Connie Nielsen

Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen (born 3 July 1965) is a Danish actress whose first major role in an English language film was a supporting role in The Devil's Advocate (1997). Her films include Soldier with Kurt Russell (1998), Gladiator (2000), Mission to Mars (2000), One Hour Photo (2002), Basic (2003), The Hunted (2003), The Ice Harvest (2005), and Nymphomaniac (2014). She starred as Meredith Kane on the Starz TV series Boss (2011–2012) and was a lead character in the second season of The Following. She starred in 3 Days to Kill with Kevin Costner (2014). She has joined the DC Extended Universe, appearing as Hippolyta in its films Wonder Woman (2017), Justice League (2017) and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).

Connie Nielsen
Nielsen at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen

(1965-07-03) 3 July 1965
Frederikshavn, Denmark
OccupationActress
Years active1984–present
Partner(s)Lars Ulrich (2004–2012)
Children2

Early life

Nielsen was born in Frederikshavn and grew up in the village of Elling,[1] Denmark. Her father, Bent Nielsen, was a bus driver, and her mother was an insurance clerk, who also acted and wrote musical reviews.[2][3][4] She was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a Mormon.[5] She began her acting career working alongside her mother on the local revue and variety scene. At 18, she traveled to Paris, France, where she worked as an actress and model, which led to further work and study in Italy—at drama school in Rome and in master classes with Lydia Styx, a teacher at Piccolo Teatro di Milano in Milan. She lived in Italy for many years before moving to the United States, where she still resides.

Career

Nielsen's feature film debut was the Jerry Lewis French film Par où t'es rentré ? On t'a pas vu sortir in 1984, followed by a role in the Italian mini-series Colletti Bianchi in 1988. She appeared in the Italian film Vacanze di Natale '91 (1991) and the French film Le Paradis Absolument (1993).[6]

She moved to the United States in the mid-1990s and made her first appearance in a major English-language film in 1997 as Christabella Andreoli in The Devil's Advocate, starring opposite Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. This first minor breakthrough led to roles in the films Permanent Midnight (1998), Rushmore (1998), and Soldier (1998).[7]

In 2000, Nielsen appeared as Lucilla in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, starring opposite Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. Since then, she has starred in American films including Mission to Mars (2000), One Hour Photo (2002), The Hunted (2003), and Basic (2003), for which she had to cut off most of her hair. She also starred in the French thriller Demonlover (2002), directed by Olivier Assayas. She played the Irish mother to an orphan in A Shine of Rainbows (2009).[8]

Nielsen in 2009

In 2004, Nielsen made her Danish film debut in the drama, Brødre (also known as Brothers), for which she won the Danish Best Actress Award, the Bodil, as well as Best Actress at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. She was also nominated for Best Actress at the European Film Awards. In 2006, Nielsen appeared in several episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Detective Dani Beck. She filled in for Mariska Hargitay, who was on maternity leave at the time of filming.[9]

With Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jamie Bell and Uma Thurman, Nielsen appeared in the 2014 Lars Von Trier film Nymphomaniac.[10] She was featured in a series of promotional posters prior to the film's release, a campaign The Independent described as "shocking", observing that "Connie Nielsen appears somewhat moist in this poster for Nymphomaniac".[11]

In 2015, she appeared on the TV-2 album Det gode liv where she sang along with Steffen Brandt on the track "Brev til Mona". In September 2018 she appeared as a cast member of the CBS drama FBI with Jeremy Sisto and Missy Peregrym.

Personal life

From 2004 to 2012, Nielsen dated Metallica drummer and fellow Dane Lars Ulrich. They have one son together, Bryce Thadeus Ulrich-Nielsen (born 21 May 2007, in San Francisco, California).[12] She has an older son from her previous relationship with Fabio Sartor.

Nielsen is multilingual and speaks eight languages: Danish, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, and some Spanish.[13]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1984Par où t'es rentré ? On t'a pas vu sortirEvaCredited as Connie Nielson
1991Vacanze di Natale '91Brunilde / Vanessa
1997The Devil's AdvocateChristabella Andreoli
1998Permanent MidnightDagmar
RushmoreMrs. Calloway
SoldierSandra
2000InnocentsMegan Denright
Mission to MarsTerri Fisher
GladiatorLucillaEmpire Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Action
Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2002One Hour PhotoNina YorkinNominated—Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
DemonloverDiane de Monx
2003The HuntedAbby Durrell
BasicOsborne
2004BrødreSarahNominated—European Film Award for Best Actress
Return to SenderCharlotte Cory
2005The Great RaidMargaret Utinsky
The Ice HarvestRenata Crest
2006The SituationAnna Molyneux
2007Battle in SeattleJean
2009A Shine of RainbowsMaire
2010KidnappetSusanne
2011Perfect SenseJenny
2013NymphomaniacJoe's MotherPart 1
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to EdenBaroness Von WagnerNarration/voice
20143 Days to KillChristine Renner
Return to ZeroDr. Claire Holden
All RelativeMaren
2015The RunnerDeborah Price
2016Ali and NinoDuchess Kipiani
The 11thKatrine Firth
LøvekvinnenMrs Grjothornet
The ConfessionsClaire Seth
2017StrattonSumner
Wonder WomanQueen Hippolyta
Justice LeagueQueen Hippolyta
2018The Catcher Was a SpyKoranda
2019Music, War and LoveLena
Tonight at NoonLaura
Sea FeverFreya
2020InheritanceCatherine Monroe
Wonder Woman 1984Queen Hippolyta
2021NobodyBecca MansellCompleted
Zack Snyder's Justice LeagueQueen HippolytaPost-production

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1993VoyageRonnie FreelandTelevision movie
1994Le paradis absolumentSarahTelevision movie
2006Law & Order: Special Victims UnitDetective Dani Beck6 episodes
2008Danny FrickeDanny FrickeTelevision movie
2011–2012BossMeredith Rutledge Kane16 episodes
2014The FollowingLily Gray10 episodes
2014–2015The Good WifeRamona Lytton4 episodes
2015UnveiledJoan McAllenTelevision movie
2018FBIEllen SolbergEpisode: "Pilot"
2018LibertyKatrinaMiniseries
2019I Am the NightCorinna HodelLimited series

References
  1. "Connie Nielsen". Aniston.dk. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  2. "Connie Nielsen Biography (1965–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  3. Stewart, Susan (9 March 2003). "Double Danish / Connie Nielson (sic)". Newsday. p. D7.
  4. "Star Dentist Drilled for $20M". The New York Post. 7 August 2004. p. 6.
  5. Cavagna, Carlo (December 2005). "Interview: Connie Nielsen". AboutFilm.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  6. "One Hour Photo: About The Cast". Cinema.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  7. "Connie Nielsen biography". The New York Times. 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  8. "Connie Nielsen on Reading the Script". Freestyle Releasing. 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  9. "Connie Nielsen fills in for Mariska Hargitay on 'Law & Order: SVU'". Star Pulse. 2 February 2006. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  10. Scott Roxborough (27 August 2012). "Jamie Bell, Connie Nielsen Join Lars von Trier's 'Nymphomaniac'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  11. Liam O'Brien (10 October 2013). "Nymphomaniac orgasm posters: Uma Thurman, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Shia LaBeouf star in shocking film campaign". The Independent. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  12. "METALLICA Drummer LARS ULRICH, Girlfriend CONNIE NIELSEN Expecting". Blabbermouth.net. 6 December 2006. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
  13. Vaughan, Brendan (1 March 2007). "A Woman We Love: Connie Nielsen". Esquire Magazine.
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