Nikolaj Coster-Waldau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Coster-Waldau at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, 2022
Born	Nikolaj William Coster-Waldau (1970-07-27) 27 July 1970 (age 54) Rudkøbing, Denmark
Education	Danish National School of Performing Arts
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–present
Spouse(s)	Nukâka Motzfeldt ​ (m. 1998)​
Children	2
Relatives	Josef Motzfeldt (father-in-law)

Nikolaj William Coster-Waldau (born 27 July 1970) is a Danish actor. He became famous in Denmark with the film Nightwatch (1994). He is best known for playing Jaime Lannister in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones. For this role, he was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Coster-Waldau has acted in many films in Denmark, other Scandinavian countries, and the U.S. These include Headhunters (2011) and A Thousand Times Good Night (2013). His first U.S. film was Black Hawk Down (2001). In this film, he played Gary Gordon, a soldier who received the Medal of Honor. He also played a detective in the TV series New Amsterdam (2008). Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador. He helps bring attention to important issues like gender equality and climate change.

Early Life and Education

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was born in Rudkøbing, Denmark. His mother, Hanne Søborg Coster, was a librarian. He has two older sisters. He grew up mainly with his mother in Tybjerg, a small village in southern Zealand.

From 1989 to 1993, Coster-Waldau studied at the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance. This school is also known as Statens Teaterskole in Danish.

Acting Career

Starting Out (1993–2000)

Coster-Waldau first acted on stage as Laertes in Hamlet. This play was performed at the Betty Nansen Theater. His role in the film Nightwatch (1994) made him well-known in Denmark.

He then appeared in Simon Staho's Wildside (1998), which he also helped write. He starred in other Danish films like Misery Harbour (1999). His first British film was Bent (1997).

Moving to U.S. Films and TV (2001–2010)

Coster-Waldau at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con

In 2001, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau started his career in the United States. He appeared in Ridley Scott's film Black Hawk Down. He played Gary Gordon, a soldier who received the Medal of Honor. Coster-Waldau said he got the role by sending a video tape from his apartment in Copenhagen.

He used his success to take roles in both the U.S. and his home region of Scandinavia. He had a main role in Michael Apted's Enigma. He also played a villain in the action film My Name is Modesty. Ridley Scott cast him again in the 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven.

In 2007, he played John Amsterdam in the TV series New Amsterdam. His character was an immortal New York detective who could become mortal if he found true love. Filming this show helped him get his Screen Actors Guild card. He was very excited about it!

Becoming a Mainstream Star (2011–Present)

Coster-Waldau at the premiere of the third season of Game of Thrones in March 2013

From 2011 to 2019, Coster-Waldau played Jaime Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones. This show is based on George R. R. Martin's fantasy books. He loved playing Jaime, saying, "What's not to like about Jaime? As an actor I couldn't ask for a better role." He received many awards and nominations for this part.

In 2011, he starred in Blackthorn and Headhunters. Headhunters became the highest-grossing Norwegian film ever. In 2013, he starred in the horror film Mama with Jessica Chastain. This film was very successful at the box office. He also played Sykes in the science fiction action film Oblivion. That same year, he acted with Juliette Binoche in A Thousand Times Good Night.

In 2014, he starred in the Danish thriller A Second Chance. In 2016, Coster-Waldau appeared as Horus in the action-fantasy film Gods of Egypt.

More recently, he starred in Small Crimes (2017) and the Danish thriller 3 Things. He also appeared in the prison film Shot Caller (2017). Since 2018, he has been a global spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris Men Expert products.

In 2019, he starred in Brian De Palma's film Domino. He also started his own production company called Ill Kippers. He starred in The Silencing, a thriller directed by Robin Pront. In 2020, he filmed The Day We Died (Krudttønden), based on the 2015 Copenhagen shootings. He was also set to play Macbeth in a play in 2020, but it was postponed due to the Covid pandemic.

Personal Life

Coster-Waldau with his wife Nukâka in 2022.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is not religious. However, he was baptized and confirmed as a Lutheran when he was young. This is common for many Danes. He saw his confirmation as an important step into adulthood.

He married Nukâka, a Greenlandic actress and singer, in 1998. They live in Copenhagen with their two daughters and two dogs. Their daughter Filippa acted in a Danish short film shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014. Their other daughter, Safina, was the main character in a Danish Christmas TV series in 2018. His father-in-law is Josef Motzfeldt, a member of the Parliament of Greenland.

Coster-Waldau is a big fan of the English football team Leeds United. He became a supporter after visiting their stadium in the early 1990s.

Helping Others: UNDP and Other Causes

Coster-Waldau has supported the Danish Red Cross since 2003. In 2016, he helped with a Game of Thrones campaign for the RED foundation. This foundation works to raise awareness and fight AIDS.

Since September 2016, he has been a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador. His role is to help people learn about the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. These goals aim to end poverty, fight inequality, and stop climate change. In 2017, he worked with Google to show the effects of global warming in Greenland using Street View.

After visiting Kenya for a female empowerment project in 2017, he wrote a promise. He called for all fathers to support gender equality and women's empowerment. This includes women living in poverty and those at risk of child marriage. In September 2017, he spoke at The Spotlight Initiative. This project works to stop violence against women and girls. In October 2017, he traveled to the Maldives to report on climate change effects.

Coster-Waldau at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con

In June 2018, he helped launch The Lion's Share fund. This fund asks advertisers to donate a small percentage of their spending to animal conservation when they use animal images in ads. In 2019, he visited Rwanda to see the country's progress. He also went to the Peruvian Amazonia during the 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires to show the effects of climate change.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and Nominations