Nikolaj Coster Waldau
Encyclopedia
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (ˈneɡolaɪ̯ kʌsdɐ ˈʋaldɑʊ̯; born July 27, 1970) is a Danish
actor
. He received his education at Statens Teaterskole
in Copenhagen
in 1993, and his breakthrough in Danish film came with the 1994 hit Nattevagten (Nightwatch). He played Detective John Amsterdam on the Fox television
series New Amsterdam
. He also appeared as Frank Pike in the 2009 Fox television film Virtuality
, which was originally intended as a pilot. Since April 2011, he has starred as Ser Jaime Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones
.
at the Betty Nansen Theater. His role in movie Nightwatch (1994) made him famous in Denmark. After leaving his handprint on the European film and television industry, he made his transition to American cinema.
In 2001, he began his U.S. career with a role in Ridley Scott
’s critically acclaimed, multi-Academy-Award-winning Black Hawk Down as Medal of Honor
recipient Gary Gordon
. Next, he landed a lead role in Michael Apted
’s Enigma
co-starring Kate Winslet
, Dougray Scott
and Saffron Burrows
.
Coster-Waldau’s charm and range as an actor have garnered him multiple roles with many of his previous directors. Scott brought Coster-Waldau back for his 2005 epic film Kingdom of Heaven
starring Orlando Bloom
, Liam Neeson
and Eva Green
. Additionally, Richard Loncraine
, who first cast Coster-Waldau in his 2004 film Wimbledon
alongside Paul Bettany
and Kirsten Dunst
, brought him back for Firewall
, a thriller starring Harrison Ford
and Bettany.
Aside from acting, he has also written, produced and directed films in his native Denmark. He is the Executive Vice President of Hemmingsen Entertainment Corporation and affiliate Hemmingsen Creek Productions.
He starred as John Amsterdam, an immortal New York homicide detective who will become mortal after he finds his true love, in the canceled Fox drama series New Amsterdam
.
with his wife, Greenlandic actress and former Miss Greenland
, Nukâka Motzfeldt
and two young daughters named Safina and Philippa.
English language:
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He received his education at Statens Teaterskole
Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance
The Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance is an acting and performance school in Copenhagen, Denmark.The institution is divided into two autonomous units, the Danish National School of Theatre and the Danish National School of Contemporary Dance...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 1993, and his breakthrough in Danish film came with the 1994 hit Nattevagten (Nightwatch). He played Detective John Amsterdam on the Fox television
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
series New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam (TV series)
New Amsterdam is an American television drama, which premiered March 4, 2008 on Fox, and ended after its eighth episode.-Premise and plot:...
. He also appeared as Frank Pike in the 2009 Fox television film Virtuality
Virtuality (TV series)
Virtuality is a television pilot co-written by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor and directed by Peter Berg that aired on the Fox network. Since the show was never picked up as a television series, the two-hour pilot episode aired as a movie on June 26, 2009.- Plot :The story is set aboard the...
, which was originally intended as a pilot. Since April 2011, he has starred as Ser Jaime Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones (TV series)
Game of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones, the television series debuted in...
.
Career
Coster-Waldau was educated at the National Theater School in Denmark from 1989 to 1993. He had his debut as Laertes in HamletHamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
at the Betty Nansen Theater. His role in movie Nightwatch (1994) made him famous in Denmark. After leaving his handprint on the European film and television industry, he made his transition to American cinema.
In 2001, he began his U.S. career with a role in Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
’s critically acclaimed, multi-Academy-Award-winning Black Hawk Down as Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient Gary Gordon
Gary Gordon
Master Sergeant Gary Ivan Gordon is a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor. At the time of his death, he was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army's premiere special operations unit, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta , or "Delta Force." Together with Sergeant...
. Next, he landed a lead role in Michael Apted
Michael Apted
Michael David Apted, CMG is an English director, producer, writer and actor. He is one of the most prolific British film directors of his generation but is best known for his work on the Up Series of documentaries and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.On 29 June 2003 he was elected...
’s Enigma
Enigma (2001 film)
Enigma is a 2001 British film about the Enigma codebreakers of Bletchley Park in World War II. The film, directed by Michael Apted, stars Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet. The film's screenplay was by Tom Stoppard, based on the novel Enigma by Robert Harris...
co-starring Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She was the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader...
, Dougray Scott
Dougray Scott
-Early life:The son of Elma, a nurse, and Alan Scott, an actor and salesperson, Stephen Dougray Scott was born in Glenrothes, Fife and attended Auchmuty High School...
and Saffron Burrows
Saffron Burrows
Saffron Dominique Burrows is an English actress and former fashion model, who starred as Det. Serena Stevens on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Lorraine Weller on Boston Legal.-Early life:...
.
Coster-Waldau’s charm and range as an actor have garnered him multiple roles with many of his previous directors. Scott brought Coster-Waldau back for his 2005 epic film Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom of Heaven (film)
Kingdom of Heaven is a 2005 epic action film directed by Ridley Scott and written by William Monahan. It stars Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Marton Csokas, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McKidd, Alexander Siddig, Ghassan Massoud, Edward Norton, Jon Finch, Michael Sheen and Liam...
starring Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
, Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
and Eva Green
Eva Green
Eva Gaëlle Green is a French actress and model.Green performed in theatre before making her film debut in The Dreamers , which generated controversy over her numerous nude scenes. She achieved greater fame for her parts in Kingdom of Heaven , and in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, for...
. Additionally, Richard Loncraine
Richard Loncraine
Richard Loncraine is a British film and television director.Loncraine received early training in the features department of the BBC, including a season directing items for Tomorrow's World...
, who first cast Coster-Waldau in his 2004 film Wimbledon
Wimbledon (film)
Wimbledon is a 2004 romantic comedy film directed by Richard Loncraine. The film centers on a washed-up tennis pro named Peter Colt and an up-and-coming tennis star named Lizzie Bradbury during the Wimbledon Championships.The film was dedicated to Mark McCormack, who died on 16 May 2003 after...
alongside Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany is an English actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of films, including A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code...
and Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories...
, brought him back for Firewall
Firewall (film)
Firewall is a 2006 British-American thriller film directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Joe Forte. Harrison Ford stars as Jack Stanfield, a security expert at a bank faced with a corporate merger and the offer of a new job.-Plot:...
, a thriller starring Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
and Bettany.
Aside from acting, he has also written, produced and directed films in his native Denmark. He is the Executive Vice President of Hemmingsen Entertainment Corporation and affiliate Hemmingsen Creek Productions.
He starred as John Amsterdam, an immortal New York homicide detective who will become mortal after he finds his true love, in the canceled Fox drama series New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam (TV series)
New Amsterdam is an American television drama, which premiered March 4, 2008 on Fox, and ended after its eighth episode.-Premise and plot:...
.
Personal life
Coster-Waldau lives in DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
with his wife, Greenlandic actress and former Miss Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Nukâka Motzfeldt
Nukaaka Coster-Waldau
Nukaaka Coster-Waldau is a Greenlandic singer, actress, and a former Miss Greenland. She is married to Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau....
and two young daughters named Safina and Philippa.
Filmography
Non-English language (Danish unless indicated):- NattevagtenNattevagtenNightwatch is a 1994 Danish horror thriller film directed and written by Danish director Ole Bornedal. It is a thriller about a law student who works in a morgue as a night-watchman, and becomes implicated in a series of murders of prostitutes.Ole Bornedal also directed the Hollywood remake...
(1994) - Nattens engel (1998)
- Vildspor (1998)
- Antenneforeningen (1999)
- Misery Harbour (1999)
- På fremmed mark (2000)
- Manden bag døren (2003)
- Rembrandt (2003)
- Den gode strømer (2004)
- SupervoksenSupervoksenSupervoksen is a Danish comedy-drama from 2006.-Plot:Rebekka Claudia and Sofie are 15 years old and in high school. In class, they learn how different cultures mark the transition from childhood to adulthood. Deciding that confirmation is meaningless, they decide to create their own rite of...
(2006) - Underbar och älskad av alla ("Wonderful and loved by everyone", Swedish, 2006)
- De unge år: Erik Nietzsche sagaen del 1 ("The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche part 1", Swedish, 2007)
- Kautokeino-opprøretKautokeino-opprøretThe Kautokeino Rebellion ) is a 2008 film based on the true story of the Kautokeino riots in Kautokeino, Norway in 1852 in response to the Norwegian exploitation of the Sami community at that time. It is directed by Nils Gaup and was released in January, 2008...
(Norwegian, 2008) - Himmerland (2008)
- Ved Verdens Ende (2009)
- Hodejegerne (Norwegian, 2011)
English language:
- BentBent (film)Bent is a 1997 British/Japanese drama film directed by Sean Mathias, based on the 1979 play of the same name by Martin Sherman, who also wrote the screenplay. It revolves around the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany after the murder of Sturmabteilung leader Ernst Röhm on the Night of the...
(1997) - Lock, Stock...Lock, Stock...Lock, Stock... was a 2000 television series off-shoot from the 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The series was shown on Channel 4 and starred Ralph Brown, Daniel Caltagirone, Del Synnott, Scott Maslen and Shaun Parkes. Lock, Stock... was Ginger Productions' first commission...
(2000) - Black Hawk Down (2001)
- EnigmaEnigma (2001 film)Enigma is a 2001 British film about the Enigma codebreakers of Bletchley Park in World War II. The film, directed by Michael Apted, stars Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet. The film's screenplay was by Tom Stoppard, based on the novel Enigma by Robert Harris...
(2001) - My Name Is ModestyMy Name is ModestyMy Name Is Modesty is a 2003 American action film that was released direct-to-DVD. The film is based on the early years of the character Modesty Blaise, a former crime boss turned secret agent....
(2003) - Wimbledon (2004)
- The Headsman (2005)
- Kingdom of HeavenKingdom of Heaven (film)Kingdom of Heaven is a 2005 epic action film directed by Ridley Scott and written by William Monahan. It stars Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Marton Csokas, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McKidd, Alexander Siddig, Ghassan Massoud, Edward Norton, Jon Finch, Michael Sheen and Liam...
(2005) - FirewallFirewall (film)Firewall is a 2006 British-American thriller film directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Joe Forte. Harrison Ford stars as Jack Stanfield, a security expert at a bank faced with a corporate merger and the offer of a new job.-Plot:...
(2006) - Assassin in Love also known as The Baker (2007)
- New AmsterdamNew Amsterdam (TV series)New Amsterdam is an American television drama, which premiered March 4, 2008 on Fox, and ended after its eighth episode.-Premise and plot:...
(2008) - VirtualityVirtuality (TV series)Virtuality is a television pilot co-written by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor and directed by Peter Berg that aired on the Fox network. Since the show was never picked up as a television series, the two-hour pilot episode aired as a movie on June 26, 2009.- Plot :The story is set aboard the...
(2009) - Game of ThronesGame of Thrones (TV series)Game of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones, the television series debuted in...
(2011)