Mikael Åke Persbrandt, born 25 September 1963) is a Swedish actor. In Swedish films, he is perhaps best known for playing Gunvald Larsson in the Beck series of movies. He is internationally known for his starring role in the Academy Award-winning feature, In a Better World, directed by Susanne Bier. His performance earned him a 2011 European Film Award nomination for Best Actor. Other parts include the role of Carl Hamilton from the novels by Jan Guillou, Beorn in The Hobbit, as well as Jakob Nyman in the English TV series Sex Education. He has performed onstage with the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and in numerous film and TV roles. Persbrandt is well known for his role as the hardboiled police inspector Gunvald Larsson, in the Beck series of films. He won the Guldbagge Award for Best Actor in a leading role twice, the first in 2009 for Everlasting Moments and the second in 2014 for Nobody Owns Me. In 2015, Persbrandt reported that he would quit starring in his popular role of Gunvald Larsson. In 2019, Persbrandt began playing Jakob Nyman in the Netflix comedy drama Sex Education. He was a leading actor in the film The Salvation.

Filmography

• 2026Marie Göranzon - När rampljuset slocknar — Gunvald Larsson (archive footage)
• Kidnapping — Markus
• 2025Odyssey — Mysterious Viking
• 2024Beck - bakom kulisserna — Gunvald Larsson (archive footage)
• 2023Hammarskjöld: Fight for Peace — Dag Hammarskjöld
• Reindeer Mafia — Stagge
• Foundation — The Mule
• The Unlikely Murderer — Hans Holmér
• 2021Till Sun Rises — Peder
• 2020Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga — Victor Karlosson
• Invisible Heroes — Harald Edelstam
• Sex Education — Jakob Nyman
• 2018The Cake General — Hasse P, Executive Producer
• 2018The Girl in the Spider's Web — Alexander Zalachenko
• 2018X&Y — The Famous Actor
• 2017King Arthur: Legend of the Sword — Greybeard
• 2016Alone in Berlin — Prall
• 2016Beck 31 - Gunvald — Gunvald Larsson
• 2016The Siege of Jadotville — Dag Hammarskjold
• 2015Beck 27 - Room 302 — Gunvald Larsson
• 2015Beck 28 - The Family — Gunvald Larsson
• 2015Beck 29 - Invasion — Gunvald Larsson
• 2015Beck 30 - The Hospital Murders — Gunvald Larsson
• 2014Someone You Love — Thomas Jacob
• 2014The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies — Beorn
• 2014The Salvation — Peter Jensen
• 2013Nobody Owns Me — Hasse
• 2013The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug — Beorn
• 2012Hamilton 2: But Not If It Concerns Your Daughter — Carl Hamilton
• 2012Hamilton: In the Interest of the Nation — Carl Hamilton
• 2012The Hypnotist — Erik Maria Bark
• 2011Somewhere Else — Stefan
• 2011Stockholm East — Johan
• 2010Beck 26 - Buried Alive — Gunvald Larsson
• 2010In a Better World — Anton
• 2009Beck 25 - The Eye of the Storm — Gunvald Larsson
• Söndagsparty med Filip & Fredrik
• 2008Everlasting Moments — Sigfrid Larsson
• 2008Heaven's Heart — Lars
• Innocently Convicted
• Kaotokeino-opprøret (TV-serien) — Carl Johan Ruth
• 2008The Kautokeino Rebellion — Carl Johan Ruth
• 2007Beck 19 - The Vulture — Gunvald Larsson
• 2007Beck 20 - The Lawyer — Gunvald Larsson
• 2007Beck 21 - The Japanese Painting — Gunvald Larsson
• 2007Beck 22 - The Weak Link — Gunvald Larsson
• 2007Beck 23 - The Silent Scream — Gunvald Larsson
• 2007Beck 24 - In the Name of God — Gunvald Larsson
• 2007Gangster — Thomas
• 2007One Eye Red — Mikael Persbrandt
• 2007Solstorm — Tomas Söderberg
• 2007Wonderful and Loved by All — Mikael Persbrandt
• 2006Beck 17 - The Scorpion — Gunvald Larsson
• 2006Beck 18 - The Girl in the Root Cellar — Gunvald Larsson
• 2006Miss Julie: 100 Years in the Limelight
• 2006No Tears — Lars
• 2006One Way — Tomas Gaal
• 2006Search — Björn
• 2006The Lovelife of a Fat Thief — Priest
• 2005Bang Bang Orangutang — Åke
• 2005Double Shift — Jocke
• 2005Lovisa och Carl Michael — Westman
• Medicinmannen — Martin Holst
• 2004Day and Night — Thomas
• 2004Den starkare — X
• 2004Playing with Fire — Axel
• 2004Three Suns — Ulf
• 2003At Point Blank — Frank
• 2003Gunnar Govin - en man, en röst, en resa — Kurt
• 2003Now — Adam (young)
• 2002Beck 12 - The Loner — Gunvald Larsson
• 2002Beck 13 - Sender Unknown — Gunvald Larsson
• 2002Beck 14 - The Advertising Man — Gunvald Larsson
• 2002Beck 15 - The Boy in the Glass Ball — Gunvald Larsson
• 2002Beck 16 - The Last Witness — Gunvald Larsson
• 2002Everyone Loves Alice — Johan
• 2001Beck 09 - The Price of Vengeance — Gunvald Larsson
• 2001Beck 10 - The Man Without a Face — Gunvald Larsson
• 2001Beck 11 - The Cartel — Gunvald Larsson
• 2001Dragonflies — Kullman
• 2000Gossip — Åke Frigårdh
• 1999Adult Behaviour… It's All in the Mind — Georg
• Beck — Gunvald Larsson
• 1999Deadly Drift — Andreas Persson
• 1999Fatimas tredje hemlighet — The paramedic
• 1998102 Years in the Heart of Europe: A Portrait of Ernst Jünger — Reader (voice)
• 1998Beck 03 - White Nights — Gunvald Larsson
• 1998Beck 04 - Eye for an Eye — Gunvald Larsson
• 1998Beck 05 - The Boarding House Pearl — Gunvald Larsson
• 1998Beck 06 - The Monster — Gunvald Larsson
• 1998Beck 07 - The Money Man — Gunvald Larsson
• 1998Beck 08 - Trails in Darkness — Gunvald Larsson
• 1998Hela härligheten — Glenn
• 1998The Last Contract — Roger Nyman
• 19979 millimeter — Konstantin
• 1997Beck - The Man with the Icons — Gunvald Larsson
• 1997Beck 01 - The Decoy Boy — Gunvald Larsson
• 1997Beneath the Surface — Roffe
• 1997Nature's Warrior — Hjorth
• Anna Holt — Jocke
• 1996Ellinors bröllop — C-O
• 1995Between Summers — Peter
• Anna Holt - Den vite riddaren — Hellman
• 1994Cop Killer — Police 1
• Svensson, Svensson
• The Kingdom — Helmer Jr.
• Rederiet — Ola Simonsson
• Enemy's Enemy — Vanchaufför
• 1990Nigger — Svante

Appearances as themselves (12)

• Mauri och Morberg - på en liten resa — Self
• 2022Creation of the Kingdom of Exodus — Self / Helmer Jr
• 2019Carl och spelreklamshelvetet — Self (archive footage)
• Expeditionen — Self
• 2018Bergman: A Year in a Life — Self
• Tillsammans med Strömstedts — Himself
• 2016Sjöwall & Wahlöö - Berättelsen om ett brott — Self (archive footage)
• Vänligen: Lars Lerin — Self
• Ett jobb för Berg — Self
• Plura's Kitchen — Self - Guest
• The 7 Deadly Sins — Himself
• Ett herrans liv — Self