Ilana Rooderkerk

Ilana Rooderkerk (born 4 May 1987) is a Dutch actress, political scientist and politician of the Democrats 66 (D66), who has served as a member of the House of Representatives since 2023. She previously held a seat in the municipal council of Amsterdam from 2018 to 2023. As an actress, Rooderkerk portrayed the character of Esmée Klein in the soap opera Onderweg naar Morgen from 2005 to 2010.

Biography
Rooderkerk was born in Leiderdorp, South Holland. Upon completing her secondary education in 2005, she was cast for the role of Esmée Klein in the soap opera Onderweg naar Morgen, broadcast by BNN. Following the cancellation of the series in 2010, Rooderkerk studied international relations at the University of Amsterdam, obtaining a master's degree in 2014.

Between 2014 and 2021, Rooderkerk worked as a civil servant at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. She won a seat in the municipal council of Amsterdam in the 2018 municipal election, and was re-elected in the 2022 municipal election. On 22 November 2023, she ran in the 2023 general election as the sixth candidate on the D66 list, and was elected into the House of Representatives. She was installed as MP on 6 December 2023, but she temporarily left the House due to her parental leave days later. Rooderkerk was replaced by Tjeerd de Groot, and she returned on 29 March 2024. Rooderkerk became D66's spokesperson for primary and secondary education, emancipation, art, culture, climate, energy, and mining.

TV series

 * Onderweg naar Morgen (2005–2010), Esmée Klein – 362 episodes
 * De Meisjes van Thijs (2010), Amber – 1 episode