What is the best Mads Mikkelsen role?

By YPB Team

From iconic Hollywood villains to quiet Danish anti-heroes, his range spans cult genre films and arthouse Palme d'Or winners. Which is his defining role?

Overgård

A stranded Arctic pilot fighting for survival in the minimalist survival thriller Arctic (2018), a near-solo performance of remarkable physical restraint.

1000pts

Lucas

A falsely accused kindergarten teacher struggling to prove his innocence in the devastating Danish drama The Hunt (Jagten, 2012), earning Mikkelsen the Best Actor prize at Cannes.

972pts

Hannibal Lecter

Mads Mikkelsen's Emmy-winning portrayal of the brilliant cannibal psychiatrist in the NBC series Hannibal (2013–2015), widely considered the definitive screen Hannibal.

833pts

Kaecilius

The sorcerer-turned-zealot villain in Marvel's Doctor Strange (2016) who seeks the power of the Dark Dimension to end death.

781pts

Galen Erso

The conflicted Imperial scientist and reluctant Death Star architect whose sacrifice ignites the Rebel hope in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).

624pts

Martin

A high-school history teacher who embarks on a controlled experiment in sustained alcohol consumption in the Oscar-winning Danish film Another Round (Druk, 2020).

624pts

Markus

A traumatized soldier who finds unexpected purpose with a group of quirky vigilantes in the darkly comedic Danish film Riders of Justice (Retfærdighedens ryttere, 2020).

499pts

One Eye

A near-mute, almost supernatural Norse warrior chained and ferried across Scotland's wilderness in the atmospheric Nicolas Winding Refn film Valhalla Rising (2009).

312pts

Tonny

The volatile, tattooed small-time drug runner in Nicolas Winding Refn's breakthrough film Pusher (1996), the role that launched Mikkelsen's career.

312pts

Johann Struensee

The German physician who became the de facto ruler of Denmark through his affair with the queen in the Oscar-nominated period drama A Royal Affair (En kongelig affære, 2012).

312pts

Duncan Vizla

The world's most dangerous assassin coaxed out of retirement in the Netflix action film Polar (2019), blending brutal action with surprising vulnerability.

312pts

Le Chiffre

The cold-blooded terrorist financier and poker savant in Casino Royale (2006), whose weeping blood from his damaged eye became one of Bond cinema's most iconic villain images.

0pts

Jacob Pedersen

A Danish-born manager of an Indian orphanage drawn into a complicated reunion with his wealthy ex-girlfriend's family in Susanne Bier's After the Wedding (2006).