Nikolaj Coster-waldau
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is a Danish actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Jamie Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Early life
Coster-Waldau was born in Rudkøbing, Denmark, the son of Hanne Søborg Coster, a librarian, and Jørgen Oscar Fisker Waldau, a bank merchantman and ship’s captain. He has spoken in interviews about his father’s alcoholism. His parents’ marriage ended when he was 18 years old; however, they remained on good terms. He has two sisters, and was raised mainly by his mother. His surname is his father’s middle name and his mother’s maiden name.
Early Career
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was educated at the Statens Teaterskole in Copenhagen from 1989 to 1993. His first role was as Lauge in Bænken (The Bench) in 1990. In 1991, he had a leading role as Tarzan in the Danish family film Jungle Jenny. The following year he played Sheriffen (The Sheriff) in Krummerne 3 – færgekaprerne (Krummerne 3: The Ferry Pirates). Coster-Waldau has appeared in more than 30 films and television series since 1990.
The breakthrough
He made his English-language debut in Nightwatch (1994) as a man who climbs the New York City skyline. Coster-Waldau’s breakthrough role came when he played Sergei in the Danish crime film Nattevagten (Nightwatch) in 1994, which led to his being cast as the male lead in Michael Mann’s film adaptation of James Ellroy’s L.A. Confidential (1997). For this role, he received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He then had supporting roles in Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down (2001), Walter Hill’s Undisputed (2002), and Julian Jarrold’s Kingdom of Heaven (2005).
In 2007, he starred opposite Tilda Swinton in the thriller I Am Dina. The following year, he played Frank Pike in Burning Plain, for which he received rave reviews. In 2009, Coster-Waldau starred in New Amsterdam as John Amsterdam, an immortal Manhattan homicide detective who is 400 years old.
In 2020, he co-starred with Guy Pearce in the crime drama film Afterburn.
Game of thrones
From 2011 to 2019, Coster-Waldau played Jaime Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones. His performance was praised and he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. For his work on the show, he also received a Golden Globe Award nomination and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
private life
Coster-Waldau has been married to Nukaaka Coster-Waldau since 1998. They have two daughters, Filippa and Safina. He is a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador.
