Karl David Sebastian Dencik (born 31 October 1974) is a Danish-Swedish actor. He has acted in both Swedish and Danish films, and has also had major roles in English-language films and series including '' Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' (2011), ''

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' (original title in sv, Män som hatar kvinnor , lit=''Men Who Hate Women'') is a psychological thriller novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson (1954–2004). It was published posthumously in 2 ...

'' (2011), ''

Top of the Lake ''Top of the Lake'' is a mystery drama television series created and written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, and directed by Campion and Garth Davis. It aired in 2013, and the sequel, entitled ''Top of the Lake: China Girl'', in 2017. It ma ...

'' (2017), ''

McMafia ''McMafia'' is a British crime drama television series created by Hossein Amini and James Watkins, and directed by Watkins. It is inspired by the book '' McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld'' by journalist Misha Glenn ...

'' (2018), ''

Chernobyl Chernobyl ( , ; russian: Чернобыль, ) or Chornobyl ( uk, Чорнобиль, ) is a partially abandoned city in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, situated in the Vyshhorod Raion of northern Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Chernobyl is about ...

'' (2019), and the ''James Bond'' film ''

No Time to Die ''No Time to Die'' is a 2021 spy film and the twenty-fifth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, starring Daniel Craig in his fifth and final portrayal of fictional British MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Cary ...

'' (2021). Dencik is twice a

Robert Award The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

winner, for

Best Actor in a Leading Role Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

for ''

A Soap ''En Soap'' (''A Soap'' or ''Soap'') is a 2006 Danish melodramatic comedy film directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen which incorporates many of the austere techniques of Dogme style. The movie, starring Trine Dyrholm and David Dencik, follow ...

'' (2006) and

Robert Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Television Role The Robert Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Television Role ( da, Robert Prisen for årets mandlige birolle – tv-serie) is one of the merit awards presented by the Danish Film Academy at the annual Robert Awards ceremony. The award has been ha ...

for '' The Chestnut Man'' (2021). He won a

Guldbagge Award for Best Supporting Actor The Guldbagge for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is a Swedish film award presented annually by the Swedish Film Institute (SFI) as part of the Guldbagge Awards (Swedish: "Guldbaggen") to actors working in the Swedish motion picture industry. Th ...

for '' The Perfect Patient'' (2019). He is also a seven-time

Bodil Award The Bodil Awards are the major Danish film awards given by the Danish Film Critics Association. The awards are presented annually at a ceremony in Copenhagen. Established in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe. The awards are give ...

nominee.

Early life

Dencik was born in Stockholm, Sweden. His family moved to Denmark when he was very young. As a teenager, he spent his youth studying in Brazil, where he discovered

Capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th centur ...

, the Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance and music. The dance aspect of Capoeira made him take an interest in theatre. He later moved back to Sweden and attended the

Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts The Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts (SADA) ( sv, Stockholms dramatiska högskola) was a school within the Stockholm University of the Arts that offers a University Diploma in Performing Arts and Media. SADA was Sweden’s largest school of fi ...

. His wife is a lawyer who works in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. He uses Denmark as his base, but since his work takes him to Sweden he also has an apartment in Stockholm. His father is Lars Dencik, Professor of Social Psychology at

Roskilde University Roskilde University ( da, Roskilde Universitet, abbreviated RUC or RU) is a Danish public university founded in 1972 and located in Trekroner in the Eastern part of Roskilde. The university awards bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and PhD de ...

, born in 1941 of Jewish parents from Slovakia, who escaped the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

by finding refuge in Sweden. His mother was Kerstin Allroth-Dencik, a Film Commissioner for television networks in Scandinavia.

Career

After having had minor roles in different films, David Dencik became an established actor in Sweden for his role as the killer

John Ausonius John Wolfgang Alexander Ausonius (born Wolfgang Alexander Zaugg, 12 July 1953), known in the media as Lasermannen ("the Laser Man"), is a Swedish far-right extremist convicted of murder and bank robberies. Between August 1991 to January 1992 ...

in the three-part TV mini-series ''

Lasermannen John Wolfgang Alexander Ausonius (born Wolfgang Alexander Zaugg, 12 July 1953), known in the media as Lasermannen ("the Laser Man"), is a Swedish far-right extremist convicted of murder and bank robberies. Between August 1991 to January 1992 h ...

'' in 2005. In 2006, he starred in the comedy ''Everything About My Bush'' (known as ''Allt om min buske'' in Swedish). In 2007, he appeared in the Danish feature film '' Daisy Diamond'' directed by

Simon Staho Danish film director Simon Staho (born 1972) has worked with a number of renowned Swedish actors, including Mikael Persbrandt, Noomi Rapace, Pernilla August and Erland Josephson. Staho’s first feature film ''Vildspor/Wildside (1998)'' was shot ...

. He portrayed

Fred Åkerström Fred Åkerström (27 January 1937 – 9 August 1985) was a Swedish folk guitarist and singer particularly noted for his interpretations of Carl Michael Bellman's music, and his own work of the typically Swedish song segment named ''visa''. The ...

in the biographical film '' Cornelis'', starring Hank Von Helvete as

Cornelis Vreeswijk Cornelis Vreeswijk (; ; 8 August 1937 – 12 November 1987) was a Dutch-born Swedish singer-songwriter, poet and actor. He emigrated to Sweden with his parents in 1949 at the age of twelve. He was educated as a social worker and hoped to beco ...

. In 2011, he appeared in the

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

-adaption of ''

'' and played Toby Esterhase in the film '' Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''. He also starred in the gay-themed ''

Brotherhood Brotherhood or The Brotherhood may refer to: Family, relationships, and organizations * Fraternity (philosophy) or brotherhood, an ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity * Fraternity or brotherhood, a male ...

'' and the

Dimension Films Dimension Films is an American film production company owned by Lantern Entertainment. It was formerly used as Harvey and Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax, which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on June 30, 1993, to produce and r ...

thriller '' Regression''. In 2017 he played brothel owner Alexander "Puss" Braun, in

Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films '' The Piano'' (1993) and '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for which she has received a to ...

's acclaimed ''

''. ''

'' (2018) saw Dencik play Russian Boss, Uncle Boris Godman, inspired by the book '' McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld'' (2008) by journalist

Misha Glenny Michael V. E. "Misha" Glenny (born 25 April 1958) is a British journalist and broadcaster, specialising in southeast Europe, global organised crime, and cybersecurity. He is multilingual. He is also the writer and producer of the BBC Radio 4 ...

. Dencik then portrayed a rogue scientist Valdo Obruchev in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 19 ...

film ''

'' (2021).

Selected filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dencik, David 1974 births Living people Danish Jews Jewish Danish actors Danish male actors Swedish Jews Male actors from Stockholm