Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is a Danish actor, producer and screenwriter.

He graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre in Copenhagen in 1993.

Coster-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).

In the United States, his debut film role was in the war film Black Hawk Down (2001), playing Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon.

Coster-Waldau became widely known for his role as Jaime Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2018.