Claes Bang facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claes Bang
Bang in 2025
Born	Claes Kasper Bang 28 April 1967 (1967-04-28) (age 58) Odense, Denmark
Alma mater	Danish National School of Theatre
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Lis Louis-Jensen ​ (m. 2010)​
Musical career
Also known as	This Is Not America
Genres	Electronica, synth-pop
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Music for Dreams, Sound ...
Associated acts	Marina

Claes Kasper Bang (born 28 April 1967) is a talented Danish actor and musician. He is widely known for his main role as Christian in the 2017 film The Square. This movie won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the Cannes Film Festival. He also played Fjölnir in the 2022 film The Northman.

In 2019, he appeared as Sasha Mann in the final season of The Affair. He became even more famous around the world for playing Count Dracula in the BBC/Netflix series Dracula (2020). For his role in The Square, Claes Bang was the first person from Denmark to win the European Film Award for Best Actor. Besides acting, Bang also has a music career under the name This Is Not America.

Early Life and Education

Claes Kasper Bang was born in Odense, a city on the Danish island of Funen. After his parents separated, he mostly lived with his father. He moved homes often and went to several different schools while growing up.

During his third year of high school, Claes took part in a musical called Hair. This experience sparked his interest in acting. After finishing school, he continued to perform in amateur theatre. When he was 23, he applied to the Danish National School of Theatre. He learned that the age limit for applying was 25. He didn't get in that year, but he tried again the next year. He was accepted just five days before his 25th birthday! He studied at the school from 1992 and earned his diploma in 1996.

Acting Career Highlights

Claes Bang in 2015.

After graduating, Claes Bang's first theatre role was in a play called Tudseakvariet. His first big break on television came in 1997 with the Danish TV show Taxa.

From 2001 to 2004, he was a regular actor at the Aalborg Teater. In 2002, he asked the theatre director if he could perform a special one-person show. This show was called Ondskaben, based on a novel titled Evil. After leaving the theatre in 2004, Bang bought the rights to the show. This allowed him to perform it at other theatres. He has performed Ondskaben almost 400 times. He even performed an English version in countries like the UK, Germany, and South Africa.

Early in his career, Bang starred in many Danish TV series and films. From 2006 to 2008, he became very well-known, especially in Germany, for his role in the Danish police drama Anna Pihl. He then took on several roles in German TV shows and movies.

He played the main character, Christian, an art museum curator, in Ruben Östlund's 2017 film The Square. This film won the Palme d'Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Claes Bang also won the European Film Award for Best Actor for this role. He was the first Dane to achieve this honor.

In November 2018, Bang was chosen to play Count Dracula in the BBC mini-series Dracula. This series was created by the same filmmakers who made Sherlock. .....

In April 2020, it was announced that Bang would work on a pilot episode for a show called Little Room. This project was unique because the actors filmed themselves from home using Zoom. They were also in charge of their own props, costumes, hair, and makeup. The pilot was released online in May 2020. Viewers were asked to donate to charities that help people in the film and TV industries. These industries were financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Music Career: This Is Not America

'This Is Not America' is the name of Claes Bang's music project. He describes it as a "sanctuary" or a "creative playground." It's a place where he can make his own decisions about the music. Bang writes and composes all the songs himself. His music style is a mix of different electronic and pop sounds. His wife, Lis Kasper Bang, helps with the music videos and album art by doing the filming and photography.

Claes Bang started making music for fun in 2002 using a recording studio on his computer. He plays the piano and guitar himself, which he learned when he was younger. Then, he adds other sounds using his computer. He chose the name 'This Is Not America' to avoid a rule by the Danish broadcaster DR. This rule meant they wouldn't play songs by actors. He also wanted to make sure his acting career didn't change how people thought about his music. The name comes from a song by David Bowie, who is one of Bang's biggest inspirations.

His first three songs, "Don't Come Crying," "Shameless," and "Run," were played on the radio station P3 for a year. The station didn't know they were made by an actor at first! Even after they found out, his songs continued to be played on various DR radio stations for a few more years. These songs were later released on his first album, Dislocated, on 7 April 2010.

Some of Bang's co-stars have also appeared on his music tracks. In 2015, he released the song "Still of the Night," which featured Charlotte Munck. She was his co-star in the Danish police drama Anna Pihl. While filming The Square, Bang discovered that his co-star and musician Marina Schiptjenko liked the same kind of music. He showed her some of his songs and sent her demos. After filming finished, they recorded five songs together in his home studio in Copenhagen. So far, they have released songs like "Who Am I," "I Don't Care," and "Here We Go."

Personal Life

Claes Bang met Lis Louis-Jensen, a stylist and photographer, in 2006. They were both working on a play called Den grønne elevator. Lis proposed to Claes on New Year's Eve in 2007. They got married on 25 September 2010 on a canal boat in Copenhagen. Claes is a stepfather to Lis's two children, Sarah and Bella. The family has lived together in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, since 2008.

Filmography

Films

Television Shows

Podcasts

Theatre Performances

Discography

Albums

• 2010: Dislocated

EPs

• 2011: EP1
• 2014: Keep on Dancin
• 2015: Still of the Night
• 2020: Here We Go
• 2020: Butterflies in December
• 2020: You & I (Forever Live or Die)
• 2020: No Song Left Unsung
• 2020: Your Love Is Wasted on Me
• 2020: Take It on the Chin
• 2021: Late to the Party

Singles

Music Videos

• 2009: "Run"
• 2014: "No One"
• 2015: "I'm Not Ready Yet"
• 2018: "Who Am I (feat. Marina)"

Other Music Performances

Claes Bang has also performed several songs as himself:

• 2007: Claes Bang - "Når En Sailor Går I Land" (Otto Brandenburg cover)
• 2014: Nogen Andre - "September" (feat. Claes Bang)
• 2014: Martin Valsted - "Bilist" (feat. Claes Bang)
• 2017: Claes Bang - "Party at the Castle" (The Square Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• 2019: Jacob Gurevitsch - "Motivo Loco" (Bang featured in the music video)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Claes Bang para niños