Mads Mikkelsen

MADS MIKKELSEN

Date of Birth: November 22, 1965

Born in Copenhagen, Mads Mikkelsen was a child gymnast, then worked as a professional dancer before studying acting at the Arhus Theatre School. He made his film debut as a junkie/pusher in the Danish film Pusher (1996), but it was the TV series Rejseholdet/Unit 1 (2000 to 2004) that brought him overnight fame.

In 2004 Mikkelsen made his Hollywood debut opposite Clive Owen and Keira Knightley in King Arthur. He won several Best Actor awards when he reprised his role in Pusher II (2004), the sequel to his movie debut. In the Bond movie Casino Royale, Mikkelsen played Le Chiffre, an international banker and money launderer for terrorist organizations. He continues to work in both American and Danish films, including playing Igor Stravinsky in the independent film Chanel Coco & Igor Stravinsky (2010) and Draco in the major motion picture Clash of the Titans (2010). His other films include The Three Musketeers (2011), A Royal Affair (2012) and The Hunt (2013).

Mikkelsen has also starred in The Salvation (2015), Doctor Strange (2016), and the blockbuster fantasy prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).

More recently, he performed a nearly solo turn in Arctic (2018) as a man who is stranded in the Arctic when he's in a plane crash. When a rescue helicopter also crashes nearby, he rescues the one survivor, who's badly injured and doesn't speak his language. He has to figure out whether to stay at the crash site or try to find help.

In 2021, Mikkelson starred in the sci-fi thriller Chaos Walking alongside Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley.

Mikkelsen has two children with his wife, Hanne Jacobsen.

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