When did Theo Kingma join the Hollywood Foreign Press Association? Former HFPA President dies at 58

Theo Kingma joined the Hollywood Press Association in 1992 after moving to Hollywood in 1989. Kingma served as the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association from 2013-2015 and passed away unexpectedly on March 21 2025 at his home in Los Angeles at 58 as per the organization's announcement. A cause of death has not been announced.

At the time of his election in 2013, Kingma in a statement said,

"I am proud of the HFPA members for giving me this incredible opportunity to lead our organization and further our journalistic efforts. I looked forward to a unified and productive year."

Kingma was born in Amsterdam in 1967 and began his professional career as a projectionist at cinemas in Amsterdam. He then worked as a production assistant on several films before moving to Hollywood in 1989. Kingma was a member of the HFPA for 20 years before and served on the HFPA board of directors becoming the president of the HFPA and had represented publications in the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia.

After moving to Hollywood, Kingma became a correspondent for the Dutch magazine Hitkrant. After joining the HFPA, Kingma quickly gained recognition as a photographer at motion picture premieres, press conferences, and other Hollywood events.

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More about Theo Kingma's tenure as HFPA President

During his tenure as the President of HFPA from 2013-2015, Theo Kingma resolved the long-running dispute between HFPA and Dick Clark Productions by leading discussions.

He also began the Association's participation at Comic-Con in San Diego and introduced the concept of roundtable interviews.

When there was an attack at the Charlie Hebdo publication in Paris, France days before the 2015 Golden Globes, Kingma took to the Globes broadcast in 2015 noting,

"The freedom of artistic expression...is a beacon across the globe...We stand united everywhere from North Korea to Paris."

Kingma was also an active supporter of the HFPA's philanthropy program and his efforts led to the HFPA making $2 million donation to Los Angeles City College in support of its Cinema and Television program.

He joined the Film Expo Group as CEO in 2017 and continued as a Globes voter as the founding member of the Golden Globes Foundation. Golden Globes Foundation Board member, Vera Anderson, paid tribute to Kingma on Instagram with his photo and a caption mentioning,

"Still in shock, can't believe you're gone. Theo Kingma, gone way too soon. Spent the morning tearfully sorting through almost 40 years of photos."

Theo Kingma is survived by his mother, Nel, his sister, Tessa, and his niece, Sveva.