Murderbot: Official trailer
Alexander Skarsgård is one of the most recognisable stars working in TV and film these days, but what do we know about his life away from the screen?
Following incredible appearances in the likes of Succession and Big Little Lies, plus films like The Northman and Godzilla vs. Kong, Skarsgård is returning to prestige TV this week.
He’ll be stepping into the titular role of Murderbot for Apple TV+’s latest sci-fi series based on the award-winning books The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells.
A synopsis for the show reads: “A partly biological security cyborg that privately calls itself Murderbot must hide its ability for free thought whilst completing dangerous assignments and is simultaneously drawn to humans and appalled at their weakness.”
While sci-fi fans will be itching to dive into the world of Murderbot, releasing this Friday, 16th May, let’s take a look at Alexander’s life and career so far.
Alexander Skarsgård latest role in Murderbot is out this week (Image: APPLE)
Famous Family
Alexander was born to world famous actor Stellan Skarsgård and physician My Skarsgård, who were divorced in 2007.
Actor Stellan was already a well-known TV actor in Sweden before landing roles in American films like The Hunt for Red October, Mamma Mia! and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
He has since portrayed Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve’s two Dune films and Luthen Rael in the hit Disney+ Star Wars series Andor.
Alexander is the oldest of six siblings, with four brothers, Gustaf, Sam, Bill and Valter, and a sister, Eija. He also has two half-brothers from Stellan’s second marriage to Megan Everett.
Alexander with his famous dad Stellan Skarsgård (Image: GETTY)
Gustaf, Bill and Valter are also actors, with Bill being the most well-known to English-speaking audiences as the actor behind Pennywise the Clown in the most recent adaptation of Stephen King’s It. He has also appeared in John Wick: Chapter 4 and Nosferatu.
Meanwhile, Gustaf is familiar to fans of the History Channel show Vikings as Floki, as well as appearing in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and the HBO drama Westworld. Their brother Valter has appeared in the films Lords of Chaos, Don’t Click and Funhouse.
Their brother Sam is an actor and production manager, while sister Eija is a casting director.
Brothers Bill and Alexander Skarsgård at the It premiere (Image: GETTY)
Career before acting
Murderbot star Alexander has been acting since he was seven years old, his first appearance being in the Swedish film Åke and His World, while a leading role in the Swedish TV series Hunden som log brought him national fame at just 13.
Feeling overwhelmed by the attention, he left acting behind for a while and, aged 19, applied to fulfill his national service, serving in the Swedish Navy’s SäkJakt (protect and hunt) unit for 18 months. His unit dealt with anti-sabotage and anti-terrorism in the Stockholm archipelago.
Shortly after completing the service in 1996, he left Sweden for a place at Leeds Metropolitan University, studying English for just six months, admitting to the Daily Telegraph he mostly “had a blast” while he was there.
Following a brief stint in the military and academia, he began a theatre course at Marymount Manhattan College in 1997, moving to New York for six months. By the time he moved back to Stockholm he had decided to pursue acting as a career again.
The Swedish star portrayed Lukas Matsson in the hit HBO series Succession (Image: HBO)
Other roles
Alexander quickly gained international attention with roles in the 2001 comedy Zoolander and the HBO miniseries Generation Kill. He then attracted even more fame when he landed the fan-favourite role of Eric Northman, a 1,000-year-old Nordic vampire, in the hit HBO series True Blood.
Since then he has gone on to star in the critically acclaimed film Melancholia by Lars Von Trier, his father’s frequent collaborator, and Marielle Heller’s coming-of-age drama The Diary of a Teenage Girl.
He has also appeared in blockbusters such as the Battleship, The Legend of Tarzan and Godzilla vs. Kong, as well as prestige dramas The Aftermath and Passing, body horror-thriller Infinity Pool and romantic-comedy Long Shot.
He completed the Walking With the Wounded challenge with Dominic West and Prince Harry in 2013 (Image: GETTY)
Friendship with Prince Harry
One of Alexander’s most high-profile career moments outside of acting was his participation in the Walking With the Wounded charity event, serving as the Ambassador for the American team in 2013.
This endurance-testing challenge saw the actor trek to the South Pole to raise money for wounded soldiers against Team Canada/Australia, led by actor Dominic West, and Team UK, led by Prince Harry. They successfully reached the South Pole on 13th December.
Recalling his experience on Andy Cohen Live, Alexander said of the royal: “He’s a really nice guy.
Alexander welcomed his first child with Swedish actress Tuva Novotny in 2022 (Image: GETTY)
“It’s a very bonding experience to be down in Antarctica for a month…and when you’re with a small team and it’s -45 degrees, you kind of have to work together. You become a unit.
“You have to help each other out. You kind of forget who is a Prince and who is a marine and who is an actor.”
When asked if he spooned the prince for warmth, Alexander cheekily replied: “Maybe… What happens in Antarctica stays in Antarctica.”
Relationship
Alexander keeps his personal life relatively private, but has had previous relationships with actresses Amanda Seyfried and Kate Bosworth and model and TV host Alexa Chung.
Since his split from Alexa in 2017 he has been linked to Swedish actress Tuva Novotny.
In 2022, the pair welcomed their first child together.
Murderbot premieres Friday, 16th May on Apple TV+.