Danish actress Connie Nielsen has appeared in a variety of notable films, including Gladiator (2000) and its sequel Gladiator II (2024), as well as the DC Extended Universe’s Queen Hippolyta.
Early Life & Education
Nielsen was raised in the town of Elling, Denmark, after being born in Frederikshavn. Her parents, Bent Nielsen, and Laila Inge-Alise Matzigkeit worked as a bus driver and insurance clerk respectively.
In addition, her mother was also involved in acting and writing musical critiques. She was brought up as a Mormon, belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Her acting journey started by performing with her mother in local revues and variety shows. When she turned 18, she went to Paris, France, and pursued acting and modeling, which opened up more opportunities for her to expand her skills through studying in Italy.
She attended drama school in Rome and took master classes with Lydia Styx, a renowned instructor at Piccolo Teatro di Milano in Milan. After spending many years in Italy, she eventually relocated to the United States.
Connie Nielsen’s Career
In 1984, Connie Nielsen made her first appearance in a feature film with Jerry Lewis in the French movie Par où t’es rentré? On t’a pas vu sortir. She then went on to star in the Italian mini-series Colletti Bianchi in 1988. In 1991, she had a role in the Italian film Vacanze di Natale ’91, and in 1993, she appeared in the French film Le Paradis Absolument.
In the mid-1990s, she moved to the United States and made her first movie in English in 1997. She played Christabella Andreoli in The Devil’s Advocate with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. This initial small success paved the way for roles in Permanent Midnight (1998), Rushmore (1998), and Soldier (1998).
In 2000, Connie Nielsen appeared in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator as Lucilla, acting alongside Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix.
Following this, she has taken on roles in several American movies such as Mission to Mars (2000), One Hour Photo (2002), The Hunted (2003), and Basic (2003), where she had to drastically change her appearance by cutting her hair.
She also played a major role in the French suspense film Demonlover (2002), directed by Olivier Assayas. In 2009, she portrayed an Irish mother caring for an orphan in A Shine of Rainbows.
Connie Nielsen’s first appearance in a Danish film was in 2004 when she starred in the drama Brødre (also known as Brothers). Her performance earned her the Danish Best Actress Award, the Bodil, and the Best Actress title at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.
Additionally, she was nominated for Best Actress at the European Film Awards. Two years later, in 2006, Nielsen took on the role of Detective Dani Beck in multiple episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, temporarily replacing Mariska Hargitay who was on maternity leave during filming.
In 2015, she made an appearance on the album Det gode liv by TV-2, performing a duet with Steffen Brandt on the song “Brev til Mona.”
In September 2018, she was featured in the first episode of the CBS drama FBI alongside Jeremy Sisto and Missy Peregrym. Nielsen is recognized as Queen Hippolyta in the DC Extended Universe franchise, having appeared in four movies, starting with Wonder Woman (2017).
Personal Life
Between 2004 and 2012, Connie Nielsen was in a relationship with Lars Ulrich, the drummer of Metallica and also a fellow Dane. They have a son together. Nielsen also has a son named Sebastian from a previous marriage, while Ulrich has two sons, Myles and Layne, from a previous marriage as well.
Net Worth
Danish actress Connie Nielsen has a net worth of $8 million. She rose to fame with her first major role in an English film, The Devil’s Advocate, and gained global recognition for her performance in Gladiator. In the past ten years, she has starred in movies such as Mission to Mars, One Hour Photo, Basic, The Hunted, The Ice Harvest, and Nymphomaniac.
