Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was born on July 27, 1970, in Rudkøbing, Denmark, to Hanne Søborg Coster, a librarian, and Jørgen Oscar Fritzer Waldau, who passed away in 1998. He is the youngest of three children, with two older sisters. Growing up in Tybjerg, a small village in southern Zealand, Coster-Waldau was raised mainly by his mother after his parents' divorce.
Coster-Waldau began his acting career in Denmark, graduating from the Danish National School of Theatre in 1993. His breakthrough performance came in the film Nightwatch (1994),and he went on to appear in numerous films in Scandinavia and Europe.
In the United States, his debut film role was in the war film Black Hawk Down (2001),playing Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon. He then played Detective John Amsterdam in the short-lived Fox television series New Amsterdam (2008),as well as appearing as Frank Pike in the 2009 Fox television film Virtuality, originally intended as a pilot.
Coster-Waldau is perhaps best known for his role as Jaime Lannister in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2018. He is also a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, drawing attention to critical issues such as gender equality and climate change.
In addition to his acting career, Coster-Waldau has been involved in various philanthropic efforts. He has spoken in interviews about his father's struggles with alcoholism and his parents' divorce, and has used his platform to raise awareness about important social issues.
Coster-Waldau has been married to Nukâka, a Greenlandic actress and singer, since 1998, and they have two daughters together. They live in Kongens Lyngby with their two dogs. His father-in-law is Josef Motzfeldt, a member of the Parliament of Greenland and former leader of the Community of the People party.
Coster-Waldau is a supporter of English football club Leeds United and is a member of the Leeds United Supporters' Trust. Despite not being religious, he was baptized and confirmed as a Lutheran in the Danish National Church during his youth and viewed his confirmation as a big moment in his life when he first identified as becoming an adult.
