Gustaf Caspar Orm Skarsgård (born 12 November 1980) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his roles in Evil (2003), The Way Back (2010), Kon-Tiki (2012), and Oppenheimer (2023). He also appeared in the HBO TV series Westworld (2018), as Merlin in the Netflix TV series Cursed (2020), and as Floki in the History Channel series Vikings (2013–2020).
Early life Skarsgård was born on 12 November 1980 in Stockholm, Sweden, to Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård and his first wife, My, a physician. He has 5 siblings: Alexander, Sam, Bill, Eija and Valter, and two half-brothers Ossian and Kolbjörn by his father's second marriage to Megan Everett. Alexander, Bill, Valter, and Kolbjörn are also actors. His godfather is Swedish actor Peter Stormare. Gustaf decided to follow in his father's footsteps as an actor at the age of six and attended drama school.
Career Skarsgård’s film debut was in 1989 in the short film Prima Ballerina, where he played a ballet pupil. The same year, Skarsgård starred in the Swedish Film Codename Coq Rouge. Gustaf Skarsgård continued with several children's and youth roles, for example, Min vän Percys magiska gymnastikskor (1994) and Skuggornas hus (1996).
He attended the Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting in Stockholm (Teaterhögskolan) from 1998 to 2003, before joining the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm. He played in several of Shakespeare’s, Chekhov's and Söderberg’s works both on the Royal Dramatic Theatre and on Stockholm City Theatre. In 2003 he performed in Evil and 2008 in Patrik 1,5. For both roles he was nominated for the Guldbagge Award as Best Supporting Actor and as Best Leading Actor. The same year he was awarded the Shooting Star at the Berlin International Film Festival. He finally won the Guldbagge as Best Leading Actor for his performance in Förortsungar.
In 2008, he played Arvid Stjärnblom opposite Livia Millhagen's Lydia Stille in Daniel Lind Lagerlöf's stage directing debut of The Serious Game at Stockholm City Theater. The production received mixed reviews from critics.
In 2012, Skarsgård joined the History Channel's series Vikings in the main role of Floki, the shipbuilder. In 2018, he joined the cast of Westworld as Karl Strand for five episodes.
In March 2020, Skarsgård starred in a main role as Merlin, in Cursed, a Netflix original television series based on a re-imaging of the Arthurian legend.
In 2022, Skarsgård starred in Swedish film What Remains, a psychological thriller which follows the disquieting relationship between a possible serial killer, played by Skarsgård (based on real-life killer Sture Bergwall, AKA Thomas Quick), his troubled psychiatrist, and the detective assigned to the case, played by Gustaf Skarsgård's own father, actor Stellan Skarsgård.
Personal life Skarsgård was in a relationship with actress Hanna Alström from 1999 to 2005. Since 2017, Skarsgård has been in a relationship with Caroline Sjöström, with whom he has a daughter, born in November 2020.
Skarsgård has protested the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. He read the names of Palestinian children killed in Gaza at a protest in Stockholm in October 2024, and supported the Global Sumud Flotilla campaign in 2025.
Awards Skarsgård won a Guldbagge Awards for Kidz In da Hood. He won the European Film Academy's Shooting Stars Award in 2007.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1989 Prima ballerina Spinken Short 1989 Täcknamn Coq Rouge 1995 Sommaren Steffe Credited as Gustav Skarsgård 1996 Euroboy Robber Short 2002 Kontrakt Short 2002 The Invisible Niklas 2002 Gåvan David Short 2003 Evil Otto Silverhielm 2003 Detaljer Daniel (old) 2004 The Color of Milk The Stranger 2004 Babylonsjukan Olle, Maja's boyfriend 2006 Kidz in da Hood Johan 2007 Pyramiden Kurt Wallander (aged 24) Video 2007 Arn – The Knight Templar King Canute I of Sweden 2008 Iskariot Adam 2008 Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End King Canute I of Sweden 2008 Patrik, Age 1.5 Göran Skoogh 2009 May Fly Jimmy Short 2010 Trust Me Jon 2010 The Way Back Voss 2011 Happy End Peter 2011 Människor helt utan betydelse Director and writer 2012 Kon-Tiki Bengt Danielsson 2013 Autumn Blood The Butcher 2013 Vi Krister 2013 The Big Leap John Short 2013 The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden Rolf Blomberg Narration/voice 2017 Darling Frans 2019 438 Days Martin Schibbye 2021 The Emigrants Karl Oskar 2022 What Remains Sigge/Mads Lake 2023 Air Horst Dassler 2023 Oppenheimer Hans Bethe 2023 Last Ride Syd 2025 Black Bag Meacham 2026 Adult Supervision Bill
Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 Jan TV miniseries 1996 Skuggornas hus Julius "J.B" Bloomendolf TV miniseries 2002 Cleo Jonas No. 1 5 episodes 2003 Bo Swedenhielm TV movie 2006 Snapphanar King Charles XI of Sweden TV miniseries 2008 Mellan 11 och 12 Jonas TV movie 2010 Arn Knut 4 episodes 2011 Bibliotekstjuven John TV miniseries 2013–2020 Vikings Floki Main cast; TV series 2014 Ettor & nollor Karl TV miniseries 2018 Westworld Karl Strand 5 episodes 2020 Cursed Merlin Main role2023EvilÅke Ponti6 episodes 2025 To Cook a Bear The Pastor Main role TBA Wallander Kurt Wallander Main role
Theatre Year Title RoleTheatre Notes 2001BashStockholm City TheatreBackstage 2008 The Serious Game Arvid StjärnblomStockholm City Theatre
Notes
References
External links
Gustaf Skarsgård in The Big Leap