Ulrich Thomsen (born December 6, 1963) graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance in 1993. He began his career on stage in Copenhagen and made his film debut in Ole Bornedal’s 1994 indie hit Nightwatch. Thomsen quickly became one of Europe’s most sought-after actors, starring in nearly 100 productions.

He gained international recognition with his leading role in Thomas Vinterberg’s 1998 arthouse hit Festen (The Celebration), which earned him a Best European Actor nomination at the European Film Academy Awards. The film won the Cannes Jury Prize and played a significant role in the Dogma movement.

Thomsen has received critical acclaim for his roles in European films such as The Greatest Heroes, The Inheritance, Brothers, Adam’s Apples, Allegro, Fear Me Not, and In a Better World. He won several awards, including Best Actor by the Danish Film Academy, and the prestigious Best Actor award at the San Sebastian Film Festival for Brothers.

His international credits include Bond: The World is Not Enough, Kathryn Bigelow’s The Weight of Water, Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, Tom Tykwer’s The International, and the Oscar-winning short film Election Night. Other notable films include The Rocket Post, Duplicity, Centurion, Season of the Witch, and The Notebook. In 2014, he starred in Summer 92 and The Commune, directed by Thomas Vinterberg.

On television, Thomsen appeared in Alias, the BBC miniseries The Virgin Queen, and The Company. He joined the cast of Alan Ball’s series Banshee for four seasons and appeared in The Blacklist, Counterpart, and The New Pope.

In 2016, Thomsen made his directorial debut with In Embryo. His second feature film, GUTTERBEE (2019), is a satirical black comedy about identity, sausages, and the American dream.