Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is a Danish actor best known for his role of Jaime Lannister is HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones. This Nikolaj Coster-Waldau biography will tell his story in his own words.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Bio: Age, Early Life

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was born on July 27, 1970 (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau age: 53) in Rudkøbing, Denmark. He was raised on the Island of Zealand in the small town of Tybjerg. After finishing his secondary education he entered the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance where he graduated in 1993.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: News & Career

One of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s earliest professional roles was as Laertes in the Betty Nansen Theater’s production Hamlet. His breakthrough role was as the star in the film Nightwatch. His role helped him gain national fame in his native country of Denmark.

He gained international fans with his roles in the British film Bent and the American-British biopic Black Hawk Down. He also appeared in thriller films like  My Name Is Modesty and Firewall to name a few. He also starred in the pilot of New Amsterdam, although the TV show was not picked up for a full series.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Bio: ‘Game of Thrones’

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s Jaime Lannister was on HBO’s series Game of Thrones since its premiere. His role brought him international success. While his character started out very villainous, Lannister was been humanized by tragedy as the series progresses. “He’s seen a lot of crazy stuff. The Riverrun storyline was, in a way, about the craziness of war,” Coster-Waldu said to The New York Times when asked about Lannister’s evolution. “You have a guy in a castle who doesn’t want to give it up. He’s outnumbered and refuses out of pride, and if that means he’s going to have to sacrifice thousands of his own men, so be it. The logic behind it — I think Jaime has found the empathy and the understanding that, hang on a second, this is crazy. At least that’s what I hope; maybe I’m reading too much into it. He’s getting older and he’s experienced real loss — he’s lost his father, he’s lost his daughter. You can argue in some ways he’s lost his sister — she’s definitely gone to the dark force. That changes you.”

The series made Coster-Waldau one of the highest-paying actors in the entertainment industry, as he received over $1.1 million for each episode he appears on. He has also been nominated for a Saturn Award, Critics’ Choice Television Award, and People’s Choice Award for his portrayal of Lannister.

While on the show, which ended in 2019, he filmed movies like Mama and Oblivion.

In 2017 he starred in the movie Small Crimes, a black comedy crime film. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau played a man who tries to reconnect with his family after spending six years in prison after being convicted for the attempted murder of the local DA. “I love noir, pulp, just in general. All of its trappings,” Coster-Waldau told uinterview, “This book had all of the fun ingredients that I’m pretty attracted to; a bunch of psychotic criminals, people are very self-involved. There’s a lot there. But I also felt like there was room to push things in a way that was an experiment of audience identification because that’s something that I always have a good time with. Where you choose what you’re putting in front of the audience, and they have to go along with it. It’s just interesting to see how long they will follow a guy, even if he’s doing things that are pretty awful. And this seemed like it had a lot of room to play that game.”

Coster-Waldau’s recent work includes films The Silencing (2020) and Against the Ice (2022). He also starred in the 2023 miniseries The Last Thing He Told Me, which follows a woman — played by Jennifer Garner — who must forge a relationship with her stepdaughter in order to find her missing husband, played by Coster-Waldau.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Bio: Personal Life, Wife, Kids

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is married to the actress Nukâka. Together, they have two daughters, Filippa and Safina. 

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