Connie Nielsen’s remarkable career has the piquant flavor of a fairy tale, yet it’s all true. It began in her native Denmark, as a teen, when she worked alongside her mother in local revues. Tall, willowy and strikingly beautiful, she sojourned to Paris at age 18 to model as well as to study the performance arts. She made her feature debut in 1984 in the only French film ever made by renowned comic Jerry Lewis (Retenez Moi…Ou Je Fais un Malheur) - a charming bit of cinema trivia.
Nielsen continued living in Europe for several years, primarily in Italy, where she became a trained singer and dancer, and gained fluency in five new languages. It was not until 2004, however, that she made a film in her native language. But Brothers, directed by Susanne Bier, was a personal triumph, earning her the best actress award from the Danish Academy as well as the San Sebastian Film Festival.
After moving to the United States, she appeared in the Al Pacino/Keanu Reeves vehicle, The Devil’s Advocate (1997) and had a true break-through role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000), opposite Russell Crowe. From that time forward she has worked in a great variety of (predominantly) American films, including Mission to Mars (2000), Basic (2003), The Hunted (2003), The Great Raid (2005). She guest-starred in the hugely successful TV series, The Good Wife.
In keeping with the unusual trajectory of her life, Nielsen once again made cinema history in 2017, as Queen Hippolyta in the world-wide smash hit, Wonder Woman. As the title character’s mother, she displayed a steely but serene dignity which is a hallmark of her style.
