future Past". Back to the early 2000s: In 2001, Famke played opposite Michael Douglas and the late Brittany Snow in the thriller "Don't Say a Word". Famke also landed the role of the villain Serleena in "Men In Black II", but not long after that she had to abandon the project due to a death in her family (Lara Flynn Boyle took over the role).

In 1994, when Lana was only 16 years old (1994), something terrible happened. Her father was shot in his chest following a car accident. The girl who shot him was only 15 years old. He didn't survive the injuries and passed away at only 50 years of age.  Following this tragedy, Lana finished high school and moved to L.A., to study acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. It was here, that Lana surrounded herself with Lana started auditioning for acting jobs. During the early days of her career, Lana played in movies like: "Very Mean Man" (2000), "Spiders" (2000) and "Frozen Stars" (2003). Her TV debut came in 1999, when she got a role in the sitcom "Grown Ups". A year later, in 2000, Lana got a recurring role as Angie Ordonez in the fifth season of the comedy series "Spin City". This role got her the attention of several agencies and in 2001, Lana left "Spin City" and got a role in the short-lived, but critically acclaimed crime series "Boomtown. She played the role of Paramedic Teresa and she won an Imagen Award for her performance. Lana's popularity rose. Unfortunately, the show got canceled, just a few episodes into the second season. Following this, Lana fought against unemployment by accepting guest roles in shows like "JAG", "Six Feet Under", "Medium" and a recurring role in "NYPD Blue". In 2005, she was approached for a guest role in the series "24", starring Kiefer Sutherland, but when the producers saw her performance, they offered her a full role as Sarah Gavin in 12 episodes. In the years that followed, Lana kept making a name for herself and in 2007 she bagged a small role in "Lost" (just like her two "OUAT" colleagues Rebecca Mader and Emilie de Ravin).

In the years leading up to the role that changed her life, Lana kept on playing roles in mostly TV shows. In 2011, Lana's life changed when she was cast for the role of Regina Mills/The Evil Queen in "Once Upon a Time". The show was a big success and gained a huge following. In 2018, the "Once Upon a Time" story came to an end, but Lana lived happily ever after, because she is far from finished.. In 2021, she played the role of Rita Castillo in 10 episodes of the show "Why Women Kill" and more recently she played the role of Lisa Trammell in the second season of "The Lincoln Lawyer". Fun Fact: Lana has a distinctive tattoo of a feather on her wrist. The inspiration for this tattoo came in one of the darkest periods in Lana's life, after she moved from New York to Los Angeles. While she was sitting on a park bench, she was full of doubt about the choice she made. She asked for a sign that she was on the right path. A feather drifted by...throughout the years that followed Lana would always see a feather in times of doubt and struggle. This inspired her to take this feather tattoo, as she sees it as her symbol of strength and a reminder to have faith.

'Calling Ark Station..'

The next guest for this weekend is mostly known for her role in the immensely popular TV show "The 100". Over the 7 seasons of "The 100", her character grew out to be a fierce leader ... her husband in real life (Bob Morley) was also in "The 100" and was a guest at the Summer edition of Heroes Dutch Comic Con a few months ago (Eliza had to cancel). We are of course talking about Australian actress Eliza Taylor (or Eliza Jane Morley)!

Eliza Jane Taylor-Cotter was born on the 24th of October 1989 in Melbourne, Australia. She has two sisters and a brother. Eliza's parents divorced, when Eliza was a young girl, but she kept in touch with her dad (who owned multiple bars in Melbourne). Eliza's mother is an author and graphic designer. Her mother's new partner was a standup comedian and a big influence on her choice to pursue an acting career. When she was a child, Eliza wanted to become a marine biologist, but eventually her love for theatre and the dream to become an actress took over.

Eliza started acting professionally in her early teens. In 2003 (at the age of 14), Eliza played two lead roles in TV shows. She played the role of Sarah Redding in 26 episodes of "Pirate Islands" and she also played the role of Rosie Cartwright in 26 episodes of "The Sleepover Club". From 2003 until 2007, Eliza also played the role of Janae Timmins in the 'Queen of Australian soap operas' "Neighbours". After her time on the show, late 2007, Eliza made her way to the United Kingdom, to perform in theatre and pantomime. During her time in the UK, she also played in some TV shows and movies, like: "All Saints" (2009), "The Laundromat" (2010) and the horror movie "The 6 Plots". At one point, Eliza decided to move to Los Angeles, to pursue a career in Hollywood. After about a month of auditioning, her credit card was stolen and just when she was ready to pack her bags and move back to Australia, she got a phone call. The producers of a new show called "The 100", saw a tape of one of her auditions for a movie and they were very interested. One thing led to another and in 2014 Eliza got her big break, when she got the lead role of Clarke Griffin in the post-apocalyptic drama "The 100", which became a huge success. The rest as they say is history. In 2019, Eliza married her "The 100" co-star Bob Morley and in 2022 they became the parents of a son. 

Fans of "The 100" can count their blessings, because besides Eliza Taylor, there will be another guest that is known for her role in the popular TV show. In "The 100" she plays the role of Echo and in real life her name is Tasya Teles!

Tasya Teles was born on 1 February 1985 in Toronto, Ontario (Canada). Her mother (Linda Marie) is Canadian (from Ukrainian descent) and her father (Lucio Franca Teles) is Brazilian. Both of them where professors in Toronto. 

When Tasya was 5 years old the family moved to Vancouver (Canada). After high school Tasya attended Concordia University in Montreal, where she studied commerce at first. She later stated that she always knew she wanted to become an actress, but when she was young that did not feel like a possible job. She thought that it looked like too much fun to be an actual job. Also, her parents wanted her to go a different way, they wanted her to go into sciences or ICT. Eventually she decided to study commerce, because she thought she could at least do her own finances when she became an actress. She recalls it was tough to be an artist at heart, studying finance. When she had only two semesters to go, she decided to do an acting class to let some steam off and 'get an easy A'. When she came out of the theatre, she felt so alive, that she decided she wanted to switch careers and become an actress. She got her undergraduate degree in theatre. Tasya decided to pursue modelling in Montreal and New York. Eventually, she moved back to Vancouver to give into her love for theatre and pursue a career in acting. Tasya started her off her acting career as Maria in the horror movie "Afflicted" in 2013 and in 2014 she landed the leading role as Kate Luck in the TV movie "Damaged". In these first couple of years in TV movies and series and in 2015 she landed the role that made her rise to fame. Tasya joined the cast of the immensely popular TV show "The 100" for the second season. Tasya got the role of Echo and it did not take her long to become one of the fan favorites. Eventually, Tasya would portray Echo in 54 episodes of "The 100" from 2015 until 2020. Since 2022, she plays the role of Nat in the Canadian comedy series "Shoresy".