Alexander Skarsgård Biography

ALEXANDER SKARSGARD

Date of Birth: August 25, 1976

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Alexander Skarsgård is the eldest of seven siblings. His mother is a doctor and his father is the famous actor Stellan Skarsgård, who helped him land his first acting role at the age of seven, starring in the Swedish film Ake and His World . A few years later, he became known for his role in the Swedish TV series The Dog That Smiled, but the 13-year-old was uncomfortable with being recognized in public and quit acting.

At 19, he enrolled with the Swedish military and stayed for 18 months. In 1996 he attended Leeds Metropolitan University in England to study English, then the following year moved to New York to take a theater course at Marymount Manhattan College. Back in Sweden in 1999, he began working on the TV series Vita longer, playing Marcus Englund.

Alexander was first seen in the States playing a character named Meekus alongside Ben Stiller in 2001's Zoolander. He has been in numerous movies in Sweden since then and has also been voted the Sexiest Man in Sweden five times.

In America, his biggest break to date came when he was cast as vampire Eric Northman in HBO's True Blood. He has also starred in Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" music video. During hiatus from the show, Alexander has found time to return to the big screen in movies such as Melancholia (2011) co-starring Kirsten Dunst, Battleship (2012) alongside Liam Neeson and Taylor Kitsch, and The Giver (2014) starring Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep.

He's also been seen in the comedy sequel Zoolander 2 (2016), the comedy War on Everyone (2016), and starred as the title role in the adventure reboot The Legend of Tarzan (2016).

On the small screen, Alexander won a Golden Globe in 2018 for his role as an abusive husband on the critically acclaimed HBO TV series Big Little Lies.

In 2019, he played Jesse Eisenberg's cousin in The Hummingbird Project, about two high frequency traders who come across a way to make a lot of money.

Filmography:

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
War on Everyone (2016)
Zoolander 2 (2016)
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
The Giver (2014)
Battleship (2012)
What Maisie Knew (2012)
Disconnect (2012)
The East (2012)
Straw Dogs (2011)
Melancholia (2011)
Trust Me (2010)
13 (2010)
Metropia (voice) (2009)
Beyond the Pole (2009)
Jarnets anglar (2007)
Exit (2006)
Kill Your Darlings (2006)
The Last Drop (2006)
Om Sara (2005)
Double Shift (2005)
The Dog Trick (2002)
Zoolander (2001)
Kites Over Helsinki (2001)
Wings of Glass (2000)
White Water Fury (2000)
The Diver (2000)
Happy End (1999)
Ake and His World (1984)