Top 50 Most Popular Danish Actors Of All Time

One of Denmark's most famous actors to have ever faced the camera, Mads Mikkelsen made his full-length feature film debut in 1996's Pusher.

He was known to have been both a competent dancer and gymnast before the first two installments of the Pusher film series fetched him fame as a mainstream actor.

Quite literally the face of the resurgent Danish cinema, Mikkelsen has been seen making his undeniable presence felt in Hollywood productions as well.

While he gained worldwide recognition after having appeared in the smash-hit James Bond film Casino Royale, he consolidated his position by starring in other television and film projects such as Hannibal and Doctor Strange.

For his performance in the critically acclaimed Danish movie The Hunt, the actor won a Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award.

While Mads joined the cast of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2021, he is also said to reprise his role of Duncan Vizla in a new film, titled The Black Kaiser. 

Add to that the fact that he has also been seen in titles such as Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Another Round of late.

Besides being an outstanding mainstream actor, he is also a writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist.

The Green Book star made his professional acting debut on the television show George Washington in 1984.

Mortensen, who has also lived in Argentina during his childhood, is no stranger to new languages.

Aside from English, he is known to be fluent in Danish, Spanish, Italian, French, and Arabic languages.

While he was cast to play British cave diver Rick Stanton in the biographical drama Thirteen Lives, he was reunited with David Cronenberg in the horror science fiction film Crimes of the Future.

That said, the man has also written, directed, and starred in a Wester flick, titled The Dead Don't Hurt in the recent past.

Some of his finest performances came in feature films such as The Road, Captain Fantastic, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, and The Lord of the Rings franchise.

The actor made his feature film debut in 1979's Running and is best recognized for his tough character projection of Gus Fring in one of the greatest television series of all time: Breaking Bad.

Esposito has also featured in a number of Spike Lee directorial ventures such as Malcolm X, School Daze, and Do the Right Thing.

Some of the actor's best performances came in television shows such as Better Call Saul, The Boys, Dear White People, and Once Upon a Time.

In 2020, we heard the diligent actor state that he was soon supposed to be a part of a huge video game. Sooner than later, it was revealed that he would be playing the chief antagonist of Ubisoft's Far Cry 6. 

He served as the directorial ruler of Yara Antón Castillo in the same. 

Ulrich Thomsen is known to have studied acting at the National Drama School in Copenhagen from 1989 to 1993.

The actor made his small screen debut in 1993 and was seen in the full-length feature Nattevagten the very next year.

After having graduated from the National Drama School, he was seen in several theatrical plays.

Thomsen got to play his breakout role in the 1998 film The Celebration. His performance in the movie made him popular outside his native country as well.

Sooner than later, he was seen participating in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough and Killing Me Softly as well.

Jesper Christensen is the first actor to have played the same villain in more than two James Bond flicks. He has been a part of the entertainment industry ever since the beginning of the 1970s.

A true veteran of European cinema, he has also been seen in several English-language productions.

Christensen has appeared in over 140 television and film credits thus far but he is perhaps best remembered for his portrayal of an enigmatic villain in the James Bond films Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Spectre.

The actor has been a recipient of four Bodil Awards in his home country.

David Dencik, born Karl David Sebastian, made his professional acting debut in the 2003 motion picture Reconstruction.

Besides acting in both Swedish and Danish feature films, he has also had significant roles to play in English-language movies and television shows.

Some of his better performances came in projects such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Top of the Lake, McMafia, Chernobyl, and No Time to Die.

Dencik, who has won two Robert Awards so far, is also a seven-time Bodil Award nominee.

This Swedish-born Danish actor has so far appeared in over 40 films and television shows after having made his feature film debut in 1998's The Blue Monk.

His film Dark Horse was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005.

Jakob Cedergren is best known for playing the role of Danish Prince Carl/King Haakon VII of Norway in the Norwegian TV miniseries Harry & Charles.

He has been appearing in the Swedish crime series The Sandhamn Murders since 2010.

Lars Dittmann Mikkelsen was first seen making an appearance in a few television movies and shows before making a name for himself on the big screen.

A recipient of the Reumert Prize of Honour in 2011, he is best known for his performances in shows such as The Killing, House of Cards, Star Wars Rebels, and the acclaimed BBC drama Sherlock.

Even though he is proudly Danish, Mikkelsen is known to be fluent in Swedish, German, and English languages as well.

Nikolaj Lie Kaas graduated from the National Theater School in Denmark in 1998. However, he had started his rise within the film industry even before he got his graduation degree.

The actor made his feature film debut in 1991's The Boys from St. Petri and was soon called one of European film's "Shooting Stars" by European Film Promotion.

He has received the Robert Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role twice; the first time in 2002 and again in 2012.

Kaas is also known to have hosted the Zulu Comedy Galla on Danish TV in 2009, 2011, and 2012, respectively.

Nicolas Bro is an experienced screen performer who worked in quite a few short films before making both his big and small screen debut.

He won the Danish theatre award Reumert for his performance in Ole Bornedal's Skrigerne at Copenhagen's Aveny-T theatre.

Not many people are aware of the fact that Bro served both as an actor and cinematographer on director Christoffer Boe's film Offscreen.

The actor is also known for playing a part in the third season of the Swedish-Danish television series The Bridge.

Søren Malling was born in Denmark in 1964. He went to Odense Theatre School from 1988-1992 to learn the basics of theatre and acting.

Best known for playing the role of Inspector Jan Meyer in the Danish TV crime thriller Forbrydelsen, he started to get noticed by critics worldwide after his character projection in the historical television war drama 1864.

In his spare time, Malling is known to test his Tennis skills. The actor earned a well-deserved Robert Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role as Kjeld at the 2017 Robert Awards.

Jean Pierre Carl Buron Hersholt, known professionally as Jean Hersholt, was seen in quite a few short films before finding an uncredited role to play in the 1915 feature The Disciple.

President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1945 to 1949, he is perhaps best remembered for starring in the radio series Dr. Christian.

Also known for his character play in the 1937 flick Heidi, the performer featured in about 75 silent movies and 65 sound films throughout his career.

Hersholt received two honorary awards from the Academy for his contributions to the industry; first in 1940 and the second one in 1950.

Thure Frank Lindhardt got his education from the drama school at Odense Theatre and made his acting debut in 1987.

Even though he debuted at the young age of 12, his breakthrough performance came in a film called A Place Nearby, in which he was seen playing the part of a boy with autism.

The year 2012 saw him getting nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor and Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for his performance in Keep the Lights On.

The aforementioned flick premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Dar Salim, who was born in Baghdad, Iraq, is known to be living in Copenhagen with his son Zidane Storm Salim.

The actor received a Bodil Award nomination in the Best Actor category for his acknowledged performance in the film Go With Peace, Jamil in 2008.

Known for his work in film and television, Salim tested himself as a performer at the William Esper Studio in New York and also studied method acting in London.

He's had a recurring role to play in Danish thrillers such as The Bridge and Below the Surface.

Johan Philip Pilou Asbæk, better known as Pilou Asbæk, made his acting debut in the feature film Worlds Apart in 2008.

He is recognized for his character projection of a disturbed spin doctor Kasper Juul in the Danish television political drama Borgen.

His performance in the aforementioned show was praised by critics. Having said that, Asbæk gained further fame after playing the part of Euron Greyjoy in Game of Thrones.

The actor is also known to have featured in motion pictures such as R, Lucy, A Hijacking, and Sex, Drugs & Taxation, to mention a few.

Kim Bodnia loves to play quintessential macho men in the movies. He has been working since the second half of the 1980s.

The actor enjoys paintings and other forms of art and is perhaps best known for his role as police detective Martin Rohde in the Scandinavian crime drama series The Bridge.

It'd be safe to assert that Bodnia found further fame by portraying the drug dealer Frank in Nicolas Winding Refn's 1996 directorial debut Pusher.

However, today, he is recognized as Konstantin from Phoebe Waller-Bridge's spy thriller television series Killing Eve.

For his performance in the aforementioned show, he received a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Mikkel Følsgaard made headlines when he won several accolades for his performance in his debut motion picture A Royal Affair.

The actor was still studying at the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance when his debut film hit the screens.

For his convincing character projection of King Christian VII in the same, he ended up winning a Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.

His elder brother Nicolas Tobias Følsgaard is a photographer and director himself.

Lars Ranthe first faced the camera during the first half of the 1980s. He has continued to be a reliable screen performer ever since.

He has participated in more than 70 television and film projects in his career so far.

Ranthe is best known for having delivered strong performances in feature films such as Another Round, Adam's Apples, and A Funny Man.

The actor has been happily married to Christine Albeck Børge since 1998.

Thomas Bo Larsen made his acting debut by playing an uncredited role in a feature film Twist and Shout in 1984.

Frequently seen being cast in movies by Thomas Vinterberg, he is best known for his performances in titles such as The Hunt, The Celebration, and Another Round.

In 1995, the actor was nominated for a Bodil Award for Best Supporting Actor in Sidste time.

Thomas has also been a recipient of two Robert Awards. While he won the first one in 1996 for Best Actor in De største helte, he received the second one in 1998 for Best Supporting Actor for his character play in Festen.

Peter Gantzler made his professional acting debut on the small screen by appearing in one of the episodes of the television series Flid, fedt og snyd in 1981.

Also a director, he is best known for his work in projects such as Italian for Beginners, A-klassen, and The Judge, to mention a few.

Married to actress Xenia Lach-Nielsen with a child, Gantzler is known to have performed in various theaters in the Copenhagen neighborhood as well.

Zlatko Burić is a Croatian-Danish actor who was educated as an actor at Dramskij Studio, Osijek, Croatia.

After having completed his studies, he became a part of the experimental theater group Kugla Glumište and stayed with them through the second half of the 1970s and early 1980s.

The actor has participated in a lot many successful Danish features during the 1990s and 2000s.

Burić is known to have frequently collaborated with Nicolas Winding Refn on several occasions. The year 2012 saw him reprising his role in the British remake of the 1996 flick Pusher.

Anders W. Berthelsen has been seen making his presence felt in more than 40 motion pictures and television shows after having made his professional acting debut in 1994.

Besides being an actor, he is also known as a filmmaker. Some of his finest performances have come in titles such as Italian for Beginners, Held for Ransom, and King's Game.

Berthelsen has been married to Christina Pind since 1999. The couple is blessed with one child.

Lars Brygmann graduated from acting school in 1987 and went on to perform in a number of theatres in his home country soon after getting his degree.

Whatever experience he gained from performing in theatres helped him make both his big screen and small screen debut in 1995.

Since then, he has been seen delivering in projects such as Riders of Justice, Dicte, and Rembrandt, to mention a few.

Brygmann tied the knot with Katrine Brygmann Salomon in 2000. Both his brothers, Martin and Jens Brygmann, are screen performers as well.

This actor/musician has been an active performer within the Danish entertainment industry ever since he made his feature film debut in 1998.

He is best known for portraying the part of Christian in Ruben Östlund's 2017 motion picture The Square, which ended up earning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

For his character play in the aforementioned movie, he officially became the first Dane in cinema history to have ever won the European Film Award for Best Actor.

Of late, Bang was seen playing a role in filmmaker Robert Eggers's acclaimed epic historical action thriller, The Northman.

He found further fame by playing Count Dracula in the BBC/Netflix series Dracula.

Known for his athletic stunt skills, David Sakurai is a Danish Japanese actor who is also a director, scriptwriter, and martial artist.

He was born in Copenhagen and raised in Frederiksværk by a Danish mother and a Japanese father.

The actor was interested in film production right from when he was a teenager. Therefore, he started to learn acting after he moved to Japan at the age of 18.

Sakurai returned to Denmark with a wish to work with Jack Hansen and some other fresh and talented filmmakers in his native tongue.

Roland Møller made his acting debut by playing a brutal inmate in the prison drama R, which hit the screens in 2010.

The following year, he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor trophy for his performance in the aforementioned flick at The Danish Critics Association Awards, Bodil.

Just a couple of years later, Roland was again nominated for a Bodil in the same category for his character projection of a sailor named Jan Sørensen in Tobias Lindholm's drama film A Hijacking.

Besides his commanding stature, this former professional bodybuilder is best known for his role play of Owen Shaw's crew member Klaus in the sixth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise.

As a professional actor, he made his debut in the 2008 feature film Take the Trash.

Kold won the Danish National Bodybuilding Championship in 2006. He was apparently persuaded by his filmmaker friend Mads Matthiesen to feature in his short film Dennis.

Even though it wasn't exactly promoted, the short feature soon became a tad popular and helped Kold kick-start his journey as a mainstream actor.

This incredibly talented and popular Danish actor and producer graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen in 1993.

In the very same year, he was seen making an appearance on the television film Slaget på tasken. However, he found fame after having featured in the thriller film Nightwatch in 1994.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is best known for his outstanding portrayal of Jaime Lannister in the blockbuster HBO series Game of Thrones.

For his performance in the same, he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

The actor also stunned the viewers with his remarkable character projection in the acclaimed crime drama film Shot Caller.

It's been reported that Nikolaj filmed the movie The Day We Died in secret. The project was based on the 2015 Copenhagen shootings and was, therefore, a complex one.

Even though he was also tipped to have participated in Macbeth in 2020, it was later announced that the project had been called off due to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Troels Lyby has been an active screen performer ever since he made his debut in the mid-1990s.

Even though the actor was previously seen in motion pictures such as Let's Get Lost and The Idiots, he played his breakout role in Hella Joof's En kort en lang.

He has been a recipient of the Robertprisen for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 2002 film En kort en lang.

In addition, he's known to have won the Robertprisen for Best Actor for his performance in 2006's Anklaget.

Born in Bogense, Denmark, Jens Albinus made his professional acting debut in the movie Anton in 1996.

Besides being a screen actor, he is also a director who is known to have featured in projects such as The Idiots, Antichrist, and Everything Will Be Fine.

Albinus continued to make his presence felt in projects such as Borgen, The Audition, and Everything Will Be Fine, among others.

Morten Suurballe is a promising Danish actor who was born in Copenhagen and educated at the Danish National School of Theatre in 1978.

After the completion of his course in the aforementioned school, he was employed at several theatres including the Royal Danish Theatre.

The actor made his acting debut in 1981 and went on to be recognized for his portrayal of Detective Chief Inspector Lennart Brix in the television series The Killing.

Nils Anton Alfhild Asther, who was best known as Nils Asther, made his professional acting debut during the mid-1910s.

Born in Denmark, he was predominantly a Swedish actor who was active in Hollywood until the mid-1950s.

Often, he was referred to as "the male Greta Garbo" by industry insiders. Not many people know that he had even proposed to Greta Garbo in 1929.

Asther is remembered today for his two silent films, namely The Single Standard and Wild Orchids.

He also starred in the Frank Capra directorial venture The Bitter Tea of General Yen.

Known for his towering height and broad frame, Sven-Ole Thorsen is a Danish actor who made his feature film debut by playing a role in 1977's Mind Your Back, Professor.

Also a stuntman, bodybuilder, and strongman competitor, he was able to win Denmark's Strongest Man event in 1983.

Since he has a commanding screen presence courtesy of his stature, Sven is mostly seen playing an antagonist in the projects that he is a part of.

His autobiography Stærk mand i Hollywood (Strong Man in Hollywood in English) was published in the October of 2007.

Hailed by many as the greatest Danish comedian ever, Dirch Hartvig Passer started his career in the motion picture industry in 1947.

Greatly renowned for his terrific improvisational skills, he participated in more than 100 television and film projects throughout his illustrious career.

Needless to say, he went on to establish himself as one of the most prolific stars in the history of Danish cinema.

Passer was either seen playing antiheroes or crazy "Everymen" in most of his flicks. He was adored by the audience during his heyday.

It is said that his viewers used to follow most things he said or did in his various cinematic endeavors.

Peter Mygind was first seen appearing in the 1991 feature film Høfeber. He is an actor and writer who is best known for his work in Flame & Citron, Nikolaj og Julie, and Last Christmas.

He is also known to have featured on several TV shows such as Borgen, Unit One, The Kingdom, and Anna Pihl.

The actor has served as a host for both the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix and the quiz show Boom Boom.

Mygind has been married to Lise Mühlhausen since August 10, 1996. They have two children.

Carsten Bjørnlund is a theatre, film, and television actor who made his acting debut on the television show At the Faber at the dawn of the new century.

However, he was seen playing a main lead in motion pictures only with the release of the One-Way Ticket to Korsør in 2008.

The roles that he played in 2011's The Thing and ID:A continue to be among his better-known ones.

Bjørnlund can also be seen portraying the character of Rasmus in the Danish comedy-drama television series Rita.

Simon Sears won the Reumert award for talents in theatre in 2016. He is best known for his performances in features such as Shadow and Bone, Enforcement, and Herrens veje.

His character projection in Winter Brothers fetched him nominations at the Bodil Awards and Robert Awards.

Also a recipient of the Best Actor trophy at the Italian Digital Fiction Festival, Sears resides in Copenhagen with his beloved Icelandic wife and two sons.

Bjarne Henriksen is an actor and director who is best known for his work in Forbrydelsen, The Hunt, and The Celebration.

The actor commenced his career at the beginning of the 1990s and has been accepted in both tough and comical roles.

Courtesy of his macho persona, roles that are a bit primitive in nature suit him well.

That said, he has been seen playing a wide range of characters in various mainstream projects.

Henriksen got his education from the National Theater School in Copenhagen.

Poul David Reichhardt was a talented actor who made his acting debut in the 1931 feature film I Kantonnement.

Even though he was seen playing serious roles in the latter part of his career, it was his performance in the Danish comedies of the 1940s and 1950s that fetched him fame.

For close to three decades, Reichhardt managed to charm his Danish fans by making his presence felt both in films and on the stage.

Born and raised in Slagelse, Denmark, Alex Høgh Andersen made his acting debut on the television show Outsider in 2012.

Also a model and photographer, he is best known for his character projection of Ivar the Boneless in the popular historical drama television series Vikings.

Andersen managed to discover his love of acting while studying drama at school. He has featured in many musical-oriented plays.

Needless to say, the young actor was fortunate enough to have gained a decent amount of experience before he started auditioning for roles in the movies.

When he is not occupied acting, he can be found trying his hands at photography.

Allan Hyde made his acting debut by appearing in the show Album in 2008. He has since participated in more than 40 film and television projects.

He is best known for making an impression by playing the character of the 2000-year-old vampire Godric in HBO's True Blood.

His portrayal went on to be liked by the viewers of the show. Also a singer on the side, Hyde is known to have lent his voice to the admirable character of Ron Weasley in all the Danish releases of the Harry Potter series of motion pictures.

Born and raised in Copenhagen, Mikael Birkkjær trained at Skuespillerskolen at Odense Teater until 1985.

He is perhaps best known for his character projection of Phillip Christensen in the Danish television political drama Borgen.

Also seen portraying Inspector Ulrik Strange in the 2009 TV series Forbrydelsen, he made his acting debut by playing a part in the 1987 television movie En farlig mand.

Caspar Phillipson is a Danish screen performer who made his mainstream acting debut in the mid-1990s. He has also been a stage and voice actor.

Most of his credits happen to be Scandinavian productions. He is best known in the English-speaking world for his character projection of John F. Kennedy in the biographical drama film Jackie.

Phillipson was also seen playing a part in Blonde, which is a fictionalized take on late Hollywood superstar Marilyn Monroe's complex life.

During his 55-year-long career, Torben Meyer starred in more than 200 television and film projects.

The actor got the opportunity to play his debut role in a silent Danish movie in 1912. Later, he left Denmark to look for better opportunities in Hollywood.

Even though he was initially cast in small roles, his career began to flourish during the 1950s when his roles got comparatively bigger.

In fact, he got to play the finest part in his career at the age of 76 in director Stanley Kramer’s Judgement of Nuremberg, which hit the screens in 1961.

Yet another Danish entertainer to be born in Copenhagen, Per Bentzon Goldschmidt was already a multi-talented individual when he started his journey in the movies.

Besides trying his hands at acting, he was also known to be a baritone saxophonist, tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandmaster.

Goldschmidt led a number of musical groups during the 1970s. He is remembered for his performances in Lenin, You Rascal, You, Eftermiddagsgæsten, and Erasmus Montanus.

He was trained in both classical clarinet and acting during the early stages of his career.

Carl Brisson, born Carl Frederik Ejnar Pedersen, made his acting debut in the 1918 Danish motion picture The Mysterious Footprints.

He was a more than competent actor and singer who appeared in 13 feature films between 1918 and 1935.

While he appeared in two silent films helmed by the great Alfred Hitchcock, he is also credited with introducing the popular song "Cocktails for Two" in the 1934 flick Murder at the Vanities.

He was married to Cleo Willard Brrison from 1915 to his death.

Casper Frederik Crump is one of the only screen actors on our list who is known to have played the same character in three different series.

He was seen embodying Vandal Savage in Arrow, The Flash, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow, respectively.

Besides his popular role in the aforementioned shows, he is also known to have portrayed Captain Kerchover in the adventure feature film The Legend of Tarzan, which hit the screens in 2016.

Crump was first seen making an appearance in the 2004 motion picture Lost Generation.

Magnus Bruun is a Danish screen actor who is known to film buffs worldwide for his adroit portrayal of Cnut of Northumbria in the television series The Last Kingdom.

Also known for having represented the male version of Eivor in the video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla, he made his acting debut by playing a role in the 2007 motion picture De unge år: Erik Nietzsche sagaen del 1.

It is safe to say that his Viking-like appearance helped him play the character in The Last Kingdom in the most amazing manner possible.

Needless to mention, it continues to be the character he is best recognized for to date.

Born in Frederiksberg, Denmark, Carsten Norgaard commenced his acting career by playing the perplexing Dolphin Man in the 1988 feature film The Fruit Machine.

He holds an economics degree in Denmark and is also known to have appeared in the Disney film D2: The Mighty Ducks.

Not many people are aware of the fact that Norgaard is famous as the face of the Norwegian oil company Statoil in Ireland.

This is because he participated in their television advertisements during the 1990s.

Preben Uglebjerg made his screen debut in the second half of the 1940s. Unfortunately, his career was cut short after he was killed in a late-night traffic accident for causes not known yet.

Born in Glostrup, Denmark, he was best known for his performance in feature films such as Call Girls, Laan mig din kone, and Op med lille Martha.

The actor had been married to Puk Schaufuss and Kate Mundt at different times in his life.