Alexander Skarsgård
Biography
Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård is a Swedish actor born on August 25, 1976, in Stockholm. He began his acting career at age seven but stepped away from the profession at age 13. Following a period of service in the Swedish military, he returned to acting. Skarsgård has established a long-standing career in both film and television, accumulating 90 known credits. He is recognized for his work in various international productions, spanning from his early start in Sweden to his prominent roles in American television series and feature films. His professional journey reflects a transition from child acting to a sustained career in global media, marked by significant performances in drama and comedy projects.
Career overview
Skarsgård gained his first role in the United States with the film comedy Zoolander. His career progressed significantly in 2008 when he played Marine Brad Colbert in the miniseries Generation Kill. That same year, he began his breakthrough role as the vampire Eric Northman in the television series True Blood, a character he portrayed until 2014. These early roles established his presence in American television and provided a foundation for his subsequent work in major film and television projects.
Following his success in television, Skarsgård appeared in several films, including Melancholia in 2011, Battleship in 2012, and The Legend of Tarzan in 2016. He later starred in the drama series Big Little Lies from 2017 to 2019, where he played the role of an abusive husband. His performance in this series earned him a Primetime Emmy Award.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Moment (2026) as Johannes
- Wicker (2026)
- The End (2026) as (voice)
- Pillion (2025) as Ray
- Pillion (2025) Executive Producer
- Murderbot (2025) as Murderbot
- Murderbot (2025) Executive Producer
- Variety & CNN Actors on Actors (2025) as Self
- Eric LaRue (2025) as Ron LaRue
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024) as Other John
- Lee (2024) as Roland Penrose
- Infinity Pool (2023) as James Foster
- Infinity Pool (2023) Executive Producer
- Svensken bakom Hollywoodkroppen (2023) as Himself
- The Northman (2022) as Amleth
- The Northman (2022) Producer
- Creation of the Kingdom of Exodus (2022) as Self / The Swedish Lawyer
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) as Nathan Lind
- Passing (2021) as John Bellew
- The Stand (2020) as Randall Flagg
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- What We Do in the Shadows (2019) as Eric Northman
- Long Shot (2019) as Prime Minister James Steward
- On Becoming a God in Central Florida (2019) as Travis Stubbs
- The Kill Team (2019) as Sergeant Deeks
- The Aftermath (2019) as Stefan Lubert
- The Hummingbird Project (2019) as Anton Zaleski
- Succession (2018) as Lukas Matsson
- GQ Presents: Iconic Characters (2018) as Self
- The Little Drummer Girl (2018) as Gadi Becker
- Mute (2018) as Leo Beiler
- Hold the Dark (2018) as Vernon Slone
- Big Little Lies (2017) as Perry Wright
- Atlanta (2016) as Alexander Skarsgård
- The Legend of Tarzan (2016) as John Clayton / Tarzan
- Zoolander 2 (2016) as Adam
- War on Everyone (2016) as Terry Monroe
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self - Guest
- Hidden (2015) as Ray
- Documentary Now! (2015) as Rainer Wolz
- The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015) as Monroe Rutherford
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self - Guest
- The Giver (2014) as Father
- Disconnect (2013) as Derek Hull
- What Maisie Knew (2013) as Lincoln
- The East (2013) as Benji
- Battleship (2012) as Commander Stone Hopper
- The Jonathan Ross Show (2011) as Self
- Melancholia (2011) as Michael
- Straw Dogs (2011) as Charlie Venner
- 13 (2010) as Jack
- Behind the Moomins (2010) as Self
- Beyond the Pole (2010) as Terje
- Trust Me (2010) as Alex
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (2009) as Self - Guest
- Eastbound & Down (2009) as Adult Toby Powers
- Metropia (2009) as Stefan (voice)
- Uppsala Doctor's (2009) as Andersson Nilsson
- True Blood (2008) as Eric Northman
- Generation Kill (2008) as Brad Colbert
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self
- Leende Guldbruna Ögon (2007)
- Black Island Sisters (2007) as Stefan
- The One Show (2006) as Self
- Score (2006) as Micke
- The Last Drop (2006) as Jergen Voller
- Kill Your Darlings (2006) as Geert
- Exit (2006) as Fabian von Klerking
- Never Be Mine (2006) as Christopher
- About Sara (2005) as Kalle Öberg
- Double Shift (2005) as Nisse
- Heartbeat (2004) as Piloten
- To Kill a Child (2003) Screenplay
- To Kill a Child (2003) Director
- The Dog Trick (2002) as Micke
- Zoolander (2001) as Meekus
- Kites Over Helsinki (2001) as Robin Åström
- Hundtricket (2000) as Micke
- D-Day (2000) as Lise's papsøn
- The Diver (2000) as Ingmar
- White Water Fury (2000) as Anders
- Wings of Glass (2000) as Johan
- Happy End (1999) as Bamse Viktorsson
- White Lies (1997) as Marcus Englund
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- The Kingdom (1994) as Svensk advokat
- The Dog That Smiled (1989) as Jojjo
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest
- Idag Röd (1987) as The Boy
- Åke and His World (1984) as Kalle Nubb
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as Self - Host
- The Tiger as Vanzin
- The Wolf Will Tear Your Immaculate Hands
- The Pack
- The Pack Director