Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas Biography

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas is a Norwegian actress acclaimed for her emotionally rich performances in film, television, and theatre. She rose to international prominence for her role as Agnes Borg in Joachim Trier’s 2025 film Sentimental Value, which earned her a National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe nomination.​

Raised in the mountain town of Gol, Norway, Lilleaas grew up in a creative household with parents who were theatre performers running their own production company, giving her an early grounding in stage work and ensemble storytelling. As a teenager she spent a year in Brazil as a foreign exchange student, where she learned Portuguese and became fascinated with Brazilian television, later citing local telenovelas as a surprising influence on her craft. She went on to study theatre at Nord University and further honed her acting technique during a semester at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City.​

Lilleaas made her feature film debut in Women in Women in Overd Men’s Shirts (2015), earning an Amanda Award nomination for Best Actress and marking her as an emerging talent in Norwegian cinema. She has since balanced screen and stage, appearing in projects such as the historical drama The Last King (2016) and the Netflix musical film A Beautiful Life (2023), while continuing to work extensively in Norwegian television and theatre. Her breakthrough in Sentimental Value brought a wave of international recognition, including critics’ awards and her first Academy Award nomination.​

Known for a grounded, empathetic acting style, Lilleaas often portrays complex women navigating family ties, memory, and identity, a quality that has made her a favorite of directors and ensembles alike. Offscreen, she has held a variety of jobs — including dental hygienist, drama teacher, and caregiver for senior citizens — which she has said deepened her understanding of people and feeds directly into her character work. She is married to Icelandic actor Gunnar Eiriksson, and the couple have one son. She describes her family life as central to her sense of balance as her career grows increasingly global.