Thure Lindhardt


About

Birth Place
København, DK
Born
December 24, 1974

Biography

A chameleonic powerhouse, actor Thure Lindhardt first reached international audiences with a small role in the Oscar-winning "Pelle erobreren" ("Pelle the Conqueror") (1987). Determined to reach his full potential as a serious actor, Lindhardt continuously chose challenging roles, including an autistic young man suspected of murder in "Her I nærheden" ("A Place Nearby") (2000). Winning s...

Biography

A chameleonic powerhouse, actor Thure Lindhardt first reached international audiences with a small role in the Oscar-winning "Pelle erobreren" ("Pelle the Conqueror") (1987). Determined to reach his full potential as a serious actor, Lindhardt continuously chose challenging roles, including an autistic young man suspected of murder in "Her I nærheden" ("A Place Nearby") (2000). Winning several international awards, he went on to notch high-profile roles in "Nordkraft" (2005), "Flame and Citron" (2008), "Broderskab" ("Brotherhood") (2009) and "The Island" (2011) as well as supporting turns in mainstream American projects like "Into the Wild" (2007) and "Angels & Demons" (2009). He wowed critics around the world for his unforgettable turn as a gay filmmaker enmeshed in a searing, addiction-plagued romance with a closeted lawyer (Zachary Booth) in the powerful independent film "Keep the Lights On" (2012), which earned him considerable acclaim. Considered by many to be one of the greatest Danish actors of his generation, Thure Lindhardt brought an impressive intensity to any role which he chose to inhabit.

Born Dec. 24, 1974 in Copenhagen, Denmark, Thure Frank Lindhardt made his screen debut at age 12 as a mail carrier in "Negerkys og labre larver" (1987), but achieved his international breakthrough as a schoolboy in Bille August's Oscar-winning "Pelle erobreren" ("Pelle the Conqueror") (1987). Lindhardt's taste of early film success strengthened his desire to make his mark as an actor, and after finishing his schooling, he pursued a versatile spectrum of challenging screen roles. After a series regular role on Lars von Trier's "Morten Korch - Ved stillebækken" (1999-2000), he appeared in the international productions "Far from China" (2001), "Nude, Descending." (2002) and "Her I nærheden" ("A Place Nearby") (2000), for which he was nominated for Best Actor from the Robert Festival and Bodil Awards. Lindhardt went on to star in the bizarre comedies "One Hell of Christmas" (2002) and "Slim Slam Slum" (2002), but fared better with a performance in the addiction tale "Nordkraft" (2005) and a Zulu Award-winning performance in the World War II drama "Flame and Citron" (2008).

After lending his voice to the series "Jungledyret Hugo" (2003-04) and "The Fairytaler" (2004-05), he boosted his American profile with supporting roles in "Into the Wild" (2007) as a Danish tourist and in "Angels & Demons" (2009) as a Swiss Guardsman. He earned excellent reviews as a secretly gay neo-Nazi in the drama "Broderskab" ("Brotherhood") (2009) and a screenwriter navigating the ups and downs of relationships in "Sandheden om mænd" ("Truth About Men") (2010). Although he continued to work steadily in such projects as "The Island" (2011), he dazzled critics around the world for his fearless performance as a documentary filmmaker in the addiction-fueled gay romance "Keep the Lights On" (2012). With much of the wrenching film resting on Lindhardt's shoulders, the actor earned fantastic reviews as well as nominations for a Breakthrough Actor Gotham Award as well as a Best Male Lead Independent Spirit Award.

By Jonathan Riggs

Life Events

1987

At 12, landed minor role in Bille August's "Pelle the Conqueror"

2000

Breakthrough role in Denmark, playing an autistic boy opposite Ghita Nørby in "A Place Nearby"

2007

Cast in biographical drama "Into the Wild," directed by Sean Penn

2008

Co-starred with Mads Mikkelsen in WWII drama "Flame and Citron"

2009

Cast as the young Swiss guard in feature adaptation of "Angels & Demons," directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks

2012

Starred in Ira Sachs' indie drama "Keep the Lights On" as a Danish filmmaker living in NYC

Bibliography