Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (; born 27 July 1970) is a Danish actor, producer and screenwriter. He graduated from Danish National School of Theatre  in Copenhagen in 1993. Waldau's breakthrough performance in Denmark was his role in the film Nightwatch (1994), since then he has appeared in numerous films in his native Scandinavia and Europe in general, including Headhunters (2011) and A Thousand Times Good Night (2013).