Connie Nielsen

Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen (born 3 July 1965) is a Danish actress. She has starred as Lucilla in the films Gladiator and Gladiator II (2024) and as Queen Hippolyta in the DC Extended Universe (2017–2021). She has also starred in films such as Soldier (1998), Mission to Mars (2000), One Hour Photo (2002), Basic (2003), The Hunted (2003), The Ice Harvest (2005), Nymphomaniac (2013), 3 Days to Kill (2014), Inheritance (2020), Nobody (2021) and its sequel Nobody 2 (2025).

She also had roles as New York Police Department Detective Dani Beck, the temporary partner of Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler in the NBC crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2006), the Starz political drama series Boss (2011–2012), the Fox crime thriller series The Following (2014), and the TNT limited drama series I Am the Night (2019), and starred in the Channel 4 drama series Close to Me (2021).

Early life Nielsen was born in Frederikshavn and grew up in the village of Elling, Denmark. Her father, Bent Nielsen, was a bus driver, and her mother, Laila Inge-lise Matzigkeit (1945–2014), was an insurance clerk, who also acted and wrote musical reviews. She was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon.

She began her acting career working alongside her mother on the local revue and variety scene. At 18, she traveled to Paris, where she worked as an actress and model, which led to further work and study in Italy—at drama school in Rome and in master classes with Lydia Styx, a teacher at Piccolo Teatro di Milano in Milan. She lived in Italy for many years before moving to the United States.

Career Nielsen's feature-film debut was the Jerry Lewis French film Par où t'es rentré ? On t'a pas vu sortir in 1984, followed by a role in the Italian miniseries Colletti Bianchi in 1988. She appeared in the Italian film Vacanze di Natale '91 (1991) and the French film Le Paradis Absolument (1993).

She moved to the United States in the mid-1990s, and made her first appearance in a major English-language film in 1997 as Christabella Andreoli in The Devil's Advocate, starring opposite Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. This first minor breakthrough led to roles in the films Permanent Midnight (1998), Rushmore (1998), and Soldier (1998). Nielsen later became proud of her roles as exotic femme fatales in The Devil's Advocate and Rushmore, saying: "I don't believe in a feminism that represses female sexuality, but there's a fine line between expression and exploitation".

In 2000, Nielsen appeared as Lucilla in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, starring opposite Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. Since then, she has starred in American films, including Mission to Mars (2000), One Hour Photo (2002), The Hunted (2003), and Basic (2003), for which she had to cut off most of her hair. She also starred in the French thriller Demonlover (2002), directed by Olivier Assayas. She played the Irish mother to an orphan in A Shine of Rainbows (2009).

In 2004, Nielsen made her Danish film debut in the drama, Brødre (also known as Brothers), for which she won the Danish Best Actress Award, the Bodil, as well as Best Actress at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. She was also nominated for Best Actress at the European Film Awards. In 2006, Nielsen appeared in several episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Detective Dani Beck. She filled in for Mariska Hargitay, who was on maternity leave at the time of filming.

With Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jamie Bell, and Uma Thurman, Nielsen appeared in the 2014 Lars Von Trier film Nymphomaniac. She was featured in a series of promotional posters prior to the film's release, a campaign The Independent described as "shocking", observing, "Connie Nielsen appears somewhat moist in this poster for Nymphomaniac".

In 2015, she appeared on the TV-2 album Det gode liv in which she sang along with Steffen Brandt on the track "Brev til Mona". In September 2018, she appeared in the pilot episode of the CBS drama FBI with Jeremy Sisto and Missy Peregrym.

Nielsen is known as Queen Hippolyta in DC Extended Universe franchise, appearing in four films beginning with Wonder Woman (2017). She also starred in the action movie Nobody (2021) and its sequel Nobody 2 (2025).

Personal life From 2004 to 2012, Nielsen dated Metallica drummer and fellow Dane, Lars Ulrich. They have one son together. Nielsen had a son from a previous marriage to fellow actor Fabio Sartor.

Nielsen is fluent in her native Danish, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian and Swedish. She also knows some Spanish.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1984 Par où t'es rentré ? On t'a pas vu sortir Eva Credited as Connie Nielson 1991 Vacanze di Natale '91 Brunilde / Vanessa 1997 The Devil's Advocate Christabella Andreoli 1998 Permanent Midnight Dagmar Rushmore Mrs. Calloway Soldier Sandra 2000 Innocents Megan Denright Mission to Mars Terri Fisher Gladiator Lucilla 2002 One Hour Photo Nina Yorkin Demonlover Diane de Monx 2003 The Hunted Abby Durrell Basic Capt. Julia Osborne 2004 Brødre Sarah Return to Sender Charlotte Cory 2005 The Great Raid Margaret Utinsky The Ice Harvest Renata Crest 2006 The Situation Anna Molyneux 2007 Battle in Seattle Jean 2009 A Shine of Rainbows Maire O'Donnell 2010 Kidnappet Susanne 2011 Perfect Sense Jenny 2013 Nymphomaniac Katherine The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden Baroness Von Wagner Voice 2014 3 Days to Kill Christine Renner Return to Zero Dr. Claire Holden All Relative Maren 2015 The Runner Deborah Price 2016 Ali and Nino Duchess Kipiani The 11th Katrine Firth Løvekvinnen Mrs Grjothornet The Confessions Claire Seth 2017 Stratton Sumner Wonder Woman Queen Hippolyta Justice League 2018 The Catcher Was a Spy Koranda 2019 I'll Find You Lena Moser Drabowski Sea Fever Freya 2020 Inheritance Catherine Monroe Wonder Woman 1984 Queen Hippolyta 2021 Zack Snyder's Justice League Nobody Rebecca "Becca" Mansell 2022 Fiona 2023 Origin Sabine Ocean Deep Mara 2024 Role Play Gwen Carver Gladiator II Lucilla 2025 Nobody 2 Rebecca "Becca" Mansell

Television films Year Title Role 1993 Voyage Ronnie Freeland 1994 Le paradis absolument Sarah 2008 Danny Fricke Danny Fricke 2015 Unveiled Joan McAllen

Television series Year Title Role Notes 1988 Colletti bianchi Marilù Bacchetta Television Series; 12 Episodes 1994 Okavango – The Wild Frontier Lena Television Series; 16 Episodes 2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Detective Dani Beck 6 episodes 2011–2012 Boss Meredith Rutledge Kane 16 episodes 2014 The Following Lily Gray 10 episodes 2014–2015 The Good Wife Ramona Lytton 4 episodes 2018 FBI Ellen Solberg Episode: "Pilot" Liberty Katrina 5 episodes 2019 I Am the Night Corinna Hodel 6 episodes 2021 Close to Me Jo Harding 2022 The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen Karen Blixen 2025 Robin Hood Eleanor of Aquitaine

Music Videos Year Artist Title Role 1985 Arcadia Election Day Girl dance

Awards Rungstedlund Prize (4 September 2023).