Ciaran Brown meets Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen

Mads Mikkelsen & Elin Klinga in Nu

Mikkelsen as Arne in Flickering Lights

Shake It All About

Mads as Lenny in Bleeder

Mads Mikelsen & Charlotte Munck in

I had my photo taken with him and he signed the print later, along with two other Le Chiffre photos.

Unlike his villain 'Le Chiffre', Mads Mikkelsen was so friendly and easy to chat to when I met him in Coventry in March 2008. He told me what it was like filming the torture scene with Daniel Craig, and other things about making Casino Royale.

Mads Mikkelsen was born in 1965 in the Østerbro (Eastborough) district of Copenhagen, Denmark. After leaving school, Mads became a professional dancer, but eight years later

His first film was Pusher (1996) a successful film about drug-dealing in the Copenhagen underworld. Mikkelsen is Tonny, a low-life
pusher and junkie, a part that he

After several more small roles in films like Bleeder (1999), Mikkelsen's next real success was as Arne, a small-time criminal & psychopathic gunman, in Flickering Lights (2000), a strange mixture of comedy, drama and violence.

In Shake It All About (2001), Mikkelsen stars as Jacob, a gay, want-everything character who intends to marry his male partner Jørgen, but then falls for Jørgen's brother's wife, leading to all manner of complications.

I Am Dina (2002) was Mikkelsen's next film, set in Norway in the mid-19th Century, followed by the short, black & white Nu (2003) and the Spanish comedy Torremolinos 73 (2003).

The Green Butchers was another film released in 2003. It is a black comedy about two losers (Bjarn, and Svend played by Mikkelsen) who work for a popular butcher but

Between 2000 and 2004, Mads Mikkelsen appeared as Alan Fischer in all 32 episodes of the Emmy-winning TV drama series Unit One (or Rejseholdet which is the Danish

The American 'blockbuster' King Arthur (2004) saw a different side of Mads Mikkelsen - this time as the horse-riding knight Tristan, complete with tattoos!

In After The Wedding (2006) Mikkelsen starred as Jacob Pedersen, the manager of an Indian orphanage which is threatened with closure. Jørgen, a Danish businessman, offers Jacob a $4 million donation, but on condition that Jacob returns to Denmark and marries Jørgen's daughter!

Mads Mikkelsen's biggest success came in 2006 when he played the villain Le Chiffre in the 21st James Bond film Casino

Mikkelsen has been married to choreographer Hanne Jacobsen since 2001, although they have been together since 1987. They have two children, Viola and Carl and live in Copenhagen.

Mads is a keen motorcyclist and owns a rare 1937 Danish Nimbus which he describes as 'something like Steve McQueen would ride'.

Mads' older brother, Lars Mikkelsen, is also a successful actor with over thirty Danish films to his credit.

Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre in 'Casino Royale'

Mads Mikkelsen as Arne in 'Flickering Lights'

Mads Mikkelsen & Nikolaj Lie Kaas in 'The Green Butchers'

Publicity shot of Mads Mikkelsen and Daniel Craig

Mads Mikkelsen as Tristan in 'King Arthur'

Mads Mikkelsen as Alan Fischer in 'Unit One'

Mads Mikkelsen with his wife Hanne and daughter Viola

Signed photo of Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre in 'Casino Royale'

Mads Mikkelsen & Charlotte Munck in 'Shake It All About'

The Aarhus Theatre where Mads Mikkelsen trained as an actor

he decided to go into acting. He went to the Aarhus Theatre School to get the training that he required.

would play again eight years later in Pusher II (2004).

The Aarhus Theatre is the largest

Mads Mikkelsen as Tonny in Pusher

provincial theatre in Denmark

fed up with their nagging boss, decide to start their own business. Mikkelsen's strange hairstyle only added to the comedy of this Danish film which drew some criticism because of its cannibalistic overtones!

equivalent of the American FBI). Unit One is a mobile police unit that travels over Denmark, with a different crime solved each episode. The series, which is based on real-life crimes, helped make Mads Mikkelsen a household name in Denmark.