Sidse Babett Knudsen (Danish pronunciation: [ˈsisə ˈpæpet ˈkʰnusn̩]; born 22 November 1968) is a Danish actress who works in theatre, television, and film. Knudsen made her screen debut in the 1997 improvisational comedy Let's Get Lost, for which she received both the Robert and Bodil awards for Best Actress.
Sidse Babett Knudsen | |
|---|---|
 Knudsen at 2024 Berlinale | |
| Born | 22 November 1968 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Children | 1 |
Following the critical success of her debut, Knudsen has been considered one of the top Danish actresses of her generation.[1][2] In 2000, she again won both best actress awards for the comedy romance Den Eneste Ene (English title: The One and Only).[3] In 2016, she won the César Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film Courted (L'Hermine).[4] Knudsen has also received award nominations for her roles in Monas Verden (Mona's World) and Efter brylluppet (After the Wedding).
Knudsen achieved international recognition for her leading role as fictional Danish Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg in the Danish TV series Borgen,[5] and for her role as Theresa Cullen in the HBO science fiction-Western television series Westworld.
Personal life
editKnudsen was born 22 November 1968 in Copenhagen, the daughter of Ebbe Knudsen, a photographer, and Susanne Andersen, a school teacher.[6] During her childhood, the family lived in Tanzania where her parents undertook volunteer work.[7] Upon returning to Denmark, Knudsen attended a "creative school."[7] Knudsen is unmarried and is the mother of one son born in 2004.[8][9]
Knudsen speaks native Danish, and has native fluency in English and French.
Acting career
editFrom 1987 to 1990 Knudsen trained in acting at the Theatre de l'Ombre in Paris despite initially knowing little French.[10] Upon returning to Denmark, Knudsen played roles for the experimental theatre OVINE 302 as well as at the Betty Nansen Theatre and the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen.
In 1997, Knudsen debuted in the lead role of Julie in Jonas Elmer's slice-of-life comedy Let's Get Lost. The film's script was only an outline, requiring the actors to improvise their roles and dialogue.[11] Knudsen said she was not very good at improvisation and accepted the part only because she thought it would be a lightweight summer comedy.[10] The film became a breakout hit in Denmark and Knudsen received both the Robert Award and the Bodil Award for Best Actress.[12] Critics called Knudsen's performance dominating.[3] Film critic Kim Skotte of Politiken wrote that Knudsen had hit a new tone with a "special ability to capture the modern woman's uncertainty and strength".[13]
Following her appearance in the 1998 mystery Motello, Knudsen played the lead character in Susanne Bier's 1999 romantic comedy Den Eneste Ene. The film became one of the decade's biggest box-office hits in Denmark.[14] It marked a new direction in modern Danish romantic comedies with credit given to Knudsen's acting style.[13] Knudsen's portrayal of Sus, a woman who becomes pregnant by her unfaithful husband while she loves another man, again earned her both the Robert Award and the Bodil Award for Best Actress.
Knudsen returned to work with Elmer in 2000 as the title character in the comedy Mona's Verden. As in Elmer's first film, Knudsen was required to improvise her dialogue and character.[15] Knudsen's portrayal of Mona, an uptight accountant who tries to stave off the romantic infatuation of a bank robber while being held hostage, earned her a Bodil Award nomination for Best Actress.[16]
In 2020, she starred in the BBC drama Roadkill as the mistress of a British Tory politician played by Hugh Laurie.[17]
Knudsen reprised her role as Prime Minister Nyborg in the Netflix revival of Borgen, which was released in 2022.[18]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Let's Get Lost | Julie | Jonas Elmer | |
| Thérapie russe | Sidse | Eric Veniard | ||
| En stille død | Sally | Jannik Johansen | Short | |
| Fanny Farveløs | Mother | Natasha Arthy | Short | |
| 1998 | Motello | Julie | Steen Rasmussen & Michael Wikke | |
| 1999 | The One and Only | Sus | Susanne Bier | |
| Mifune's Last Song | Bibbi | Søren Kragh-Jacobsen | ||
| 2000 | Mirakel | Mona Petersen | Natasha Arthy (3) | |
| Max | Sarah 'Max' Engell | Trine Piil Christensen | ||
| 2001 | Chop Chop | Rita | Niels Arden Oplev | |
| Monas verden | Mona | Jonas Elmer (2) | ||
| 2002 | Drengen der ville gøre det umulige | Woman | Jannik Hastrup | |
| 2003 | Se til venstre, der er en svensker | Katrine | Natasha Arthy (4) | |
| Dogville : The Pilot | Grace | Lars von Trier | Short | |
| 2004 | Villa Paranoia | Olga Holmgård | Erik Clausen | |
| Fakiren fra Bilbao | Louise | Peter Flinth | ||
| Bjørno & Bingo | Bingo | Sabine Ravn | Short | |
| 2006 | After the Wedding | Helene Hansson | Susanne Bier (2) | |
| 2007 | Til døden os skiller | Bente | Paprika Steen | |
| 2008 | Blå mænd | Lotte | Rasmus Heide | |
| 2009 | Over gaden under vandet | Anne | Charlotte Sieling | |
| Æblet & ormen | Sylvia | Anders Morgenthaler & Mads Juul | ||
| 2010 | Parterapi | Puk Agerbo | Kenneth Kainz | |
| 2012 | Sover Dolly på ryggen ? | Sandra | Hella Joof | |
| 2014 | The Duke of Burgundy | Cynthia | Peter Strickland | |
| Speed Walking | Lizzi | Niels Arden Oplev (2) | ||
| 2015 | Courted | Ditte Lorensen-Coteret | Christian Vincent | |
| 2016 | 150 Milligrams | Irène Frachon | Emmanuelle Bercot | |
| Inferno | Dr Elizabeth Sinskey | Ron Howard | ||
| A Hologram for the King | Hanne | Tom Tykwer | ||
| 2017 | The Eternal Road | Sara | Antti-Jussi Annila | |
| 2018 | Vitello | Vitello's mother | Dorte Bengtson | Voice only |
| In Fabric | Jill | Peter Strickland (2) | ||
| Holly På Sommerøen | Charlotte skovmyre | Karla Nor Holmbäck | Short | |
| 2019 | Kaptajn Bimse | Sophie | Thomas Borch Nielsen & Kirsten Skytte | |
| Askeladden - I Soria Moria slott | Ohlmann | Mikkel Brænne Sandemose | ||
| Undtagelsen (The Exception) | Anne-Lise | Jesper W. Nielsen[19] | Based on Christian Jungersen's 2004 novel[20] | |
| The Translators | Helene Tuxen | Régis Roinsard | ||
| 2020 | Kød og blod | Bodil | Jeanette Nordahl | |
| Limbo | Helga | Ben Sharrock | ||
| 2023 | Club Zero | Ms Dorset[21] | Jessica Hausner | |
| Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction | The Grand Duchess | Bille August | ||
| Woaca | Woaca | Mackenzie Davis | Short | |
| 2024 | Sons | Eva Hansen | Gustav Möller | Premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival[22] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Juletestamentet | Mercedes | Nikolaj Cederholm | 23 Episodes |
| 1996 | Charlot og Charlotte | Helle | Ole Bornedal | Miniseries |
| 1997 | Drengen de kaldte Kylling | Mercedes | Natasha Arthy | Miniseries |
| Taxa | Milla | Anders Refn | 1 Episodes | |
| Gufol mysteriet | Weeping Woman | Morten Lorentzen | ||
| 1998 | Strisser på Samsø | Hanne Jensen | Eddie Thomas Petersen | 2 Episodes |
| 2004 | Proof | Nina Kutpreka | Ciaran Donnelly | 4 Episodes |
| 2010-2022 | Borgen | Birgitte Nyborg | Jesper W. Nielsen | 38 Episodes |
| 2014 | 1864 | Johanne Luise Heiberg | Ole Bornedal | Miniseries |
| 2016 | Westworld | Theresa Cullen | Jonathan Nolan | 8 Episodes |
| 2017 | Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams | Jill | Marc Munden | Episode: "Crazy Diamond" |
| 2018 | The Simpsons | Woman in bar | Michael Polcino | Episode: "Throw Grampa from the Dane" |
| Vitello | Vitello's Mother | Dorte Bengtson | 13 Episodes | |
| 2019 | The Accident | Harriet Paulsen | Sandra Goldbacher | Miniseries |
| 2020 | Roadkill | Madeleine Halle | Michael Keillor | Miniseries |
| TBA | Prime Target | Professor Andrea Lavin | Brady Hood | Upcoming miniseries |
Awards and nominations
editNotes
edit- ^ Morten Piil, Danske Filmskuespillere, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2001, p.238
- ^ Karin Schmidt, "En rigtig stjerne", B.T., 23 November 2002, retrieved 27-05-2009
- ^ a b (Piil 2001, p. 238)
- ^ "Cesar Awards: Philippe Faucon's Drama 'Fatima' Wins Best Film". Variety. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ Gilbert, Gerard (5 January 2012). "Nothing Like A Dane". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
- ^ "Sidse Babett Knudsen". Danske Film Database. danskefilm.dk. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ a b Mottram, James (19 May 2016). "Sidse Babett Knudsen: 'I've been the Prime Minister, I cannot play the Prime Minister's wife'". iNews.
- ^ Hansen, Aviaya Valdivia (22 November 2018). "Sidse fylder rundt: 50 og hemmelighedsfuld". Nyheder. Se og Hoer.
- ^ Johansson, Susanne (11 December 2004). "Sidse Babett nyder sin barsel". B.T.
- ^ a b (Piil 2001, p. 240)
- ^ Peter Schepelern, "Internationalisering og dogme", 100 Års Dansk Film, Copenhagen; Rosinante, 2001 p. 343
- ^ Morten Piil, "Barbara versus Babett", Information, 10 March 1998
- ^ a b Kim Skotte, "Den Eneste Ene er et nyt kapitel i historien om den danske komedie", Politiken, 1 April 1999, written in Danish as "Med Let's Get Lost blev det slået fast, at dansk film i Sidse Babett Knudsen havde fået en skuespillerinde, som ramte en helt ny tone. En skuespillerinde med en særlig evne til at indfange den moderne kvindes usikkerhed og styrke."
- ^ (Schepelern 2001, p. 313)
- ^ Christian Monggaard, "At improvisere er at lytte", (Danish), Information, information.dk, 31 August 2001
- ^ "Stor jævnbyrdighed i nomineringerne til årets Bodil-fest", B.T., January 11, 2002, retrieved 27-05-2009
- ^ Jones, Ellen E. (2020-10-16). "Sidse Babett Knudsen: the Borgen star mixing Danish drama and Westminster intrigue". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
- ^ McHenry, Jackson (2020-04-29). "Borgen, a Show You Either Love or Have Never Heard of, Is Coming Back on Netflix". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
- ^ The Exception at IMDb
- ^ Mitchell, Wendy (24 June 2023). "Danish thriller 'The Exception' starring Sidse Babett Knudsen begins shooting (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ "Club Zero". Austrian Film Institute. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (22 January 2024). "The Berlinale unveils its Competition and Encounters titles". Cineuropa. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
References
edit- Piil, Morten (2001). Danske Filmskuespillere. Copenhagen: Gyldendal. ISBN 87-00-46576-3.
- Schepelern, Peter (2001). "Internationalisering og dogme". 100 Års Dansk Film. Copenhagen: Rosinante. ISBN 87-621-0157-9.
External links
edit
- Sidse Babett Knudsen at IMDb
- Sidse Babett Knudsen at Den Danske Film Database (in Danish)
- Sidse Babett Knudsen in the Danish Film Database