Karl David Sebastian Dencik (; born 31 October 1974) is a Swedish-Danish actor. He has acted in both Swedish and Danish films, his break-through in Sweden being his role in the mini-series Lasermannen and has then had major roles in English-language films and series including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Top of the Lake (2017), McMafia (2018), Chernobyl (2019), and the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021).
Dencik is a twice Robert Award winner, for Best Actor in a Leading Role for A Soap (2006) and Best Actor in a Supporting Television Role for The Chestnut Man (2021). He won a Guldbagge Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Perfect Patient (2019). He is also a seven-time Bodil Award nominee.
Early life and education Karl David Sebastian Dencik was born 31 October 1974 in Stockholm, Sweden, to Swedish parents: Lars Dencik, a social psychologist and Kerstin Allrot, a former film historian and producer. His last name is Slovak and comes from his paternal grandfather, who left Liptovský Mikuláš, Czechoslovakia, for asylum in Sweden to escape the Nazi persecution of Jews in Slovakia in 1939.
The family moved to Denmark in 1976, where Dencik spent his childhood. As a teenager he studied in Brazil, where he discovered capoeira, the Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance and music. The dance aspect of capoeira led him to take an interest in theatre.
In 1999, Dencik moved to Stockholm to study at the Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting (Teaterhögskolan), where he graduated in 2003.
Career Dencik first performed on stage, including a role in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm.
Dencik's first film appearance was a bartender in the 2003 film Reconstruction by Christoffer Boe. After several minor roles in films, he became an established actor in Sweden for his lead role as real-life far-right serial killer John Ausonius in the three-part mini-series Lasermannen in 2005. The mini-series received praise by Swedish critics and viewers as "one of, if not the best", most well-made true crime and political drama production in Swedish modern film history. The whole cast received praise but especially Dencik's acting was called "uniquely brilliant".
In 2006, he played the transsexual Veronica in Pernille Fischer Christensen's A Soap, for which he received the Robert Award for Best Actor.
Also in 2006, he starred in the comedy Everything About My Bush (known as Allt om min buske in Swedish). In 2007, he appeared in the Danish feature film Daisy Diamond, directed by Simon Staho.
He portrayed Fred Åkerström in the 2010 biographical film Cornelis. In 2011, he appeared in the Hollywood adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and played Toby Esterhase in the film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
He also starred in the gay-themed Brotherhood and the Dimension Films thriller Regression. In 2017, he played brothel owner Alexander "Puss" Braun in Jane Campion's acclaimed Top of the Lake. McMafia (2018) saw Dencik play Russian boss Uncle Boris Godman, inspired by the book McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (2008) by journalist Misha Glenny.
In 2019, Dencik played Mikhail Gorbachev in HBO's miniseries Chernobyl.
Dencik then portrayed a rogue scientist, Valdo Obruchev, in the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021).
In August 2024, it was reported that Dencik had joined the cast of the crime thriller television series The Assassin.
In March 2025, Dencik appeared as the titular mad monk in the music video for ‘Satanized’ by the legendary Swedish rock/metal band, Ghost (Swedish band).
Personal life Dencik is married to Danish lawyer Sofie Dencik. They live in Copenhagen and have two children.
Selected filmography
Film + Year Title Role Notes 2003 Reconstruction Bartender 2006 A Soap Veronica2007 All About My Bush Henning Daisy Diamond Jens 2008 Not Like Others Taxi Driver 2009 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Janne Dahlman Swedish version Brotherhood Jimmy 2010 Rosa Morena Jakob2011 War Horse German Base Camp Officer Room 304 Martin Rebounce Marcel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Toby Esterhase The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Young Morell English version 2012 A Royal Affair Ove Høegh-Guldberg All That Matters Is Past Ruud Hamilton: In the Interest of the Nation Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden 2013 We Are the Best! Klara's father2014 The Absent One Ulrik Dybbøl Serena Mr. Buchanan2015 Regression John Gray Men & Chicken Gabriel 2016 Across the Waters Arne Itkin2017 Backstabbing for Beginners Rasnetsov The Snowman Dr Idar Vetlesen2019 Waiting for the Barbarians The ClerkThe Perfect Patient Thomas Quick 2021 No Time to Die Valdo Obruchev 2022 Black Crab Colonel Raad Diorama Björn Attachment Lev The Kiss Dr. Faber2023 Together 99 (Tillsammans 99) Peter 2026 Clayface TBA Post-production
Television + Year Title Role Notes 2005 Lasermannen John Ausonius 3 episodes 2011–2012 Lykke Professor Anders Assing 18 episodes 2013 The Borgias Cardinal Orsini 2 episodes 2016 Follow the Money Simon Absalonsen 10 episodes2017 Top of the Lake: China Girl Puss 6 episodes Genius Niels Bohr 3 episodes 2018 McMafia Boris Godman 2 episodes2019 Quicksand Peder Sander 6 episodes Chernobyl Mikhail Gorbachev 3 episodes Face to Face Rylander 2 episodes 2021 The Chestnut Man Simon Genz 6 episodes 2022 The Ipcress File Colonel Stok 6 episodes Love & Anarchy Filip 1 episode The Kingdom Bosse 3 episodes Vuxna människor Nathan 8 episodes 2023 Huset Henrik 6 episodes 2024 Families like Ours Peter 4 episodes 2025 The Assassin Jasper de Voogdt 5 episodes 2026 Star City Maxim Tarasov 5 episodes
Music videos + Year Title Role Notes 2025 "Satanized" Mad Monk Ghost
Awards and nominations 2006: Winner of the Danish Robert Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, for his role in A Soap 2011: Nominated, Guldbagge Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2014: Nominated, Guldbagge Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2015: Nominated, Guldbagge Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role 2020: Winner, Guldbagge Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
References
External links