Biography - Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Who is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau?

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is an actor, producer, and screenwriter by profession and Danish by nationality. Among all his roles, he is best known for his role in Game of Thrones as Jaime Lannister.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – Birth, Parents, Siblings

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s birth took place on 27 July 1970 in Rudkøbing, Denmark, as Nikolaj William Coster-Waldau. He was born to his mother, Hanne Søborg Coster, and a librarian, and his late father, Jørgen Oscar Fritzer Waldau. His father struggled with alcohol most of his life, and his parents divorced, after which he opted to take his mother’s last name.

Coster-Waldau has two siblings, two older sisters named Rikke Coster-Waldau and Dorte Coster-Waldau. All were raised mainly by their mother in Tybjerg. 

Education, Ethnicity

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau joined the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance in 1989, making him the youngest one to enroll at the school. He graduated from there in 1993. 

His ethnicity is Danish and Swedish.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

In June 1998, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau married Nukâka Coster-Waldau, a former Miss Greenland, an actress, and a singer. They have two daughters together, Filippa Coster-Waldau and Safina Coster-Waldau. There has been no news of divorce surrounding the pair.

Nukâka Coster-Waldau’s father is Josef Motzfeldt, a member of the Parliament of Greenland and former leader of the Community of the People party.

Like Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and his wife, both their children have followed in their footsteps. Filippa starred in 2014’s film The Girl and the Dogs, and Safina starred in the Danish Christmas TV series named Theo og Den Magiske Talisman as Simone.

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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – Career

Before fame

Coster-Waldau started his career in 1993. He debuted as Laertes in Hamlet at the Betty Nansen Theater. In 1994, he was cast in the film Nightwatch. This role gained him fame in Denmark.

This was followed by Nukâka Coster-Waldauin's films Misery Harbour (1999) and Enigma (2001). In TV series, he has starred in Morgen og aften (1994) and Paradis (1997), to name a few.

In 2001, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau started to work in the United States film and television industry. There, he portrayed roles in the films Black Hawk Down (2001), 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman (2002), Wimbledon (2004), The Headsman (2005), The Kautokeino Rebellion (2008), At World's End (2009), etc.

He also starred in the TV series New Amsterdam (2008) and The Left Wing Gang (2009-2010).

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Films, TV series

In 2011, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was cast as Jaime Lannister in the HBO hit series Game of Thrones. He portrayed the character from season one till its end in season 8.

Since then, he has landed roles in the films Oblivion (2013), The Other Woman (2014), Gods of Egypt (2016), Shot Caller (2017), Domino (2019), A Taste of Hunger (2021), The Flash (2023), and Nightwatch (2023).

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Co-stars

Coster-Waldau has starred alongside Orlando Bloom, Josh Hartnett, Andrea Riseborough, Peter Dinklage, Ewan McGregor, and Olga Kurylenko.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – Awards, Nominations

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been awarded the 2018 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

He has also had numerous nominations over the years. He was nominated for 1995’s Bodil Awards — Best Actor in a Leading Role, 1999’s Robert Awards — Best Actor in a Leading Role, and 2004’s Robert Awards — Best Actor in a Leading Role.

With the cast of Game of Thrones, he has been nominated for the 2011, 2013- 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – Net Worth, Salary

The net worth of Coster-Waldau is estimated at around $16 million. His salary per episode was $1.1 million.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

On Instagram and Twitter, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is followed by several hundred thousand followers. He also has an official website - nikolajcosterwaldau.org.

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