Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Danish actor and producer

Nikolaj William Coster-Waldau (Danish pronunciation: [ˈne̝koˌlɑjˀ ˈkʰʌstɐ ˈvæltɑw]; born 27 July 1970) is a Danish actor and producer. He graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen in 1993. He played Jaime Lannister in the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones, and received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. His breakthrough role in Denmark was in the film Nightwatch (1994).

Coster-Waldau has appeared in numerous films in his native Denmark and Scandinavia, including Headhunters (2011) and A Thousand Times Good Night (2013). In the U.S, his debut film role was in the war film Black Hawk Down (2001), playing Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon. He then played a detective in the short-lived Fox television series New Amsterdam (2008), and appeared in the 2009 Fox television film Virtuality, originally intended as a pilot. He is a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, drawing public attention to issues such as gender equality and climate change.