Alexander Skarsgård (born August 25, 1976) is a Swedish actor, He portrays Lukas Matsson on the HBO series Succession.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård[1] was born on August 25, 1976, in Stockholm, Sweden, as the eldest son of actor Stellan Skarsgård and his then-wife, My. He has five younger siblings: Gustaf, Sam, Bill, Eija, and Valter; he also has two-half brothers from his father's second marriage. Skarsgård regards his childhood-home life as "chaotic" and "liberal."[2]
At age 7, he made his acting debut in the film Åke and His World, a role which he was given by a friend of his father's who was a director. He was given the lead role in the Swedish television series Hunden som log at age 13, but stopped acting that same year as he was uncomfortable with his newfound fame.[3][1]
His brothers Gustaf, Bill, and Valter are also actors.[4][5][6]
Education and national service[]
He performed his national service in the anti-sabotage unit of the Swedish Navy for 18 months, beginning at the age of 19. He moved to England shortly thereafter.[2][7] He studied English at Leeds Metropolitan University for six months, though he admits that he was primarily concerned with partying. In 1997, he decided to revisit acting and enrolled in a theatre course at Marymount Manhattan College. After six months, he returned to Stockholm to pursue acting full-time.[2]
Career[]
In the following years, Skarsgård appeared in several Swedish films and television shows. He was named the Sexiest Man in Sweden five times.[8] His first international role came with the 2001 comedy film Zoolander, for which he auditioned while on a business trip in the United States.[9] He moved to Los Angeles in 2004, but continued to work in Sweden as well.[10] He quickly rose to fame in America after portraying U.S. Marine Brad "Iceman" Colbert in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill (2008).[n 1][2][11][12] He also starred as Eric Northman, the "hunky" Nordic vampire, in the series True Blood (2008–2014).[n 2][13]
Skarsgård in The Northman
He has since starred in films such as Melancholia (2011), The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015), The Legend of Tarzan (2016), Passing (2021), The Northman (2022), and Infinity Pool (2023). He also appeared in the HBO series Big Little Lies (2017-2019), and won several accolades for this performance.[14][15][16][17] In 2021, he was cast as Lukas Matsson in the HBO series Succession for its third season,[18] and appeared again in its fourth. For his performance as Matsson, he was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards[14] and a Golden Globe Award.[15]
Personal life[]
Skarsgård has been outspoken in support of feminism and gender equality, specifically in regards to the double standards in the film industry.[19]
In 2022, he welcomed his first child with Swedish actress Tuva Novotny.[20]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Åke and His World | Kalle Nubb | |
| 1989 | The Dog That Smiled | Jojjo | |
| 1999 | Happy End | Bamse Viktorsson | |
| 2000 | The Diver | Ingmar | |
| White Water Fury | Anders | ||
| Wings of Glass | Johan | ||
| 2001 | Kites Over Helsinki | Robin Åström | |
| Zoolander | Meekus | ||
| 2002 | The Dog Trick | Robinson-Micke | |
| 2003 | To Kill a Child | Man | Short film; co-directed with Björne Larson |
| 2004 | Heartbeat | The Pilot | Short film |
| 2005 | Double Shift | Nisse | |
| Om Sara | Kalle Öberg | ||
| 2006 | The Last Drop | Lt. Jergen Voller | |
| Never Be Mine | Christopher | ||
| Kill Your Darlings | Geert | ||
| Score | Micke | ||
| Exit | Fabian von Klerking | ||
| 2007 | Järnets änglar | Stefan | |
| 2009 | Metropia | Stefan (voice) | |
| Beyond the Pole | Terje | ||
| 2010 | Trust Me | Alex | |
| Moomins and the Comet Chase | Moomintroll (voice) | ||
| 13 | Jack | ||
| 2011 | Straw Dogs | Charlie Venner | |
| Melancholia | Michael | ||
| 2012 | Battleship | Commander Stone Hopper | |
| What Maisie Knew | Lincoln | ||
| Disconnect | Derek Hull | ||
| 2013 | The East | Benji | |
| 2014 | The Giver | Jonas' Father | |
| 2015 | Hidden | Ray | |
| The Diary of a Teenage Girl | Monroe Rutherford | ||
| 2016 | Zoolander 2 | Adam | Cameo |
| War on Everyone | Terry Monroe | ||
| The Legend of Tarzan | Tarzan / John Clayton | ||
| 2018 | Mute | Leo Beiler | |
| The Hummingbird Project | Anton Zaleski | ||
| Hold the Dark | Vernon Slone | ||
| 2019 | The Aftermath | Stefan Lubert | |
| Long Shot | Prime Minister James Steward | ||
| The Kill Team | Sergeant Deeks | ||
| 2021 | Passing | John Bellew | |
| Godzilla vs. Kong | Nathan Lind | ||
| 2022 | The Northman | Amleth | Also producer |
| 2023 | Infinity Pool | James Foster | Also executive producer |
| Eric Larue | Ron LaRue | ||
| Lee | Roland Penrose | Post-production |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Idag röd | Fred | Television film |
| 1999 | Vita lögner | Marcus Englund | 10 episodes |
| 2000 | D-dag | Lise's Stepson | Television film |
| Judith | Ante Lindström | 1 episode | |
| 2005 | Revelations | Gunnar Eklind | Miniseries |
| 2006 | Cuppen | Micke | Television film |
| 2007 | Golden Brown Eyes | Boogey Knights Singer | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Generation Kill | Brad "Iceman" Colbert | Miniseries |
| 2008–2014 | True Blood | Eric Northman | 76 episodes |
| 2013 | Eastbound & Down | Adult Toby Powers | 1 episode |
| 2017–2019 | Big Little Lies | Perry Wright | Main role |
| 2018 | Drunk History | James Dunn | 1 episode |
| The Little Drummer Girl | Gadi Becker | 6 episodes | |
| 2019 | On Becoming a God in Central Florida | Travis Stubbs | 1 episode |
| 2020–2021 | The Stand | Randall Flagg | Main role |
| 2021–2023 | Succession | Lukas Matsson | Recurring role (seasons 3-4) |
| 2022 | Atlanta | Himself | 1 episode |
| The Kingdom | Svensk advokat | 2 episodes | |
| Documentary Now! | Rainer Wolz | 1 episode |
Notes[]
- ↑ Skarsgård auditioned for the series four times before learning that he'd been given the role only 36 hours before he was expected to be on set. Executive producer David Simon was initially unconvinced that Skarsgård could do a proper American accent.
- ↑ Skarsgård had been hesitant about portraying a vampire, but, as a fan of his other projects, decided to audition on learning that Adam Ball was the mind behind the series.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pym, Olivia (October 23, 2019). "Alexander Skarsgård Isn't Afraid Of The Dark". Esquire. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Harvey, Chris (August 12, 2010). "Alexander Skarsgård interview: True Blood lust". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- ↑ McIntyre, Gina (June 22, 2011). "Alexander Skarsgard gets some added bite from 'True Blood'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- ↑ "Gustaf Skarsgård". IMDB. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ "Bill Skarsgård". IMDB. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ "Valter Skarsgård". IMDB. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Martin, Brett (May 17, 2011). "Here Comes the Viking". GQ. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- ↑ Ntim, Zac (April 5, 2022). "Alexander Skarsgård Says People Didn't Take Him Seriously Due to Looks". Insider. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- ↑ Schepp, Calie (May 6, 2022). "Alexander Skarsgård looks back on first U.S. acting role in Zoolander". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- ↑ Stern, Marlow (July 13, 2017). "Alexander Skarsgard on ‘Melancholia,’ ‘True Blood,’ and More". The Daily Beast. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- ↑ Raymond, Joan (September 10, 2009). "Alexander Skarsgard: 'True Blood's Hottest Vampire'". Newseek. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Robinson, John (October 1, 2009). "Calling the shots on Generation Kill". The Guardian. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Lee, Benjamin (August 2, 2015). "True Blood to Tarzan: how Alexander Skarsgård swung into Hollywood". The Guardian. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Alexander Skarsgård". Television Academy. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Alexander Skarsgård". Golden Globes. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Canfield, David (January 21, 2018). "Alexander Skarsgård wins best actor in a limited series at SAG Awards". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Hayes, D., Hipes, P. (January 11, 2018). "Critics’ Choice Awards: ‘The Shape Of Water’ Wins Best Picture, ‘Big Little Lies’ Dominates – Full Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Otterson, Joe (May 3, 2021). "‘Succession’ Season 3 Casts Alexander Skarsgård". Variety. Retrieved on August 27, 2024.
- ↑ Team Elle (February 7, 2018). "Alexander Skarsgård On 'Disgusting' Double Standards In Hollywood". Elle UK. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.
- ↑ Vasquez, Ingrid (March 21, 2023). "Alexander Skarsgård Confirms He Welcomed First Baby with Girlfriend Tuva Novotny". People. Retrieved on October 2, 2023.