Mads Mikkelsen
The Danish actor who brought a chilling elegance to the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen is a Danish actor who achieved worldwide recognition for playing the main antagonist Le Chiffre in the twenty-first James Bond film, Casino Royale (2006). Outside of film, he is known for his role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the television series Hannibal (2013–2015).
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen
- Born
- 22 November 1965
- Birthplace
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Occupation
- Actor
- Years active
- 1996–present
- Spouse
- Hanne Jacobsen (2000)
- Children
- 2
- Relatives
- Lars Mikkelsen (brother)
Lore & Background
Mikkelsen was born on 22 November 1965 in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark, the son of mother Bente Mikkelsen and father Henning Dittmann Mikkelsen, a cab driver. He and his older brother, actor Lars Mikkelsen, were raised in the Nørrebro district. In his youth, he trained as a gymnast, wanting to pursue athletics, but then studied dancing at Balettakademien in Gothenburg where he also became fluent in Swedish. During his dancing career, Mikkelsen met choreographer Hanne Jacobsen, whom he married in 2000. He was a professional dancer for almost a decade until he left it behind to study drama at the Århus Theatre School in 1996, embarking on a career in acting.
Reader's Guide
Mikkelsen achieved his first widely acclaimed international success as Le Chiffre in the twenty-first James Bond film, Casino Royale (2006). Mikkelsen has said that he so easily won the part that even Daniel Craig asked him if he had slept with someone to be cast. He said of the casting, "They'd done their homework, seen my stuff, so it was fine, just a bit of anti-climax, because I was so ready to do more for them, but it was ... shrugs... you're in." He also stated that because he was already a big film star in Denmark at the time, that the international role did not really change much. Roger Ebert noted the suspense during Mikkelsen's scene with Bond during the extended poker game, in which Le Chiffre weeps blood from his left eye.
More in Production & Legacy
Elsewhere in Hannibal
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