5 Best Performances by Mads Mikkelsen, Ranked
This Danish actor proves time and again that no role is beyond his acting talent.
Mads Mikkelsen is an incredibly talented actor with a prolific career filled with memorable performances.
He has appeared in all kinds of genres and played a wide range of roles, from charming serial killers, comic book villains, and criminal masterminds to sympathetic victims of false accusations.
Here are five of his best performances.
5. Le Chiffre (Casino Royale)
The first in a series of James Bond films starring Daniel Craig is considered by many fans to be the best.
Among many things, the film has been praised for having one of the best villains in the entire franchise, which is quite an achievement considering how many people have opposed 007 over the years.
Charismatic and menacing, Le Chiffre is also a surprisingly complex character who remains one of the most memorable aspects of the film.
4. Tonny (Pusher Trilogy)
With his debut role in Nicolas Winding Refn's film, Mads delivered a great performance that now stands in striking contrast to his later work.
A far cry from his more noble and refined characters, Tonny is absolutely crazy and manic, stealing the audience's attention with every scene he is in and eventually becoming the most fan-favorite character of the trilogy.
3. Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal TV Series)
After Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the iconic cannibal, Mads had some pretty big shoes to fill, and he absolutely nailed it.
He made the character absolutely irresistible, even making fans root for him despite his sinister nature.
Charming and sophisticated, Mads was the crown jewel of the TV series, and fans still wish the show would come back.
2. Martin (Another Round)
Playing a school teacher who takes part in an experiment that leads to some pretty obvious results (what else would you expect when alcohol is involved), Mads had some tough scenes to play and he did them flawlessly.
The final dance was one of the best cinematic moments of 2020.
1. Lucas (The Hunt)
In one of the best films of his entire career, Mikkelsen masterfully portrayed a teacher falsely accused of molesting a child.
This powerful and heartbreaking story perfectly illustrates how one false accusation can irreversibly ruin a person's entire life.