Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (born August 25, 1976) is a Swedish actor. Born in Stockholm, he began acting at age seven but quit at 13. After serving in the Swedish military, Skarsgård returned to acting and gained his first role in the US film comedy Zoolander. In 2008, he played Marine Brad Colbert in the miniseries Generation Kill. Skarsgård's breakthrough came when he portrayed vampire Eric Northman in the television series True Blood (2008–2014). After appearing in films such as Melancholia (2011), Battleship (2012) and The Legend of Tarzan (2016), Skarsgård starred in the drama series Big Little Lies (2017–2019) as an abusive husband, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. From 2019 to 2022, he appeared in the films Long Shot (2019), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Passing (2021), and The Northman (2022) as well as playing Randall Flagg in the miniseries The Stand (2020–2021).

Filmography

• 2026The End — (voice)
• 2026The Moment — Johannes
• 2026Wicker — Wicker Husband
• 2025Eric LaRue — Ron LaRue
• Murderbot — Murderbot, Executive Producer
• 2025Pillion — Ray, Executive Producer
• 2024Lee — Roland Penrose
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith — Other John
• 2023Infinity Pool — James Foster, Executive Producer
• 2022The Northman — Amleth, Producer
• 2021Godzilla vs. Kong — Nathan Lind
• 2021Passing — John Bellew
• The Stand — Randall Flagg
• 2019Long Shot — Prime Minister James Steward
• On Becoming a God in Central Florida — Travis Stubbs
• 2019The Aftermath — Stefan Lubert
• 2019The Hummingbird Project — Anton Zaleski
• 2019The Kill Team — Sergeant Deeks
• What We Do in the Shadows — Eric Northman
• 2018Hold the Dark — Vernon Slone
• 2018Mute — Leo Beiler
• Succession — Lukas Matsson
• The Little Drummer Girl — Gadi Becker
• Big Little Lies — Perry Wright
• Atlanta — Alexander Skarsgård
• 2016The Legend of Tarzan — John Clayton / Tarzan
• 2016War on Everyone — Terry Monroe
• 2016Zoolander 2 — Adam
• Documentary Now! — Rainer Wolz
• 2015Hidden — Ray
• 2015The Diary of a Teenage Girl — Monroe Rutherford
• 2014The Giver — Father
• 2013Disconnect — Derek Hull
• 2013The East — Benji
• 2013What Maisie Knew — Lincoln
• 2012Battleship — Commander Stone Hopper
• 2011Melancholia — Michael
• 2011Straw Dogs — Charlie Venner
• 201013 — Jack
• 2010Beyond the Pole — Terje
• 2010Trust Me — Alex
• Eastbound & Down — Adult Toby Powers
• 2009Metropia — Stefan (voice)
• Uppsala Doctor's — Andersson Nilsson
• Generation Kill — Brad Colbert
• True Blood — Eric Northman
• 2007Black Island Sisters — Stefan
• 2007Leende Guldbruna Ögon
• 2006Exit — Fabian von Klerking
• 2006Kill Your Darlings — Geert
• 2006Never Be Mine — Christopher
• 2006Score — Micke
• 2006The Last Drop — Jergen Voller
• 2005About Sara — Kalle Öberg
• 2005Double Shift — Nisse
• 2004Heartbeat — Piloten
• 2003To Kill a Child — Screenplay, Director
• 2002The Dog Trick — Micke
• 2001Kites Over Helsinki — Robin Åström
• 2001Zoolander — Meekus
• 2000D-Day — Lise's papsøn
• 2000Hundtricket — Micke
• 2000The Diver — Ingmar
• 2000White Water Fury — Anders
• 2000Wings of Glass — Johan
• 1999Happy End — Bamse Viktorsson
• White Lies — Marcus Englund
• The Kingdom — Svensk advokat
• 1989The Dog That Smiled — Jojjo
• 1987Idag Röd — The Boy
• 1984Åke and His World — Kalle Nubb
• The Pack — Director
• The Tiger — Vanzin
• The Wolf Will Tear Your Immaculate Hands

Appearances as themselves (16)

• Variety & CNN Actors on Actors — Self
• 2023Svensken bakom Hollywoodkroppen — Himself
• 2022Creation of the Kingdom of Exodus — Self / The Swedish Lawyer
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self
• GQ Presents: Iconic Characters — Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self - Guest
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self - Guest
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self
• The Jonathan Ross Show — Self
• 2010Behind the Moomins — Self
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — Self - Guest
• The Graham Norton Show — Self
• The One Show — Self
• The Daily Show — Self
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self - Guest
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Host