The best Mads Mikkelsen movies and TV shows document the Danish actor's rise to international stardom and expose the foundation he built it upon with years of exceptional performance in his native Denmark. Born in 1965 in Copenhagen, Mads Mikkelsen has been an active star of Danish cinema since 1996, when he made his debut as Tonny in crime thriller Pusher. His performance was met with significant acclaim, and he began landing lead roles in more Danish movies almost immediately.

Mikkelsen rose to international prominence in the mid-2000s thanks to roles in films like 2004’s King Arthur. However, it was the Bond movie Casino Royale in 2006 that ensured he’d become a household name outside of Denmark. Since then he found further international success thanks to franchises Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them, Star Wars, and the MCU. However, the very best Mads Mikkelsen movies and TV shows prove that the strongest displays of his talents exist outside his most well-known Hollywood ventures.

10 Rogue One (2016)

Mads Mikkelsen Plays Galen Erso

Not only does 2016’s Rogue One deserve a place among the best Mads Mikkelsen movies for the quality of the film overall, but his character of Galen Erso is one of the most important that the film introduced to the modern era of Star Wars. Set just before the events of A New Hope, Rogue One proved that Star Wars movies work just as well with no Jedi or lightsabers to be seen.

Mads Mikkelsen’s Galen Erso is a former scientist and weapons designer for the Empire. However, he fled to a remote planet alongside his family for a peaceful life. Erso was the first character in Star Wars who humanized the many subjects of Emperor Palpatine, showing that many in the Imperial forces were just as terrified of the evil that had gripped the galaxy as those in the Rebellion. While his screen time was relatively brief, Mikkelsen gave an incredibly grounded performance, and his appearance in Rogue One made for what is perhaps its most memorable scenes.

9 Men & Chicken (2015)

Mads Mikkelsen Plays Elias

One of several collaborations between the actor and Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen, 2015’s Men & Chicken is most certainly one of the strangest of Mads Mikkelsen’s best movies. The comedy film focuses on two brothers, Gabriel (David Dencik) and Elias (Mikkelsen) who, after the death of their father, come to learn that they were adopted. Decided to track down their biological father, they meet three siblings they never knew they had - though the family reunion is far from a happy one.

It turns out that Elias and Gabriel’s father was a geneticist, and he raised their siblings on a remote farm. Men & Chicken is filled with plenty of scenes of surreal violence and strange behavior, all caused by the fact that the children of Elias and Gabriel’s father have been spliced with animal DNA. For his performance as Elias, who is part bull, Mads Mikkelsen won a Zulu Award for Best Actor, and was nominated for a Robert Award for Best Actor in a ing Role.

8 Valhalla Rising (2009)

Mads Mikkelsen Plays One-Eye

2009’s Valhalla Rising stands out among the best Mads Mikkelsen movies as it’s one of the few highlights of his filmography that’s a pure action-adventure film. While Mikkelsen is superb in the genre, his forays into it have been somewhat overshadowed by his nuanced comedies and emotive dramas. This makes the Viking movie Valhalla Rising, from director Nicolas Winding Refn, a standout film in Mikkelsen’s career.

Mikkelsen stars in Valhalla Rising as One-Eye, a Norse warrior in the twelfth century traveling with a band of Christian Crusaders on a voyage to the Middle East. However, they end up in North America, where they find themselves assailed both by native warriors and sinister spiritual visions. Mads Mikkelsen gives an exceptional performance as One-Eye, and despite the plot of Valhalla Rising being more straightforward than many other films he’s appeared in, the morally conflicted Viking warrior has all the nuance that’s defined the characters Mikkelsen has taken on in his career.

7 Casino Royale (2006)

Mads Mikkelsen Plays Le Chiffre

While most of Mads Mikkelsen’s best movies are Danish films, the actor has had significant international success in Hollywood too. For audiences outside of Denmark, many found their introduction to Mikkelsen came in the 2006 James Bond movie Casino Royale. Casino Royale was the first Bond movie of the Daniel Craig era, so it was of paramount importance that the latest 007 had an iconic villain for his first appearance.

This is where Mads Mikkelsen got his chance to shine, as he became an instantly memorable foe for 007 when he took on the part of Le Chiffre. Le Chiffre is an incredibly intriguing Bond villain, as he’s a financier who uses his industry knowledge to bankroll a variety of terrorist organizations. Mikkelsen’s performance set the standard for Bond villains in the Daniel Craig era, and he remains one of the best (and most chilling) the most recent incarnation of 007 ever came up against.

6 Riders Of Justice (2020)

Mads Mikkelsen Plays Markus

Released in Denmark as Retfærdighedens Ryttere, Riders of Justice is a 2020 action comedy from director Anders Thomas Jensen. Sitting at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, Riders of Justice is one of many movies from his native Denmark starring Mads Mikkelsen that released so significant international acclaim. Mikkelsen’s performance as Markus Hansen, the focus of the plot of Riders of Justice, was a key reason for this too - and landed him with a Robert Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2021.

Riders of Justice, despite being an action comedy, has plenty of dramatic tragedy in its plot too. Mads MIkkelsen’s Markus is a soldier returning from Afghanistan to find his wife was killed in a train crash. When he learns that his wife’s death may not have been accidental, Markus goes on a revenge rampage against a biker gang. Director Anders Thomas Jensen is known for movies with premises that defy their genre, and Mads Mikkelsen’s performance ensures that the action comedy doesn’t get lost in its emotional narrative, while also never losing sight of the complexity of Markus’s character and his situation.

5 A Royal Affair (2012)

Mads Mikkelsen Plays Johann Friedrich Struensee

Like many of the best Mads Mikkelsen movies and TV shows, A Royal Affair is a Danish movie. Coming from director Nikolaj Arcel, the historical drama is set in the 18th century. The story is one of a strange love triangle, focusing on the romance between Caroline Matilda of Great Britain, royal physician Johann Friedrich Struensee, and Denmark’s King Christian VII.

Mikkelsen gives a career-defining performance as Johann Fridrich Struensee, and his presence helped ensure A Royal Affair received widespread acclaim, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Of particular note is his chemistry with both Alicia Vikander (who plays Caroline Matilda) and Mikkel Folsgaard (who plays Christian VII). What’s more, while the romance between Caroline and Johann is critical to the plot, there’s plenty of political intrigue too, and Mikkelsen manages to deliver a captivating performance that makes all aspects of the multilayered plot intertwine seamlessly.

4 Another Round (2020)

Mads Mikkelsen Plays Martin

One of several movies Mads Mikkelsen starred in that come from Danish director Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round is a surreal black comedy focusing on four teachers who make an agreement to see if they can get through an entire day's work while intoxicated. Another Round (or Druk in Danish) was released to widespread critical acclaim, and won Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards.

As far as its place in the best Mads Mikkelsen movies is concerned, Another Round stands out due to it being one of only a handful that displays the actor’s talents when it comes to comedy rather than gritty dramas or action films. Mikkelsen delivers a hilarious performance as Martin, a teacher struggling with depression who finds that the experiment to maintain a blood alcohol level of 0.05% helps him find a new lease on life.

3 Pusher II (2004)

Mads Mikkelsen Plays Tonny

While he also starred in the first film in the franchise, 1996’s Pusher, it’s director Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2004 follow-up Pusher II that stands as one of the best Mads Mikkelsen movies. His performance as Tonny in the gritty crime movie is complex and nuanced, capturing many of the conflicting drives of the character with ease. Pusher II focuses on Mikkelsen’s Tonny following Tonny’s release from prison after the events of Pusher.

Desperate to lead a normal life and overcome his addictions, Tonny turns to his father for help. Unfortunately though, his former life catches up with him, and Tonny is forced to make many difficult decisions as he attempts to protect his future and escape his past. Mads Mikkelsen’s performance as Tonny received no shortage of praise, and Pusher II still sits with a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

2 The Hunt (2012)

Mads Mikkelsen Plays Lucas

As far as his feature-length projects go, 2012’s The Hunt easily stands as the best Mads Mikkelsen movie. The Danish psychological drama movie, released in Denmark as Jagten, comes from director Thomas Vinterberg and stars Mikkelsen in the lead role as Lucas. Mikkelsen’s performance landed him multiple awards and accolades, including Best Actor at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

The plot of The Hunt makes for some uncomfortable viewing, though the nailbiting question only serves to ensure Mads Mikkelsen’s performance as Lucas is impossible to forget. Set in a small community, Mikkelsen’s Lucas is falsely accused of sexual assault. He loses his job, his friends, and becomes scapegoated by his friends and neighbors. It’s a complex and nuanced story, and one that draws out almost every aspect of Mikkelsen’s wide range as a performer.

1 Hannibal (2013-2015)

Mads Mikkelsen Played Hannibal Lecter

When it comes to the best Mads Mikkelsen TV shows and movies, it’s NBC’s 2013-2015 psychological horror-thriller Hannibal that displays his skills as a performer better than any other project. The prequel series is loosely based on the Thomas Harris Hannibal Lecter novels, which also served as the inspiration for movies like 1991’s Silence of The Lambs and 2001’s Hannibal. Mads Mikkelsen takes on the titular role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the psychopathic genius and proud cannibal, and his performance is just as chilling as the likes of the legendary Anthony Hopkins (who portrayed the same character in many movie adaptations).

For all 39 episodes of Hannibal, Mads Mikkelsen brought a chilling sense of calm, cold, and calculated sadism to his portrayal of Dr. Lecter. His performance was critically acclaimed and brought him many accolades, such as an IGN award for Best TV Villain, and a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor - Television Series Drama. What’s more, as a TV show, Hannibal provides more screen time for Mikkelsen than many of his other projects, making it essential viewing for his fans.