Stellan Skarsgård

Stellan John Skarsgård was born on 13 June 1951^[1] in Gothenburg, Sweden, the son of Gudrun (née Larsson; born 1930) and Jan Skarsgård (1920–1998).^[2] He moved often in his childhood and lived, amongst other places, in Helsingborg, Totebo, Kalmar, Marielund, and Uppsala.^[3]

Skarsgård started his acting career early; and, by the age of 21, his experience in film, TV and stage was considerable.^[4] Most of his early roles were in Swedish television (such as Bombi Bitt) and films. Of Skarsgård's work in Swedish film, he is known for Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg, where he portrays Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who worked to save Holocaust victims.^[5]

Skarsgård is particularly associated with director Lars von Trier and has appeared in six of the Danish auteur's features: The Kingdom, Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Dogville, Melancholia, and Nymphomaniac. His most personal working relationship, however, is with Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland, who has directed the actor in Zero Kelvin, Aberdeen, In Order of Disappearance, and A Somewhat Gentle Man. Skarsgård considers Moland a close friend and, in 2009, he said of their relationship: "We're like an old married couple and I get separation anxiety."^[6] Another Scandinavian work that he is known for is the 1997 Norwegian film Insomnia, in which he plays the guilt-ridden policeman Jonas Engström.^[7]

Skarsgård's first American film was the 1985 film Noon Wine, directed by Michael Fields, in which Skarsgård played a mentally disturbed immigrant farmhand being chased by a bounty hunter. He acted opposite Fred Ward, who portrayed the farmer.^[5] In 1990, he starred in another American film, The Hunt for Red October, playing the character of Captain Tupolev, a Soviet submarine commander.

Primarily a character actor,^[8] he played one of Demi Moore's two love interests in Passion of Mind (2000), directed by Alain Berliner. Skarsgård appeared as a guest star on Entourage as Verner Vollstedt, the German director of the fictional film Smokejumpers, who is hostile to the main character Vincent Chase.^[9] Skarsgård appeared as Bootstrap Bill Turner in both Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. In 2008, he starred as Bill Anderson in Universal Pictures' Mamma Mia! and reprised the role 10 years later in its sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Skarsgård played Dr. Erik Selvig in the 2011 film Thor, and later reprised the role in Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022),^[10] as well as The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Skarsgård reteamed with Thor director Kenneth Branagh for the 2015 live-action adaptation of Disney's Cinderella, in which he played The Grand Duke.^[11] In 2021, he played Vladimir Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2021),^[12] and reprised the role in Dune: Part Two (2024).^[13] Skarsgård also co-starred alongside his son Gustaf Skarsgård in the Swedish psychological thriller What Remains (2022).

From 2022 to 2025, Skarsgård played Rebel spymaster Luthen Rael in the Star Wars series Andor, for which he received critical acclaim.^[14][15][16] Skarsgård appeared in the 2025 Joachim Trier film Sentimental Value, for which he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination.^[17]

Skarsgård has appeared in music videos alongside fellow Swedes. He was in Eva Dahlgren's "Vem tänder stjärnorna" (Who Lights the Stars) in 1991^[18] and Lykke Li's 2011 music video, "Sadness Is a Blessing".^[19]

In April 1975, Skarsgård married a Swedish doctor, My.^[20] Before divorcing My in 2007, they had six children together including Alexander, Gustaf, Bill, and Valter.^[21][22] In January 2009, Skarsgård married American screenwriter, producer and children's book author Megan Everett (born 1976).^[23] They have two sons together, one of which is Kolbjörn.^[24] Six of his eight children are active actors in film and television.^[21][25] In 2016, Skarsgård said that he had a vasectomy because he felt that eight children was enough.^[26][27]

In an interview with Vulture in October 2025, Skarsgård revealed that he suffered a stroke in 2022, which affected his memory and language and led him to wear an earpiece with an assistant feeding him his lines during the filming of Dune: Part Two (2024) and Andor season 2 (2025).^[28] Skarsgård later added: "it was like balancing on a knife edge because I had to have a new way of working with prompters and stuff… I’m still working on it. But I’m glad that the core of the acting, the important thing, the essence of it, obviously survived."^[29]

Skarsgård was brought up by humanist, atheist^[30] parents, and had an atheist grandfather and a deeply religious grandmother. According to Skarsgård, this never led to any problems because of the family's mutual respect for each other's opinions.^[31] After the September 11 attacks, Skarsgård set out to read the Bible and the Quran, both of which he condemns as violent.^[31] Skarsgård is also a critic of religious independent schools in the Swedish educational system.^[31] He has said he considers the question of God's existence to be "absurd and completely uninteresting" since if a benevolent God were to exist he would judge only a person's deeds and not care for worship, but if God were actually so vain as to constantly demand worship, then he would not be worthy of it.^[31]

In 2009, Skarsgård, along with other non-religious artists, authors, and entrepreneurs including Christer Sturmark, Björn Ulvaeus, and Christer Fuglesang, wrote an article in Dagens Nyheter in support of secularity.^[32] The group also criticised the UN for its stance on blasphemy laws.^[32]

Skarsgård has voiced support for Swedish tax policies, and for a high income tax rate for high earners.^[1] He is avowedly anti-nationalist.^[1] Skarsgård is a supporter of Palestine, protesting the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip and auctioning off a signed Mamma Mia! record for a fundraiser for humanitarian aid.^[28]

• List of Nordic Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of actors nominated for Academy Awards for non-English performances