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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau-68363.jpg
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)
(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.

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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)

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
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)

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau at HBOs "Game Of Thrones" Season 3 (Crop)
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

Nikolaj and Nukâka Coster-Waldau-7397
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.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau by Gage Skidmore 2
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

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1994 Nightwatch Martin Bork
1997 Bent Wolf
Hemmeligheder Mads
1998 Wildside Ossy Also writer
Nattens engel Frankie
1999 The Cable Club Rocker
Misery Harbour Espen Arnakke
2000 På fremmed mark Holt
2001 Enigma Puck
Black Hawk Down MSG Gary Gordon
2002 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman Anton
2003 Stealing Rembrandt Kenneth
The Bouncer Svend
2004 My Name Is Modesty Miklos
The Good Cop Sune
Wimbledon Dieter Prohl
2005 Kingdom of Heaven Village Sheriff
The Headsman Martin
2006 Firewall Liam
Triple Dare Martin
2007 The Baker Bjorn
Wonderful and Loved by All Micke
The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part 1 Sammy
2008 The Kautokeino Rebellion Biskop Juell
Himmerland Thomas Also co-producer
2009 At World's End Severin Geertsen
2011 Blackthorn James Jovin
Headhunters Clas Greve
2012 Aurum N/A Executive producer only
2013 Mama Lucas / Jeffrey Desange
Oblivion Sykes
A Thousand Times Good Night Marcus
2014 The Other Woman Mark King
A Second Chance Andreas
Upstart N/A Executive producer only
Livsforkortelses Ekspert N/A Producer only
2015 Klown Forever Himself Cameo
2016 Gods of Egypt Horus
Chicken / Egg Kenneth Short film
2017 Small Crimes Joe Denton
3 Things Mikael Also executive producer
Shot Caller Jacob 'Money' Harlon
2019 Domino Christian
... Tourist Max Isaksen
2020 Krudttønden Rico
The Silencing Rayburn Swanson
2021 A Taste of Hunger Carsten
2022 Against the Ice Ejnar Mikkelsen Also co-writer and producer
2023 The Flash Pizza man Uncredited cameo
God Is a Bullet Bob Hightower
Nattevagten - Dæmoner går i arv Martin Bork
2024 My Fathers' Daughter Himself

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1993 Slaget på tasken Christian Television film
1995 Who's Hitler? Nattevagten Television short
Lyse tider Television short
1997 Jacobs liste Jacob Television film
2000 Lock, Stock... Jordi 2 episodes
2006 Filthy Gorgeous Alex Television film
2008 New Amsterdam John Amsterdam 8 episodes
2009 Virtuality Commander Frank Pike Television film
2009–2010 The Left Wing Gang Jan Weimann 5 episodes
2011–2019 Game of Thrones Jaime Lannister Main role
2015 Saturday Night Live Jaime Lannister Episode: "Taraji P. Henson/Mumford & Sons"
2017 The Simpsons Markery (voice) Episode: "The Serfsons"
2023 The Last Thing He Told Me Owen 7 episodes
2024 An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet Himself 6 episodes
TBA King and Conqueror William the Conqueror

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue Ref.
1992–93 Hamlet Laertes Betty Nansen Theater
1994 Morgen og aften Colin Henderson Husets Theater
1995 Privatliv Elyot Mungo Park
Uidentificerede menneskerester og kærlighedens sande væsen Royal Danish Theatre
1996 I en Fremmeds Øjne Daniel Café Teatret
1997 Paradis Lars Emberg N. Cederholm/Dante
Lovestory Martin Mungo Park
2000 Drengene i Skyggen Christoffer Betty Nansen Theater
2002 Becket Becket Gladsaxe Ny Teater
2009 Øjeblikket Betty Nansen Theater
2020 Macbeth Macbeth Geffen Playhouse

Awards and Nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
1994 Bodil Awards Best Actor Nightwatch Nominated
1999 Robert Awards Best Actor Wildside Nominated
2003 The Bouncer Nominated
2011 Scream Award Best Ensemble Game of Thrones Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award Best Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2013 People's Choice Awards Favorite TV Anti-Hero Nominated
Critics' Choice Television Award Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated
Saturn Award Best Supporting Actor on Television Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award Best Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2014 Screen Actors Guild Award Best Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2015 Screen Actors Guild Award Best Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
Empire Awards Empire Hero Award (shared with cast) Won
2016 Screen Actors Guild Award Best Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2017 Zulu Award Best Actor Nominated
Nordisk Film Fond Ove Sprogøe Award Won
Screen Actors Guild Award Best Ensemble in a Drama Series Game of Thrones Nominated
2018 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor on a Television Series Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2019 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor on Television Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award Best Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2022 Bodil Awards Best Actor A Taste of Hunger Nominated
Robert Awards Best Actor Nominated
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