Danish beauty, Connie Nielsen, was born and raised in the small town of Elling. Her first taste of acting came at fifteen years of age when she performed in a cabaret, written by her mother. A few years later she left her hometown to do some world traveling, eventually ending up in Italy, and with four additional languages under her belt: English, French, German and Italian.
      Her American film debut was in the 1993 watery thriller Voyage, opposite Rutger Hauer and Eric Roberts. The film sunk under bad reviews, but critics took note of Connie's thespian abilities, and gave her a hardy thumbs-up. After her move from Europe to New York, Connie landed a string of diverse roles, such as the demoness who seduces Keanu Reeves in The Devil's Advocate; Ben Stiller's junkie friend in Permanent Midnight, and Tim Robbin's stong-willed wife in Mission To Mars. But it was her part of the troubled Lucilla in the blockbuster hit, Gladiator, opposite Russell Crowe, that brought her to the attention of international audiences.
      An avid admirer of screen legend, Vanessa Redgrave, Connie has continuously proved her own abilities by constantly working the very seams of each character, bringing to each multiple layers of emotion and psychology.
      Connie lives in New York with her son Sebastian [born 1990].
Photo © Entertainment Weekly