Staartjes made his debut in 1961 in Meneer Topaze, based on a play written by Marcel Pagnol in the 1930s.
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He dropped out of the Kweekschool in 1958, and went to the theater school instead.
In the early 1970s, Aart Staartjes created the children's television programme De stratemakeropzeeshow with lead roles for Wieteke van Dort, Prinsen and himself.
In De Stratemakeropzeeshow with Aart Staartjes and Joost Prinsen, she played the 'distinguished lady'.
In 1973 the novel won the Gouden Griffel and in 1975 it was made into a popular television miniseries directed by Aart Staartjes.
In 1978, 5 years after Dick Laan's death, Harrie Geelen directed and wrote the screenplay for a movie about Pinkeltje, which was quite successful in the Netherlands and starred Aart Staartjes as Pinkeltje and Wieteke van Dort as his female companion Pinkelotje.
In the 1990s, The University became more known to a new audience thanks to the fictional character Prof. Fetze Alsvanouds ("Als vanouds" loosely translated as "like the good old days"), who was played by Aart Staartjes and regularly appeared in the Dutch children's television program Het Klokhuis.