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IMDbPro

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000130
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Trailer 1
Play trailer2:20
God Is A Bullet (2023)
57 Videos
99+ Photos
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (born 27 July 1970) is a Danish actor, producer and screenwriter. He graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre in Copenhagen in 1993. Coster-Waldau's breakthrough performance in Denmark was his role in the film Nightwatch (1994). Since then he has appeared in numerous films in his native Scandinavia and Europe in general, including Headhunters (2011) and A Thousand Times Good Night (2013).

In the United States, his debut film role was in the war film Black Hawk Down (2001), playing Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon. He then played Detective John Amsterdam in the short-lived Fox television series New Amsterdam (2008), as well as appearing as Frank Pike in the 2009 Fox television film Virtuality, originally intended as a pilot. He became widely known for his role as Jaime Lannister in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2018. He is a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, drawing attention to critical issues such as gender equality and climate change.

Coster-Waldau was born in Rudkøbing, Denmark, the son of Hanne Søborg Coster, a librarian, and Jørgen Oscar Fritzer Waldau (died 1998). He has spoken in interviews about his father's problems with alcohol, as well as his parents' divorce. He has two older sisters, and was raised mainly by his mother. He grew up in Tybjerg, a small village between Ringsted and Næstved in southern Zealand. Coster-Waldau was the youngest actor to enter the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance (Danish: Statens Teaterskole), where he was educated from 1989 to 1993.

In 2001, he began his U.S. career in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down as Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon. Coster-Waldau says "My first U.S. movie was Black Hawk Down and a friend helped me put myself on tape up on the attic over my apartment in Copenhagen. We shipped it out and I got lucky."

Since April 2011, Coster-Waldau has played Jaime Lannister in the HBO hit series Game of Thrones, based on George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novel series. He commented about the character "What's not to like about Jaime? As an actor I couldn't ask for a better role". For his role as Jaime Lannister he has received several accolades, including Primetime Emmy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Television Award, Saturn Award and People's Choice Award nominations.

In 2011, he also starred alongside Sam Shepard in Mateo Gil's feature Blackthorn, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Later the same year he starred in Morten Tyldum's Headhunters. The film went on to be the highest-grossing Norwegian film of all-time and received very positive reviews including a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. Coster-Waldau starred in the 2013 horror film Mama alongside Jessica Chastain, which debuted at number one in the US box office and grossed over $140 million worldwide. He went on to play Sykes, a military weapons expert in the science fiction action thriller film Oblivion. The same year he co-starred with Juliette Binoche in Erik Poppe's drama A Thousand Times Good Night. In 2014, he starred in Susanne Bier's Danish thriller A Second Chance as Andreas, a police officer forced to make a difficult choice. In 2016, Coster-Waldau appeared in the action-fantasy film Gods of Egypt as Horus.

In early 2017, he starred in E.L. Katz's dark comedy Small Crimes which premiered at South by Southwest film festival on 11 March 2017, to positive reviews. Coster-Waldau then appeared in the Danish film 3 Things, a thriller about a prime suspect of a bank robbery who negotiates the terms of his witness protection deal. He starred in Roman Waugh's prison film Shot Caller, which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on 16 June 2017. Since January 2018 he has been the L'Oréal Paris global spokesperson for the company's Men Expert line of products. In May 2017, it was announced that he is attached to star in Domino, a film directed by Brian De Palma. He is also set to star in The Silencing, a thriller directed by Anders Engstom.

Although Coster-Waldau is not religious, like the vast majority of Danes, he was baptized and confirmed as a Lutheran in the Danish National Church during his youth and viewed his confirmation as a big moment in his life when he first identified as becoming an adult. He married Nukâka, a Greenlandic actress and singer, in 1998, and they live in Kongens Lyngby with their two daughters as well as two dogs. Their daughter Filippa has starred in a Danish short film, The Girl and the Dogs, which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014. His father-in-law is Josef Motzfeldt, a member of the Parliament of Greenland and former leader of the Community of the People party. He is a supporter of English football club Leeds United and he is a member of the Leeds United Supporters' Trust.
BornJuly 27, 1970
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJuly 27, 1970
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000130
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys
    • 2 wins & 31 nominations total

The Biggest Diva on "Game of Thrones" Wasn't Human

The Biggest Diva on "Game of Thrones" Wasn't Human

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau talks about his favorite "Game of Thrones" moments, including the behind-the-scenes drama involved when working with a bear ...
Watch now
Editorial Image
2:47

Photos373

Jennifer Garner and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in The Last Thing He Told Me (2023)
Jennifer Garner and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in The Last Thing He Told Me (2023)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Domino (2019)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Domino (2019)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Paprika Steen, and Thomas W. Gabrielsson in Domino (2019)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Domino (2019)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Søren Malling, and Paprika Steen in Domino (2019)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Domino (2019)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Lena Headey in Game of Thrones (2011)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Game of Thrones (2011)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Gwendoline Christie in Game of Thrones (2011)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones (2011)

Known for

Game of Thrones (2011)
Game of Thrones
9.2
TV Series
  • Jaime Lannister
Tom Cruise in Oblivion (2013)
Oblivion
7.0
  • Sykes
  • 2013
Geoffrey Rush, Gerard Butler, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Elodie Yung, Chadwick Boseman, Goran D. Kleut, Abbey Lee, Brenton Thwaites, Courtney Eaton, and Yaya Deng in Gods of Egypt (2016)
Gods of Egypt
5.4
  • Horus
  • 2016
Nightwatch (1994)
Nightwatch
7.2
  • Martin(as Nikolaj Coster Waldau)
  • 1994

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • God Is A Bullet
    • Detective Bob Hightower
    • Post-production
    • 2023
  • Nattevagten - Dæmoner går i arv
    • In Production
    • 2023
  • Cons
    • In Production
  • Jennifer Garner in The Last Thing He Told Me (2023)
    The Last Thing He Told Me
    • Owen Michaels
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, David Morrissey, Cathy Tyson, and Divian Ladwa in Radioman (2022)
    Radioman
    • Chas Vincent-Jones
    • Podcast Series
    • 2022
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Joe Cole in Against the Ice (2022)
    Against the Ice
    • Ejnar Mikkelsen
    • 2022
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Katrine Greis-Rosenthal in A Taste of Hunger (2021)
    A Taste of Hunger
    • Carsten
    • 2021
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in The Silencing (2020)
    The Silencing
    • Rayburn
    • 2020
  • Lars Brygmann, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Albert Arthur Amiryan, and Adam Buschard in Krudttønden (2020)
    Krudttønden
    • Rico
    • 2020
  • Gone Hollywood
    • Jack DeVoe
    • TV Movie
    • 2019
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Exit Plan (2019)
    Exit Plan
    • Max Isaksen
    • 2019
  • Guy Pearce, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Eriq Ebouaney, Carice van Houten, Hamid Krim, and Bouzan Hadawi in Domino (2019)
    Domino
    • Christian Toft
    • 2019
  • Game of Thrones (2011)
    Game of Thrones
    • Jaime Lannister
    • TV Series
    • 2011–2019
  • Game of Thrones Conquest & Rebellion: An Animated History of the Seven Kingdoms (2017)
    Game of Thrones Conquest & Rebellion: An Animated History of the Seven Kingdoms
    • Jaime Lannister (voice)
    • Video
    • 2017
  • Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and Yeardley Smith in The Simpsons (1989)
    The Simpsons
    • Markery (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2017
  • Chicken/Egg (2017)
    Chicken/Egg
    • Kenneth
    • Short
    • 2017
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Shot Caller (2017)
    Shot Caller
    • Jacob
    • Money
    • 2017
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Birgitte Hjort Sørensen in 3 Things (2017)
    3 Things
    • Mikael
    • 2017

Producer

  • An Optimist's Guide to the Planet
    • executive producer
    • Pre-production
    • TV Series
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, David Morrissey, Cathy Tyson, and Divian Ladwa in Radioman (2022)
    Radioman
    • executive producer
    • Podcast Series
    • 2022
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Joe Cole in Against the Ice (2022)
    Against the Ice
    • producer
    • 2022
  • Flee (2021)
    Flee
    • executive producer
    • 2021
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Birgitte Hjort Sørensen in 3 Things (2017)
    3 Things
    • executive producer
    • 2017
  • Livsforkortelses Ekspert (2014)
    Livsforkortelses Ekspert
    • producer
    • Short
    • 2014
  • Upstart (2014)
    Upstart
    • executive producer
    • 2014
  • Aurum (2012)
    Aurum
    • executive producer
    • Short
    • 2012
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Himmerland (2008)
    Himmerland
    • co-producer
    • 2008

Writer

  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Joe Cole in Against the Ice (2022)
    Against the Ice
    • screenplay
    • 2022
  • Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Mads Mikkelsen in Wildside (1998)
    Wildside
    • writer
    • 1998
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos57

Game of Thrones: The King's Arrival
Clip 1:57
Game of Thrones: The King's Arrival
Game of Thrones: Jaime Confronts Ned
Clip 0:33
Game of Thrones: Jaime Confronts Ned
"Game of Thrones" Breaks Emmy Records, Now Filming "Very Intense" Final Seasons
Interview 3:10
"Game of Thrones" Breaks Emmy Records, Now Filming "Very Intense" Final Seasons
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:45
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:41
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:33
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:24
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:35
Official Trailer
Trailer [OVS]
Trailer 1:34
Trailer [OVS]
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:09
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:02
Official Trailer
Season 8 Official Teaser Trailer
Trailer 0:40
Season 8 Official Teaser Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
  • Alternative names
    • Nikolaj Coster Waldau
  • Height
    • 6′ 2″ (1.88 m)
  • Born
    • July 27, 1970
    • Rudkøbing, Denmark
  • Spouse
    • Nukâka1998 - present (2 children)
  • Children
      Saffina
  • Parents
      Hanne Soborg Coster
  • Other works
    (Sept 2010) "Ved du hvem du er" (danish version of "Who do you think you are") - Nikolaj was the celeb searching for the story of his ancestors!
  • Publicity listings
    • 5 Interviews
    • 2 Articles
    • 13 Pictorials
    • 12 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    His native language is Danish, and he also speaks fluent English and German. However he has stated he does not feel as confident speaking German, and prefers English when interviewed in German language media.
  • Quotes
    [on his ideal 2013 Emmys] I just watched the Louis C.K. special [Louis C.K. Oh My God (2013)]. If he doesn't win... He was just so brilliant. I'm also a huge Breaking Bad (2008) fan. They only had half a season, but even half a season of that is worth 10 of most other shows. Those guys and girls could easily throw a few more Emmys at them.
  • Salaries
      Game of Thrones
      (2011)
      $952,857 an episode (season 7)

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