Personal background and life Paul-Henri Spaak was born on 25 January 1899 in Schaerbeek, Belgium, to the distinguished Belgian family Spaak,"Paul-Henri Spaak". Almanac of Famous People, 9th edition. Thomson Gale, 2007. of a branch that immigrated to Belgium in the 17th century, originally from Bohuslän in Sweden. His maternal grandfather, Paul Janson, was an important member of the Liberal Party. His mother, Marie Janson, was a socialist, and the first woman to enter the Belgian Senate, and his father, Paul Spaak, was a poet and playwright. Other noted members of his family included his uncle, Paul-Émile Janson, who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 1937 to 1938, and his niece, Catherine Spaak, a movie star, singer and television presenter.
Personal background and life Paul-Henri Spaak was born on 25 January 1899 in Schaerbeek, Belgium, to the distinguished Belgian family Spaak,"Paul-Henri Spaak". Almanac of Famous People, 9th edition. Thomson Gale, 2007. of a branch that immigrated to Belgium in the 17th century, originally from Bohuslän in Sweden. His maternal grandfather, Paul Janson, was an important member of the Liberal Party. His mother, Marie Janson, was a socialist, and the first woman to enter the Belgian Senate, and his father, Paul Spaak, was a poet and playwright. Other noted members of his family included his uncle, Paul-Émile Janson, who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 1937 to 1938, and his niece, Catherine Spaak, a movie star, singer and television presenter.