Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you will have noticed the tall drink of water that is Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård. August 25 marks his 40th birthday, so let’s have a quick look at what makes him so hot successful.
Best known as brooding Viking vampire Eric in the sometimes rubbish ‘True Blood’ series, Skarsgård got his big break as Marine Brad Colbert in ‘Generation Kill’. Being a Swede, he had trouble mastering the American accent... but was still very believable as Sgt Iceman.
The son of another well-known Swede, Stellan Skarsgård of the ‘Avengers’ movies, Alexander’s career over the last few years has taken off. Despite almost 30 roles before ‘Generation Kill’ including appearing in ‘Zoolander,’ it was his seven seasons on ‘True Blood’ that really got our attention. The show became a cult hit, being nothing like the (frankly terrible) books (thank God), landing Skarsgård, Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer on the cover of Rolling Stone... naked.
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Eric, the tall brooding Viking forming one point of the ‘True Blood’ love triangle, captured hearts and hormones and inspired "Team Eric" t-shirts. One of the only players to fully develop into a more rounded and interesting character over the course of the show, one of the only reasons many fans kept coming back in the last couple seasons was to see more Eric. It didn’t hurt that he can actually act too, even if his swing at Tarzan was a bit less than stellar.
He’s darn good looking, broods well, and boasts an impressive acting heritage.
So what actually does make Alexander Skarsgård so interesting? He’s darn good looking, broods well, and boasts an impressive acting heritage. Like many male actors of his generation, turning 40 won’t see him relegated to Dad roles, despite giving it a go in ‘The Giver’. He’s not easy to pin down though, and not having seen any of his Swedish work, it’s hard to know where his career will go from here - besides up.
While not racking up as many IMDb listings since playing Eric, Skarsgård’s roles now seem to be a bit more discerning. While no one’s exactly talking Oscars, with films like ‘The Legend of Tarzan’ raking in the cash, Skarsgård is now a bankable name.