Born on July 27, 1970 in Denmark, Nikolaj (the “j” is pronounced as a “y”) Coster-Waldau received his education at Statens Teaterskole (National Theater School) in Copenhagen in 1993, and made his Danish film debut a year later in the psychological thriller “Nattevagten” (“Nightwatch”). The actor co-starred with Clive Owen in 1997’s “Bent,” a British film about two gay men (Owen and Brian Webber) who tried to flee Nazi Germany.
Having already established his career in Denmark, Coster-Waldau took on more international projects in 2001, with the U.S. release “Black Hawk Down,” and the British production “Enigma,” a romantic thriller that starred Kate Winslet, Dougray Scott, and Saffron Burrows. The actor’s charm and versatility garnered him multiple roles with many of his previous directors. Scott brought him back for his 2005 Medieval epic “Kingdom of Heaven" (it was also Coster-Waldau’s second time working with fellow thespian Orlando Bloom). Richard Loncraine, who first cast the Danish hunk in the romantic comedy "Wimbledon" (2004) alongside Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst, also brought him back for the high-tech thriller "Firewall” (2006) that starred Harrison Ford.
For his first leading role in America, Coster-Waldau took on “New Amsterdam,” a TV series about a New York homicide detective who constantly searches for true love in order to break his curse of immortality. Some critics compared the storyline to the syndicated series “Highlander,” that aired from 1992 to 1998. Even while working on a U.S. show, Coster-Waldau lived in Denmark with his wife Nukâka Motzfeldt, who was a former Miss Greenland and whom he met while doing a Danish radio play in 1997, along with their two daughters, Saffina and Philippa.