Lars Dittmann Mikkelsen (Danish: [ˈlɑːs ˈme̝kl̩sn̩]; born 6 May 1964) is a Danish actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Grand Admiral Thrawn in various Star Wars media.
Lars Mikkelsen | |
|---|---|
 Mikkelsen in 2015 | |
| Born | Lars Dittmann Mikkelsen 6 May 1964 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Voice Actor |
| Known for | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Mads Mikkelsen (brother) |
His other roles include Copenhagen mayoral election candidate Troels Hartmann in the Danish police procedural The Killing,[1] the character Charles Augustus Magnussen in the third series of the BBC programme Sherlock, fictional Russian president Viktor Petrov in the American political thriller TV series House of Cards and mage Stregobor on the Netflix series The Witcher. In 2011, he won the Reumert Prize of Honour for his contributions to Danish theatre.[2]
Early life
editMikkelsen was born in Gladsaxe near Copenhagen.[3] He and his younger brother, actor Mads Mikkelsen, were raised in the Nørrebro district.[4] After secondary school, he enlisted for military service in the Royal Danish Army.[5] He then studied biology at the University of Copenhagen but gave up the course to earn his living as a street performer in European cities with his mime and juggling acts.[6]
Career
editAt the age of 27, Mikkelsen enrolled at the National Theatre School of Denmark from which he graduated in 1995. In addition to his role in the drama series released worldwide as The Killing,[1] he subsequently appeared in two other internationally acclaimed Danish drama series, Those Who Kill and Borgen III.[7] He also had a leading role in an episode of the BBC drama Sherlock as blackmailer Charles Augustus Magnussen.[8] In the American television series House of Cards, he played the president of Russia. He won an International Emmy Award in 2018 for his role in Danish television drama Herrens Veje,[9] which was broadcast in the UK in 2019 as Ride Upon the Storm. From 2016 to 2018, he voiced Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo "Thrawn" in the third and fourth seasons of the animated series Star Wars Rebels. He reprised the role in the 2023 live-action Disney+ series Ahsoka and the 2024 anthology series Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.[10][11]
In addition to his native Danish, Mikkelsen speaks fluent Swedish, German and English, and he has mastered various accents. He has stated that he and his brother first picked up English by listening to Monty Python records and learning the comedy sketches.[6]
Personal life
editMikkelsen is married to actress Anette Støvelbæk.[12] They have been a couple since 1986 and married in 1989.[13] They have two sons.[14] He is the older brother of actor Mads Mikkelsen.[15]
While filming the second season of Ride Upon the Storm, he went to see a priest and asked to be baptised into the National Church of Denmark.[16]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Royal Blues | Henning | ||
| 1999 | Seth | Seth | ||
| Under overfladen | Victor | |||
| 2000 | Kira's Reason: A Love Story (En kærlighedshistorie) |
Mads | ||
| 2004 | King's Game (Kongekabale) |
Peter Schou | ||
| 2005 | Nordkraft | Steso's father | ||
| 2007 | Island of Lost Souls | Necromancer | ||
| Cecilie | Lasse N. Damgaard | |||
| 2008 | What No One Knows (Det som ingen ved) |
Marc Deleuran | ||
| Flame & Citron (Flammen & Citronen) | Frode Jacobsen aka Ravnen | |||
| 2009 | Flugten | Thomas Jargil | ||
| Headhunter | Martin Vinge | Robert Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role | ||
| 2012 | What Richard Did | Peter Karlsen | ||
| A Caretaker's Tale | Per | |||
| 2014 | Montana | Dimitrije | ||
| When Animals Dream | Thor | |||
| 2015 | 9. April | Lieutenant-Colonel Hintz | ||
| 2016 | The Day Will Come | Frederik Heck | ||
| 2017 | Winter Brothers | Carl | ||
| 2021 | The Venus Effect | Klaus | ||
| 2022 | The Kiss | Løvenskjold | ||
| 2023 | Asfalt | Kim | ||
| 2025 | Frankenstein | TBA | Post-production | |
| TBA | Dalloway | TBA | Post-production |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Strisser på Samsø | Jens Fiskrt | Episodes 1–4, 6 | |
| Taxa | Drug addict | Episode 8 | ||
| 2000 | Edderkoppen | Ole Madsen | ||
| Skjulte spor | Morten Theilgaard | |||
| 2001 | Langt fra Las Vegas | Pirate captain | ||
| Nikolaj og Julie | Per Køller | Episodes 10–20 | ||
| 2002 | Rejseholdet | Ivan | Episodes 21–22 | |
| 2004–2007 | Krøniken | Jens Otto Krag | Episodes 2–3, 9, 11, 14–15, 17, 21–22 | |
| 2007 | Forbrydelsen | Troels Hartmann | 20 episodes | |
| 2011 | Those Who Kill | Magnus Bisgaard | ||
| 2013, 2022 | Borgen | Søren Ravn | Seasons 3 and 4 | |
| 2014 | Sherlock | Charles Augustus Magnussen | Series 3; 2 episodes | |
| 1864 | Thøger Jensen | Episodes 1–2 | ||
| 2015 | The Team | Harold Bjørn | 8 episodes | |
| 2015–2018 | House of Cards | Viktor Petrov | Seasons 3–6; 11 episodes | [17] |
| 2016 | Der Kommer En Dag | Forstander Frederick Heck | Season 1 | |
| 2017 | Historien om Danmark | Narrator | ||
| Herrens Veje | Johannes | International Emmy for Best Performance by an Actor | ||
| 2019–present | The Witcher | Stregobor | 6 episodes | |
| 2019–2023 | Face to Face | Holger Lang | 9 episodes | [18] |
| 2020–2022 | Devils | Daniel Duval | 16 episodes | |
| 2021 | Seaside Hotel | Svend Damm | 5 episodes | |
| 2022 | The Kingdom | Pontopidan | 5 episodes | |
| The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen | Knud | 6 episodes | ||
| 2023 | Ahsoka | Grand Admiral Thrawn | 3 episodes Nominated—Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Villain in a Series |
[10][19] |
Animated films/series/shorts
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Naruto | Zabuza Momochi, Hayate Gekkō | Danish dub | |
| 2004 | Tiger-brødre | Aidan McRory | ||
| 2006 | Arthur and the Invisibles | Malthazar | Danish dub | |
| The Wild | Samson | Danish dub | ||
| 2007 | Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure | Lucky Luke | ||
| Meet the Robinsons | Uncle Art | Danish dub | ||
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | General O.K. MacMission | ||
| 2010 | Huset Anubis | Hr. Van Swieten | ||
| 2011 | Ronal the Barbarian | Volcazar | Danish dub | |
| 2014 | The Dam Keeper | The Narrator | Short | [20] |
| 2016–2018 | Star Wars Rebels | Grand Admiral Thrawn | 17 episodes | [10] |
| 2024 | Star Wars: Tales of the Empire | Episode: "The Path of Anger" | [21][22] |
References
edit- ^ a b "The Killing's Lars Mikkelsen: 'Danish newspapers are talking about you raving about it". The Daily Telegraph. 4 April 2011. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ "Reumert 2011 Hæderspris Lars Mikkelsen 22". YouTube. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ "Lars Mikkelsen". Discogs. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Transcript of Part 1 of "Mads Mikkeson". Mein Leben / My Life (TV documentary series). Arte. 2006. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
2:22 Mads and Lars (brother) are in Nørrebro, Copenhagen ... 3:06 [Mikkelsen]: My brother and I know this place like the back of our hands. Nørrebro was a typical working-class neighborhood.
Documentary in German, transcript in English. - ^ "Lars Mikkelsen efter rolle som præst: Nu tør jeg sige, jeg er troende". 24 September 2017. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ a b Meagher, Ben (15 May 2013). "Lars Mikkelsen: England produces the best actors in the world". Leeds Student. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ Frost, Vicky (22 February 2012). "Has Denmark run out of TV actors?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ "Sherlock: Interview with Lars Mikkelsen". BBC Media Centre. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ^ "International Emmy Awards: Full Winners List: Lars Mikkelsen Shines! Olisa TV, 20 November 2018". Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ a b c Goslin, Austen; Welsh, Oli (8 April 2023). "Thrawn will be played by original voice actor Lars Mikkelsen in Ahsoka". Polygon. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ Tinaglia, Daniel (4 April 2024). "Star Wars Brings Back Grand Admiral Thrawn Sooner Than Anyone Expected, Setting Up The Mandalorian Movie". Screen Rant. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ Schelin, Karen Margrethe (19 September 2009). "Jeg nåede aldrig at være en umulig teenager". Berlingske Tidende (in Danish). Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ Bjerre, Britta (25 August 2014). "Anette Støvelbæk fejrer sølvbryllup med Lars Mikkelsen: Håber han er hjemme". Se og Hør (in Danish). Archived from the original on 3 October 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ "Lars Mikkelsens børn vil også på scenen". Se og Hør (in Danish). 13 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ Erlendsson, Kirsten (30 January 2007). "Lars Mikkelsen: Det var smøgerne eller livet". BT (in Danish). Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ Lawson, Mark (30 January 2019) "Lars Mikkelsen: I found God after playing a boozy, lusty priest" Archived 9 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ Alexander, Susannah (12 January 2015). "Sherlock actor Lars Mikkelsen to star in House of Cards season 3". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ Knudsen, Lars R. (10 February 2023). "Forhøret sæson 3: Det er umuligt at tage øjnene fra Lars Mikkelsen i afslutningen på Viaplays konceptkrimi / Serie" [The Interrogation season 3: It's impossible to take your eyes off Lars Mikkelsen at the end of Viaplay's concept crime / Series]. Sound Venue (in Danish). Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ "Nominations Announced for the 4th Annual Critics' Choice Super Awards Honoring Superhero, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Horror and Action Movies and Series". Critics' Choice. 7 March 2024. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ Amidi, Amid (4 February 2014). "Watch a Clip from "The Dam Keeper" by Pixar's Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- ^ Complex, Valerie (4 April 2024). "'Star Wars: Tales Of The Empire' Trailer: Disney+ Unveils Dave Filoni's Animated Follow-Up To 'Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ StarWars.com Team (4 April 2024). "Star Wars: Tales of the Empire Trailer Revealed". Star Wars. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.