Hella S. Haasse was born on February 2, 1918 in Batavia, Batavia, Dutch East Indies as Hélène Serafia Haasse. She was a writer and actress, known for Oeroeg (1993), Charlotte Sophie Bentinck (1996) and Barend en Van Dorp (1990). She was married to Jan van Lelyveld. She died on September 29, 2011 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands.