Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen is a Danish actor. Originally a gymnast and dancer, he rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher film trilogy (1996, 2004), Niels in Open Hearts (2002), Ivan in Adam's Apples (2005) and Jacob Petersen in After the Wedding (2006).
Mikkelsen achieved worldwide recognition for playing the main antagonist Le Chiffre in the twenty-first James Bond film, Casino Royale (2006). His other roles include his Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award-winning performance as Lucas in the Danish film The Hunt (2012) and his BAFTA-nominated role as Martin in Another Round (2020).
A. O. Scott of The New York Times remarked that in the Hollywood scene, Mikkelsen has "become a reliable character actor with an intriguing mug" but stated that on the domestic front "he is something else: a star, an axiom, a face of the resurgent Danish cinema".