Alexander Skarsgård

At 47 years old, Alexander Skarsgård has this physical status:

Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (born 25 August 1976) is a Swedish actor.

He is known for his roles as vampire Eric Northman on the HBO series True Blood, the title character in The Legend of Tarzan, Brad Colbert in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill, and Perry Wright in the HBO series Big Little Lies, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film.

Early life

Skarsgård was born on 25 August 1976 in Stockholm, Sweden. He is the eldest son of actor Stellan Skarsgård and physician My Skarsgård. His parents are divorced. He has five younger siblings: Gustaf, Sam, Bill, Eija and Valter, and two half-brothers from his father's second wife, Megan Everett. Gustaf, Bill and Valter are also actors.

A friend of his father, a director, gave Skarsgård his first film role when he was seven years old, playing Kalle Nubb in Åke and His World (Åke och hans värld). In 1989, his lead role in the Swedish television production Hunden som log (The Dog That Smiled) earned him praise and brought him to prominence in Sweden at age 13. Uncomfortable with the fame, he quit acting at that same age.

At age 19, Skarsgård applied to perform his national service. He served in the Swedish Armed Forces, in the SäkJakt ("protect and hunt") unit that dealt with anti-sabotage and anti-terrorism in the Stockholm archipelago, for 18 months. After completing his service in 1996, he left Sweden and attended Leeds Metropolitan University in England for six months. He enrolled to study English but admits he did not study much and "had a blast" instead. While there, he considered pursuing an architecture career, but chose acting instead. In 1997, he enrolled in a theatre course at Marymount Manhattan College and moved to New York City. He returned to Stockholm after six months, but his time studying theatre confirmed to him that he wanted to act.

Personal life

A football fan, Skarsgård supports Hammarby Fotboll, a club based in Stockholm, his birth city. In October 2010, he donated several autographed items to "Bajen Aid", the club's fundraising auction. In July 2011, he received an honorary degree from Leeds Metropolitan University, which he had attended. He identifies as a feminist.

Skarsgård was the Ambassador for the American team for a Walking With The Wounded fundraising event for wounded soldiers. He trekked to the South Pole against Team UK (Prince Harry, Ambassador) and Team Canada/Australia (actor Dominic West, Ambassador). A few days into the trek, it was decided that the competition part would be cancelled due to hazardous terrain and weather conditions, so the teams combined forces and continued together, and all three successfully reached the South Pole on 13 December 2013.

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Career

Skarsgrd began acting in film, television, and theater productions on his return to Sweden. When holidaying in the United States, he auditioned for and received the role of a mindless model in the 2001 film Zoolander, his first film role. In 2003, his appearance in Hundricket-the Movie (The Dog Trick) received him a Guldbagge Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He was voted the Sexiest Man in Sweden five times.

In 2004, he moved to Los Angeles, but stayed in Sweden. In the HBO miniseries Generation Kill, Brad Colbert was cast as a US Marine Brad Colbert. Generation Kill, a book by journalist Evan Wright, follows the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps during the early part of the Iraq War. Susanna White wanted to cast him, but executive producer David Simon wasn't positive he could do a convincing American accent. Skarsgrd learned the role was his just 36 hours before he had to board a plane for Namibia, where the project was shot. The cast and crew were shot in the desert for seven months, shooting six days a week. Skarsgrd learned how to speak in a dialect coach in order to learn the American accent.

Skarsgrd learned about the creation of True Blood, an HBO series based on Charlaine Harris' "South Vampire Mysteries" books, chronicling humans and vampires in a Louisiana town. Though initially hesitant about being a vampire, Bill Compton's role was confirmed by an audition tape. Skarsgrd was a fan of Ball's Six Feet Under and the film American Beauty. Stephen Moyer played Eric Northman, a 1,000-year-old Nordic vampire, but Skarsgrd was cast as Eric Northman, a 1,000-year-old Nordic vampire. Northman appeared in the first season's fourth episode, and his role brought Skarsgrd's fame. He researched actor Max Schreck and Bela Lugosi's work as well as the film Nosferatu to inform his portrayal. Playing Northman appealed to his ability for characters that were not only diabolical or righteous, according to him. True Blood appeared on HBO from 2008 to 2014, getting mixed feedback.

Skarsgrd appeared in the pop sensation Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" music video in 2009. In the 2009 animated film Metropia, directed by Tarik Saleh, he was the voice of Stefan. In the British mockumentary Beyond the Pole, Skarsgrd portrayed Terje, a gay Norwegian trekking to the North Pole. Hickey Freeman, a sui manufacturer, selected Skarsgrd to model a new look after it debuts in 2010. Annie Leibovitz photographed the ad campaign, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal, GQ, and Details. Skarsgrd appeared on the front page of Rolling Stone's September 2010 issue, starring Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer.

Skarsgrd appeared in Melancholia, a film directed by Lars von Trier in 2011. In the film, which premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and co-starred his father, he portrayed a newlywed with Kirsten Dunst. He appeared in Straw Dogs, a remake of the 1971 film of the same name, as Charlie Venner. Rod Lurie, the restoration's producer, moved the tiny town setting from Cornwall to Mississippi, describing Venner as "an ex-football star gone to seed." The film co-starred James Marsden and Kate Bosworth and was released on September 16, 2011.

In Peter Berg's Battleship, a Hasbro game based on Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna, Skarsgrd appeared alongside Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna in 2012. The film was dismal at the box office, according to critics. He appeared alongside Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan in Scott McGehee and David Siegel's film What Maisie Knew, an adaptation of the Henry James novel of the same name. He appeared in Henry Alex Rubin's thriller Disconnect as a member of the ensemble cast, as well as Paula Patton. In Zal Batmanglij's 2013 film The East, Skarsgrd appeared alongside Brit Marling and Elliot Page. He appeared in The Diary of a Teenager Girl as a man who starts an affair with his girlfriend's underage daughter. It was announced in August 2015. Skarsgrd expressed his excitement about playing the role "without justifying or condoning" his behavior, in addition to being intentional about discovering nuances in the character's predatory quality. He appeared in the 2016 film The Legend of Tarzan, portraying the title character, opposite Margot Robbie as Jane. Skarsgrd waited for seven months to prepare for the role. The film did not succeed at the box office. It received mixed feedback, with Skarsgrd's success gaining accolades. In the black comedy film War on Everyone, which was released the same year, he portrayed a deviant policeman.

Skarsgrd appeared in the drama film Big Little Lies as Perry Wright, an alcoholic husband, to Nicole Kidman's character, Celeste. He referred to internal tensions concerning his insecurity about needing his wife, which influenced his behavior. The series received worldwide recognition. Skarsgrd's appearance "completely chilling" during the first season finale, according to Skarsgrd's review. In 2017, Skarsgrd was named Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Film. He appeared in Mute, a science fiction film that was released in February 2018. He appeared in The Little Drummer Girl, a miniseries that chronicles political violence in Europe in 1979, later this year. It has received rave reviews. In The Aftermath, a film set in 1946 post-war Hamburg, he portrayed a sensitive German architect. He appeared in the romantic-comedy Long Shot as Canada's prime minister. Critics loved the film, with Kristy Puchko of The Guardian commending Skarsgrd in the minor role and how he "makes a meal out of it" for the occasion. It was an unsuccessful commercial success when it was first announced in May 2019.

Randall Flagg, a charming demon, appeared in The Stand, a CBS All Access miniseries based on Stephen King's 1978 novel of the same name. It ranged from December 2020 to February 2021. He appeared in the 2021 epic film Godzilla vs. Kong, which received critical praise and commercial success. Skarsgrd appeared on the third season of the comedy-drama series Succession, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. In the epic film The Northman, he played Amleth. The film, which was released in April 2022, received rave reviews, with Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair naming Skarsgrd as "a fine vessel for the film's opulent menace." In Infinity Pool, Skarsgrd is expected to appear.

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