Mads Mikkelsen

With his role as the villain in "Casino Royale" (2006), the first in the re-invigorated James Bond series, Danish heartthrob Mads Mikkelsen was poised to take over the world after landing the most enviable of parts in a time-tested film franchise.

Born Nov. 22, 1965 in Copenhagen, Denmark, Mikkelsen quietly worked his way up the ranks of the Danish film industry during the mid-1990s. After small parts in the films, "Caf? Hector" and "Blomsterfangen" in 1996, he gave a memorable portrayal of a drug addict named Tonny in "Pusher" that same year.

Following a series of small roles and bit parts, he gained recognition with such films as "Flickering Lights" in 2000, "Shake it All About" in 2001, and in his recurring role as Allan Fischer in the Emmy-winning Danish police series "Rejseholdet." His notoriety grew as local magazines began proclaiming him the "sexiest man in Denmark."

For his portrayal of a doctor lusted after by the fianc?e of a paralyzed man in the Danish film "Open Hearts" (2002) Mikkelsen earned positive reviews, both in his homeland and internationally. Breaking out of Danish cinema, he appeared in a Spanish comedy, "Torremolinos 73" in 2003. The following year, he made his stateside feature film debut as Tristan in the modestly successful "King Arthur." Following this brief American foray, he reprised his role of Tonny in "Pusher II" (2004).

Upon the announcement that Mikkelsen had signed to play the evil "Le Chiffre" - the terrorist who actually cries blood - in the latest Bond installment, the young actor garnered the kind of overnight international attention very few relatively unknown actors experience. Hardcore Bond fans, already excited at the prospect of British actor Daniel Craig filling the shoes of the cunning super spy, were ecstatic to learn of Mikkelsen's casting in the role originally played by Orson Welles in the 1967 version of "Royale." Both Mikkelsen and Craig promised to bring a new sense of realism to the venerable, slick series. And fans were not disappointed. When "Casino Royale" premiered in November, both men were signaled out for bringing a sense of grit and menace to the film series that had been sorely lacking for years. The film was a fall smash, guaranteeing Mikkelsen would not lack for work on either side of the pond.