Ola Rapace facts for kids

Ola Rapace (born Pär Ola Norell on 3 December 1971) is a Swedish actor. He is well-known for playing Patrice in the 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall.

Early Life and Discovering Acting

Ola Rapace was born in Tyresö, a town near Stockholm, Sweden. His birth name was Pär Ola Norell. He grew up mostly in Vallentuna, another suburb north of Stockholm.

When he was one year old, his parents separated. He was raised by his father. As a child, he enjoyed playing football and listening to heavy metal.

Later, while studying philosophy in France at the University of Montpellier, he found his passion for acting.

Acting Career Highlights

Ola Rapace has had many interesting roles in movies and TV shows.

First Roles and Breakthrough

His first movie role was in Lukas Moodysson's film Together in 2000. This movie was a comedy about a group of people living in a commune in Stockholm. It won several awards at film festivals.

Rapace became very well-known after starring in the TV series Tusenbröder. In this show, he played a handyman who gets involved in organized crime. After that, he played Stefan Lindman in Wallander, a popular TV series based on the Kurt Wallander detective books.

International Projects

Ola Rapace has also worked on international films. His first English-language movie was Rancid in 2004.

A bigger role came in 2012 when he played Patrice, a hitman, in the James Bond film Skyfall.

From 2015 to 2020, Rapace lived in Paris, France. During this time, he worked on Swedish, French, and international projects. In 2016, he starred in the French science fiction film Ares. He also appeared in Section Zéro, a French TV series about a special police team in the future.

In 2017, Rapace had a supporting role as Major Gibson in the big-budget science fiction movie Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, directed by Luc Besson.

In 2018, he was one of the main villains in the third season of the TV drama The Last Kingdom. He played a character named Jarl Sigurd Bloodhair.

In 2019, Rapace joined the cast of Below the Surface (Gidseltagningen), a Danish drama. He played "Yusef" in the second season of the show, which was about people held hostage in a subway train.

In 2020, he starred alongside Kellan Lutz in Divertimento, a French thriller filmed in English.

Recent Work

In 2022, director Lukas Moodysson announced a sequel to Together. However, Ola Rapace did not return to play his original role of Lasse.

During September and October 2022, Rapace performed in a play called Pariah by August Strindberg. This play was shown at Lövstad Castle Theatre.

Reality Television Appearances

Ola Rapace has also appeared on Swedish reality TV shows.

In 2011, he was a participant in Maestro, a show where Swedish celebrities learned how to conduct a classical orchestra.

In 2020, he was one of five famous Swedes featured in Stars at the Castle. On this show, celebrities live together in a castle for five days. Each day, one person is the focus, and they discuss their life and career with the others.

In 2021, he joined a TV series called Treatment on Discovery+. This show featured several celebrities who received medical and therapy treatments on an island.

Personal Life

Ola Rapace married actress Noomi Rapace in 2001. They divorced in 2011. They have a son named Lev, who was born in 2003. After they got married, they both chose the last name Rapace. This name means "bird of prey" in French and Italian.

Ola Rapace also has a daughter named Line, born in 1999, with actress Malin Morgan. He lived in France for several years and speaks French very well.

In May 2019, he married Sonja Jawo in Paris. Sonja is the older sister of Aino Jawo, who is part of the Swedish music group Icona Pop. Ola and Sonja divorced in the summer of 2021.

In 2020, Ola Rapace published his autobiography, which is a book about his own life, called Romeo: Min flykt i fem akter.

Filmography

• Together (2000) – Lasse
• Syndare i sommarsol (2001) – Fredrik
• Hus i helvete (2002) – Pontus
• Rancid (2004) – Bob
• Tusenbröder – Återkomsten (2006) – Hoffa
• Desmond & the Swamp Barbarian Trap (2006) – Elake Wille (voice)
• Allt om min buske (2007) – Nils
• Beyond (2010) – Johan
• Jag saknar dig (2011) – George
• Skyfall (2012) – Patrice
• Mördaren ljuger inte ensam (2013) – Christer
• I Am Yours (2013) – Jesper
• Tommy (2014) – Bobby
• Itsi Bitsi (2014)
• Long Story Short (2015) – Sebastian
• Glada hälsningar från Missångerträsk (2015) – Jocke
• Carole Matthieu (2016) – Revel
• Ares (2016) – Arès
• Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) – Major Gibson
• Divertimento (2020)

See also

In Spanish: Ola Rapace para niños