David Dencik

David Dencik
Dencik in 2014
Born
Karl David Sebastian Dencik

(1974-10-31) 31 October 1974 (age 50)
Stockholm, Sweden
OccupationActor
Years active2003–present
SpouseSofie Dencik
Children2

Karl David Sebastian Dencik (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈdentʂiːk]; born 31 October 1974) is a Swedish-Danish actor. He has acted in both Swedish and Danish films, his break-through in Sweden being his role in Lasermannen (TV series) and has then had major roles in English-language films and series including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Top of the Lake (2017), McMafia (2018), Chernobyl (2019), and the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021).

Dencik is a twice Robert Award winner, for Best Actor in a Leading Role for A Soap (2006) and Robert Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Television Role for The Chestnut Man (2021). He won a Guldbagge Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Perfect Patient (2019). He is also a seven-time Bodil Award nominee.

Early life and education

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Karl David Sebastian Dencik was born 31 October 1974 in Stockholm, Sweden,[1] to Lars Dencik, a social psychologist and Kerstin Allrot, a former film historian and producer.[2][3] His last name is Slovak and comes from his paternal grandfather, who left Liptovský Mikuláš, Czechoslovak for asylum in Sweden to escape the Nazi persecution of Jews in Slovakia in 1939.[4][5]

The family moved to Denmark in 1976, where Dencik spent his childhood.[2] As a teenager he studied in Brazil, where he discovered capoeira, the Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance and music. The dance aspect of Capoeira led him to take an interest in theatre.[6]

In 1999 Dencik moved to Stockholm to study at the Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting (Teaterhögskolan), where he graduated in 2003.[7][2][1]

Career

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Dencik first performed on stage, including a role in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm.[1]

Dencik's first film appearance was a bartender in the 2003 film Reconstruction by Christoffer Boe.[2] After several minor roles in films, he became an established actor in Sweden for his lead role as real-life far-right serial killer John Ausonius in the three-part mini-series Lasermannen in 2005.[1] The mini-series received praise by Swedish critics and viewers as "one of, if not the best", most well-made true crime & political drama production in Swedish modern film history. The whole cast received praise but especially Dencik's acting was called "uniquely brilliant".[8][9][10]

In 2006 he played the transsexual Veronica in Pernille Fischer Christensen's A Soap, for which he received the Robert Award for Best Actor.[2]

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.[citation needed]

He portrayed Fred Åkerström in the 2010 biographical film Cornelis. In 2011 he appeared in the Hollywood adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and played Toby Esterhase in the film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.[1]

He also starred in the gay-themed Brotherhood and the Dimension Films thriller Regression. In 2017 he played brothel owner Alexander "Puss" Braun in Jane Campion's acclaimed Top of the Lake. McMafia (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.[11]

Dencik then portrayed a rogue scientist, Valdo Obruchev, in the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021).[12]

Personal life

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Dencik is married to Danish lawyer Sofie Dencik.[2][7] They live in Copenhagen and have two children.[13]

Awards and nominations

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Selected filmography

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Dencik in Mission 1325

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2003 Reconstruction Bartender
2006 A Soap Veronica
2007 All About My Bush Henning
Daisy Diamond Jens
2008 Not Like Others Taxi Driver
2009 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Janne Dahlman Swedish version
Brotherhood Jimmy
2010 Rosa Morena Jakob
2011 War Horse German Base Camp Officer
Room 304 Martin
Rebounce Marcel
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Toby Esterhase
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Young Morell English version
2012 A Royal Affair Ove Høegh-Guldberg
All That Matters Is Past Ruud
Hamilton: In the Interest of the Nation Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden
2013 We Are the Best! Klara's father
2014 The Absent One Ulrik Dybbøl
Serena Mr Buchanan
2015 Regression John Gray
Men & Chicken Gabriel
2016 Across the Waters Arne Itkin
2017 Backstabbing for Beginners Rasnetsov [14]
The Snowman Dr Idar Vetlesen
2019 Waiting for the Barbarians The Clerk
The Perfect Patient Thomas Quick
2021 No Time to Die Valdo Obruchev
2022 Black Crab Colonel Raad
Diorama Björn
Attachment Lev
Kysset
2023 Together 99 (Tillsammans 99) Peter

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2005 Lasermannen John Ausonius 3 episodes
2011–12 Lykke Professor Anders Assing 18 episodes
2013 The Borgias Cardinal Orsini 2 episodes
2016 Follow the Money Simon Absalonsen 10 episodes
2017 Top of the Lake: China Girl Puss 6 episodes
Genius Niels Bohr 3 episodes
2018 McMafia Boris Godman 2 episodes
2019 Quicksand Peder Sander 6 episodes
Chernobyl Mikhail Gorbachev 3 episodes
2021 The Chestnut Man Simon Genz 6 episodes
2022 The Ipcress File Colonel Stok 6 episodes
Love & Anarchy Filip 1 episode
The Kingdom Bosse 3 episodes
Vuxna människor Nathan 8 episodes
2023 Huset Henrik 6 episodes
2024 Families like Ours

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Önnevall, Erik (2023). "David Dencik". The Swedish Film Database. Originally written 2011; updated by the editors 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Bang, Anna Norklaer (31 October 2014). "40 år i dag: Manden med de mange ansigter". Berlingske Tidende (in Danish).
  3. ^ "Kerstin Allroth" (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  4. ^ Dencik, Lars (21 October 2013). "The Art of Being Jewish in the Swedish Modernity" (PDF). Zentrum Jüdische Studien Berlin-Brandenburg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  5. ^ Lustig, Sandra; Leveson, Ian, eds. (2008). Turning the Kaleidoscope: Perspectives on European Jewry. Berghahn Books. p. 224.
  6. ^ "Actor extraordinaire David Dencik!" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio P3. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2018. Han kan hjula bra och är en capoeira-mästare.
  7. ^ a b Quist, Dorte (1 February 2011). "David Dencik: Svært at miste min mor" (in Danish). Billed Bladet. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  8. ^ https://www.fokus.se/intervju/david-dencik-tyvarr-ar-svensk-film-utpraglat-dalig/
  9. ^ https://www.gp.se/denciks-morka-genombrott.11471e7c-9c85-41b1-8ba2-f8b070261149
  10. ^ https://www.expressen.se/noje/skadespelaren-jag-ville-traffa-lasermannen/
  11. ^ Miska, Brad (12 February 2015). "Dimension's 'Regression' Trailer, In English This Time!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  12. ^ Thomas, Leah Marilla (4 November 2021). "The 12 Best Characters In No Time to Die Ranked". /Film. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  13. ^ Andersson, Erika (29 April 2022). "The roles, the height and the wife – everything about David Dencik". Nyheder24.
  14. ^ "Backstabbing for Beginners". Copenhagen Film Fund. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
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