Nikolaj Coster-waldau

A graduate of the prestigious National Theater School in Denmark, international actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has created a strong foothold in Hollywood.

After leaving his handprint on the European Film and Television industry, Coster-Waldau quickly made his transition to American cinema. In 2001, he began his U.S. career with a starring role in Ridley Scott's critically acclaimed and Academy award-winning 'Black Hawk Down.' Following, he landed a lead role in Michael Apted's 'Enigma' co-starring Kate Winslet, Dougray Scott and Saffron Burrows. 

Ridley 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.

In 2008, Coster-Waldau made his series debut in the Fox drama, 'New Amsterdam,' playing immortal detective John Amsterdam and was singled out by many as one of the season's breakout stars. He was then seen in Fox's 'Virtuality,' directed by Peter Berg and produced by Gail Berman & Lloyd Braun.  

In 2009, he co-starred opposite Ulrich Thomsen in 'Blekingegade,' a high-profile Danish TV2 miniseries event, based on Denmark's highest profile criminal gang, for TV2 and Zentropa Films. The first of the five episodes gave TV2 its highest ratings for 2009.

Earlier this year, Coster-Waldau completed shooting on Oscar winning writer Mateo Gil's directorial debut, 'Blackthorn,' opposite Sam Shepard, Stephen Rea and Eduardo Noriega. The film, a follow up to 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' follows an older Cassidy living incognito in Bolivia, planning his last big heist.  

Coster-Waldau also completed 'Headhunters,' based on the bestselling writer Jo Nesbø's most recent novel of the same name, which won the Norwegian Book Club Prize for Novel of the Year in 2008. The film, directed by award winning director Morten Tyldym, produced by Yellow Bird ('Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' series) is a thriller set in the world of art theft. Coster-Waldau stars opposite Aksel Hennie.

Born and raised in Denmark, Coster-Waldau's other credits include leading roles in the films 'Night Watch,' 'Vildspor' (Wildshot), which he also co-wrote, 'Misery Harbours,' 'Foreign Fields,' '24 Hours in the Life of a Woman,' 'Rembrandt' and 'Manden Bag Døren.'

Coster-Waldau resides in Denmark.

Official Bio