Peter R. de Vries
A fearless journalist who became the voice of crime victims, confronting the Dutch underworld until a fatal attack silenced him.
1956–2021 (age 65)·Dutch investigative journalist and reporter·Birthday: November 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Peter R. de Vries was a fixture of Dutch media, a man who turned crime reporting into a form of public reckoning. His television program, which held the nation's attention for years, wasn't about detached observation; he plunged into unsolved cases, often acting as a mediator between police, criminals, and grieving families. His relentless coverage of the Natalee Holloway disappearance brought him international attention, but his true impact was at home, where he gave a platform to stories the establishment sometimes ignored. This made him a hero to many and a target to others. His career, built on a dogged pursuit of truth in the shadowy corners of society, ended tragically when he was shot in a brazen Amsterdam street attack in 2021, a crime that shocked the Netherlands and underscored the dangers he had long courted.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Peter was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Peter Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Peter's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2021Died at 65
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
Key Achievements
- His television program 'Peter R. de Vries, Misdaadverslaggever' set the all-time Dutch TV viewing record for a current affairs show.
- He played a pivotal, on-camera role in the investigation into the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba.
- He served as a confidential advisor to the state's key witness in the trial of the gangland kingpin Willem Holleeder.
- He founded the political party 'Persoonlijkheid, Integriteit, Kwaliteit' (Personality, Integrity, Quality) in 2005, though it was short-lived.
Did You Know?
Before journalism, he worked as a nightclub bouncer and a taxi driver.
He was a trained paratrooper in the Dutch Royal Air Force.
His son, Royce de Vries, is also a crime reporter.
He published a book in 2007 titled 'The Art of Lying,' analyzing the behavior of criminals and liars.
“I am not afraid. If you are afraid, you cannot do this work.”
