Career
Several of the series he wrote, were either nominated or awarded with prizes for best television series in the Netherlands, for instance Unit 13, Bureau Kruislaan and Baantjer. His book Cop vs Killer was nominated for best thriller in 2005, in the Netherlands as well as in Belgium. He still works - part-time, due to his success as a writer - as a homicide detective in Amsterdam, since 1986.
At the age of 18, in 1979, he started working as a police officer in Amsterdam.
He has contributed to almost every police-series in the Netherlands. In 2005, he collaborated with Lynda Louisiana Plante, creator of Prime Suspect and The Commander, and co-wrote a 2x90 minutes episode for The Commander ( Independent Television, 2005) called "Blacklight".
His thriller called Pentito, was published November 2007. lieutenant is based on a true story, about an Italian mafia informant in the Netherlands, who was forced to give information to law enforcement in order to survive.
In 2003 he started his own production company Screenpartners, that up to now co-produced the police television series "Boks" (on television in 2006), the film "Kapitein Rob en het Geheim van professor Lupardi" (in theatres November 29, 2007) and the film "Cop vs Killer", which he also directed.
In 2008, he wrote a book with bestselling author Appie Baantjer, as "Baantjer en De Waal". lieutenant was very successful, selling over 60.000 copies in the Netherlands alone. He will continue to write with Baantjer.
His new thriller, called "De Vijf Families" (The Five Families) is announced for 2010.
In cooperation with production company Shooting Star Filmcompany, De Waal and his production company Screenpartners are developing a new television series and a feature film called Famous Last Words.
