Mads Mikkelsen has been confirmed as the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, but who is Mads Mikkelsen, the Fantastic Beasts actor replacing Johnny Depp?
Warner Bros announced the news late last night (Wednesday November 25 2020).
Here’s everything you need to know about Danish actor Mads!
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Who is Mads Mikkelsen?
Mads Mikkelsen is a Danish star, who started his career as a gymnast and dancer.
He rose to fame in Danish-language films, and has been appearing on TV and films since 1996.
Mads won the coveted role of villain Le Chiffre in Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first ever James Bond movie.
How old is Mads?
Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen was born on November 22 1965.
He is currently 55.
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Where is Mads from?
Mads was born in Østerbro, Copenhagen, Denmark.
He is the second son of Bente Christiansen, a nurse, and Henning Mikkelsen, a bank teller and trade union official.
He and his older brother, Lars, were raised in Nørrebro.
Mads’ famous brother
Mads’ older brother is Lars Mikkelsen, who is also a famous actor!
Lars has starred in Danish drama The Killing, plays Stregobor in Netflix’s The Witcher, and Charles Magnussen in BBC One’s Sherlock.
He even portrayed the President of Russia Viktor Petrov in House of Cards (a thinly veiled interpretation of Vladimir Putin).
Is Mads married?
Mikkelsen met choreographer Hanne Jacobsen during his dancing career.
The pair married in 2000, after dating since 1987!
They have a daughter, Viola, who was born in 1992, and a son named Carl (born 1997).
The family are based in Denmark.
What has Mads starred in?
Mads rose to fame in Denmark for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher film trilogy.
He went on to achieve worldwide recognition for playing the baddie in the 21st James Bond film, Casino Royale, in 2006.
He won a Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award for his performance as Lucas in the Danish film The Hunt in 2012, and played Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the television series Hannibal between 2013 and 2015.
Mads also played Kaecilius in Marvel’s Doctor Strange and Galen Erso in Lucasfilm’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Why did Mads replace Johnny?
Johnny left the franchise earlier this month after a bitter court battle left his career teetering on the brink of ruin.
The Edward Scissorhands actor, 57, lost a libel case over a 2018 newspaper article which called him a “wife beater”.
Days after the court judgement, Johnny revealed that Warner Bros had asked him to resign from the cast of Fantastic Beasts.
And he “respected and agreed” with the request.
He wrote: “I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected and agreed to that request.”
Johnny had starred as Grindelwald in the first two films in the franchise, written by JK Rowling.
In 2016, he played the Dark Wizard in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, before reprising the role two years later in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
He had started filming the third film, before his premature exit.
When is the third Fantastic Beasts out?
The third instalment of the series is due to be released in summer 2022.
It is currently being filmed, and a trailer is not yet available.
Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is currently available to rent on Amazon Prime.
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