
Dave
Born
May 4, 1944 (81 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Wouter Otto Levenbach (born 4 May 1944), known as Dave, is a Dutch Francophone singer who had a string of number one hits in France in the 1970s. A native of Amsterdam, he resides in Paris.
Dave was born in Amsterdam. His father was Jewish and an English teacher by trade; his mother was a classical dancer. He has two brothers, Marteen and Lucas, and a sister, Elsbeth. He learned to play the guitar at age 14. He became a very spiritual person who prayed frequently and even planned to study theology; however, he eventually chose to study law.
Among other things, he was inspired by Jack Kerouac's On the Road , a revolutionary novel which encouraged young people to leave home and learn life "on the road", and to communicate with others. Passionate about the sea and rivers (a love which he owes to his grandfather), he left the Netherlands by boat with 1,000 guilders in his pocket (about two months' living expenses).
He met Eddie Barclay, the executive for Barclay Records, in Saint-Tropez in 1968; Barclay was responsible for launching Dave's career in show business.
On 26 February 1969, he participated in the Nationaal Songfestival, the Dutch pre-selection contest for that year's Eurovision Song Contest with a song called "Niets gaat zo snel", but did not win. In Summer 1969 he reached the Dutch Top 40 charts for the first time with "Nathalie", peaking at No. 28.
From 1971 to 1974, he was one of the actors in the musical Godspell, making friends with actor Daniel Auteuil, who would become his best friend.
In 1974, he released his first hit "Trop Beau", a French adaptation of The Rubettes' hit "Sugar Baby Love"; later, he released "Vanina", his first number one single in France, an adaptation of Del Shannon's "Runaway", adapted into French by Patrick Loiseau. These were followed in 1975 by the three hits "Mon cœur est malade", "Dansez maintenant" and "Du côté de chez Swann".
His self-titled first album was released at the end of 1975. By that time, he did not only have great success in France and Belgium, but also in his country of origin the Netherlands, where "Dansez maintenant" was a number 1 hit in the top 40 and "Du côté de chez Swann" made the top 10 too.
His later hits included "Lettre à Hélène" (1978), "Comment ne pas être amoureux de vous" (1978) and "Allo Elisa" (1979).
In the 1980s, his popularity waned following the advent of FM radio in France. He still had an audience due to live performances and his classic hits. However, he himself likened the ebb to a "crossing of a very pretty desert". In 1993, he released a new album, then in 1994, he made a comeback following the release of a greatest hits album, which sold more than 200,000 copies. He later recorded a new album entitled Toujours le même bleu, which included a title single from which enables him to hit the charts once again. It is also around this time that he came out as homosexual. ...
Source: Article "Dave (singer)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Known For

Tout le monde chante : les stars relèvent le défi
Self
2024

Renaud, souvenirs, souvenirs
Self
2023

La tournée triomphale des idoles
Self
2022

Un dimanche à la campagne
Self · (1 episode)
2022

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président
Self (archive footage)
2022

Chansons!
Self · (2 episodes)
2021

Matthijs gaat door
Self · (1 episode)
2020

I Love You Coiffure
Passerby (segment "La Maison de retraite")
2020

La Grande Histoire de l'Eurovision
Self
2020

Mask Singer
Hibou · (1 episode)
2019

La Génération Salut les copains
Self
2019

The secret song
Self · (1 episode)
2018
Amanda
Self · (1 episode)
2016

Je m'présente, je m'appelle Daniel
Self (archive footage)
2015

Folie passagère
Self · (1 episode)
2015

Les Enfoirés - Les Enfoirés en chœur de 1985 à aujourd'hui
2014

A Song For Mama
Dave
2013

La Parenthèse inattendue
Self · (1 episode)
2012
Nighting Eighties – Les années 80 en 16 tubes
Self
2009

N'oubliez pas les paroles - Primes événementiels
Self · (1 episode)
2008

Salut les Terriens !
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2006

La France a un incroyable Talent
Self - Judge · (8 episodes)
2006

Poltergay
Self
2006

The Car Keys
Actor who refuses to film with Laurent
2003

Star Academy
Self · (1 episode)
2001

La Cape et l'épée
Ménestrel · (1 episode)
2000

Superlove
Self
1999

Blague à part
Self · (1 episode)
1998

Charité biz'ness
Self
1998

Les Enfoirés 1997 - Le Zénith des Enfoirés
1997

Fear City: A Family-Style Comedy
Dave
1994

Fort Boyard
Self · (1 episode)
1990
Lahaye d'honneur
Self · (1 episode)
1987

Le monde est à vous
Self · (7 episodes)
1987

Sacrée soirée
Self · (5 episodes)
1987

La Chance aux chansons
Self · (5 episodes)
1984

Champs-Elysées
Self · (12 episodes)
1982

Dickie-roi
Dickie-Roi · (6 episodes)
1981

L'Esprit de famille
Dave
1979

Fan School
Self · (11 episodes)
1977

Numéro un
Self · (14 episodes)
1975

Numéro un
Self - Host · (1 episode)
1975
Système 2
Self · (4 episodes)
1975

Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self · (11 episodes)
1975

Midi Première
Self · (33 episodes)
1975
Midi trente
Self · (3 episodes)
1972