Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
Danish actor (born 1984)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard (Danish: [ˈme̝kl̩ ˈpoˀ ˈfølsˌkɒˀ]; born 1 May 1984) is a Danish actor. He graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts and has appeared in films and television series such as A Royal Affair (2012), The Legacy (2014–2017), Summer of '92 (2015), Land of Mine (2015), Walk with Me (2016), A Perfectly Normal Family (2020), The Chestnut Man (2021–2026), and Borgen (2022). He played Gérard de Villefort in the English-language series The Count of Monte Cristo (2024). He has received several awards for his performances, including the Bodil and Robert awards, and became the first Danish actor to win the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard | |
|---|---|
Følsgaard in 2013 | |
| Born | 1 May 1984 Rønne, Denmark |
| Alma mater | Danish National School of Performing Arts |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Spouse | Freja Friis (2016–present) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and education
Følsgaard was born on 1 May 1984 in Rønne, Denmark.[1] He has an older brother, and his family moved to Gilleleje when he was six. While in high school, he developed an interest in acting, participating in school productions and founding a theatre company with friends.[2]
After graduating from high school, Følsgaard applied to drama school but was rejected. His next two attempts were also unsuccessful. In 2008, on his fourth attempt, he was accepted to the Danish National School of Performing Arts. He described this period of rejection as "many years of hard work and struggle that fortunately ended well."[3][4]
Career
2012–2017
Følsgaard got his first taste of acting at the age of 10 when he appeared in an episode of TV 2's historical drama Bryggeren (1997). After seeing a casting advertisement in a newspaper, his grandfather took him and his brother to Nordisk Film's studio in Valby, where they both auditioned and Følsgaard was cast. He did not act again until high school.[3]
During his third year at drama school, he auditioned for the role of King Christian VII in Nikolaj Arcel's period drama A Royal Affair (2012). Arcel described casting the then-unknown acting student as "the coolest bet I've ever made." Følsgaard received widespread acclaim for his performance and became the first Danish actor to win the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival.[5] He also won the Bodil Award and Robert Award for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.[6][7] The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at both the Golden Globe and Academy Awards.[8] In 2013, Følsgaard was one of the ten recipients of the Shooting Stars Award presented by European Film Promotion at the Berlinale. The international jury noted, "Seeing him in A Royal Affair, one instantly knows that he can play any part. For his first role, he is simply breathtaking, taking care of every detail, showing incredible physical adeptness. We never see him creating emotions, they are just there. Like a miracle."[9]
From 2014 to 2017, Følsgaard played Emil Grønnegaard in the drama series The Legacy. Over its three seasons run, the series enjoyed immense popularity in Denmark and was sold to over 40 countries.[10] For this role, Følsgaard won the Robert Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Television Role in 2015 and 2018.[11][12]
In 2015, he played the lead role in Frederikke Aspöck's romantic drama Rosita, which was well received by critics.[13] That same year, he also appeared in Kasper Barfoed's biographical sports comedy Summer of '92 and Martin Zandvliet's war drama Land of Mine, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. For his performances in these films, Følsgaard received two nominations for Best Supporting Actor at the Robert Awards.[14]
In 2016, he starred in Lisa Ohlin's film Walk with Me, which earned him the Best Actor nomination at both the Bodil and Robert awards. He then appeared in the Swedish film A Serious Game (2016), directed by Pernilla August. In 2017, he played former professional boxer Jørgen Hansen in Mikkel Serup's biographical drama Pound for Pound. Despite some criticism that he was too young for the part, the film received generally positive reviews and he was nominated for a Bodil Award for Best Actor.[15]
2018–present
From 2018 to 2020, Følsgaard starred in the post-apocalyptic Netflix series The Rain.[a] While the first season was well-received, the following two were criticised for their weak storylines.[17]
In 2020, he starred in Malou Reymann's directorial debut, A Perfectly Normal Family, based on her family's experience with her father's transition to a woman.[18] For this role, he was nominated for Best Actor at the Bodil and Robert awards.[19][20] Also that year, he played the Danish diplomat Povl Bang-Jensen in Christina Rosendahl's biographical drama The Good Traitor.[21]
In 2021, Følsgaard starred in the Netflix crime series The Chestnut Man,[a] which brought him a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Television Role at the Robert Awards.[22] He also appeared in the first ever Danish-Japanese co-production, the drama film Miss Osaka.[23] In 2022, he joined the cast of the hit Danish series Borgen, which returned for a fourth season after a nine-year break. The fourth season received critical acclaim, and Følsgaard was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Television Role at the Robert Awards.[24]
In 2023, he reunited with his Borgen co-star, Sidse Babett Knudsen, in Bille August's historical comedy Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction, based on a short story by Karen Blixen. Queen Margrethe II designed the costumes for the film.[25] In 2024, he collaborated with August again, playing Gérard de Villefort in the English-language series The Count of Monte Cristo.[26] Also that year, he appeared in his seventh film directed by a woman, the biographical drama The Swedish Torpedo. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to positive reviews.[27]
Personal life
Acting credits
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Bastian at Roskilde – For the First Time | Bastian Larsen | Short film; mockumentary | [30] |
| 2012 | A Royal Affair | Christian VII | [31] | |
| 2013 | The Keeper of Lost Causes | Uffe Lynggaard | [32] | |
| 2015 | Rosita | Johannes | [33] | |
| Summer of '92 | Kim Vilfort | [34] | ||
| Land of Mine | Lt. Ebbe Jensen | [35] | ||
| 2016 | A Serious Game | Carl Lidner | [36] | |
| Walk with Me | Thomas Ingerslev | [37] | ||
| Across the Waters | Jørgen | [38] | ||
| 2017 | You Disappear | Prosecutor | [39] | |
| Pound for Pound | Jørgen Hansen | [40] | ||
| Kein Problem | Nicolaj | Short film | [41] | |
| 2020 | A Perfectly Normal Family | Thomas / Agnete | [42] | |
| The Good Traitor | Povl Bang-Jensen | [21] | ||
| 2021 | Miss Osaka | Lucas | [23] | |
| 2023 | Superposition | Teit | [43] | |
| Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction | Cazotte | [44] | ||
| Stockholm Bloodbath | Didrik Slagheck | [45] | ||
| 2024 | The Swedish Torpedo | Henry | [46] | |
| 2025 | Man Up! | Rasmus | [47] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Bryggeren | Carl Jacobsen | Episode: "1849–1854" | [48] |
| 2011 | Those Who Kill | Oleg | Only his photo; Episode: "An eye for an eye, part 1" | [49] |
| 2013 | Dicte | Cato Vinding | Episode: "Violence and power, part 2" | [50] |
| 2014–2017 | The Legacy | Emil Grønnegaard | Main cast | [51] |
| 2018–2020 | The Rain | Martin | Main cast | [17] |
| 2021–2026 | The Chestnut Man | Mark Hess | Main cast | [52] |
| 2022 | Borgen | Asger Holm Kirkegaard | Main cast (season 4) | [53] |
| 2024 | The Count of Monte Cristo | Gérard de Villefort | Main cast | [54] |
| TBA | The Best of Families | Main cast | [55] |
