# Aksel Hennie

Aksel Hennie (born 29 October 1975) is a Norwegian actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his roles in the films Headhunters (2011), Hercules (2014), and The Martian (2015).

## Early life

Hennie was born in the Lambertseter suburb of Oslo on 29 October 1975. In his late teens, he was arrested for graffitiing, and became an outcast in the graffiti community after confessing to the police. His "writes" or signatures were "Ceel" and "Mikro" and can still be seen around Oslo. Most of them are crossed out or lined over because of his confession. This personal story contributed much of the background for the film Uno. The conviction against Hennie was one of the first such cases in Norway.

## Career

Hennie was admitted to the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre after applying four times. He graduated in 2001, and has acted both at Teatret Vårt in Molde (2001–2002) and at Oslo Nye Teater (since 2002), where he has been in plays such as Hamlet and Kvinnen Som Gifftet Seg Med en Kalkun (The Woman Who Married a Turkey).
Hennie's most notable success has been as a film actor. He made his debut starring in the feature film Jonny Vang in 2003. Although the director, Jens Lien, originally thought Hennie was too young for the role, the actor convinced him he was the right man for the film. That same year, he also acted in the films Buddy and Ulvesommer. The next year, Hennie made his debut as a director and writer with the film, Uno, in which he also acted. For this role, Hennie and his co-star, Nicolai Cleve Broch, undertook six months of hard physical training in order to perform convincingly as bodybuilders.
In 2001, Hennie was named "Theatre Talent of the Year" by the newspaper Dagbladet. Hennie won the Amanda Award (an important Norwegian film award), for "Best Direction" for Uno in 2005. That year he was among the nominees for "Best Actor" and "Best Film." He won an Amanda Award for "Best Actor" for Jonny Vang in 2003. He was named one of European film's "Shooting Stars" by the European Film Promotion in 2004.
In 2008, Hennie starred in Max Manus, where he played the Norwegian war hero of the same name. The film had a large budget by Norwegian standards. In 2011, Age of Heroes was released, a World War II film primarily shot in Norway. On 30 August 2013, Pionér, a docudrama, was released. Hennie plays the main role as a commercial offshore diver in the North Sea during the 1970s who witnesses an accident while diving under extreme conditions, prompting him to search for answers.
On 1 December 2013, Hennie won an Angela Award at the Subtitle European Film Festival in Kilkenny for his role in the film 90 Minutes. That evening he appeared at a showing of Headhunters, and did a question and answer session with the audience in the theatre after the film.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1990–1998 | Bobby's Verden | | |
| 1998 | 1732 Høtten | Arnt-Olaf | |
| 2000 | Fort Forever | Even | Short film |
| 2002 | Anolit | Stefan | Short film |
| 2003 | Buddy | Geir | |
| 2003 | Jonny Vang | Jonny Vang | |
| 2003 | Ulvesommer | Pål | |
| 2004 | Den Som Frykter Ulven | Stefan | |
| 2004 | Hawaii, Oslo | Trygve | |
| 2004 | Uno | David | Also directed |
| 2004 | Tell me everything goes well | Smith | Short film |
| 2004 | The one who fears the wolf | Stefan | |
| 2005 | Terkel in Trouble | | In the Norwegian version, all voices were performed by actor Aksel Hennie |
| 2005 | The Hardest Words In The World | The Husband | Short film |
| 2007 | Torpedo (TV series) | Sebastian | |
| 2008 | Max Manus: Man of War | Max Manus | |
| 2008 | Salary | Christer | |
| 2008 | In a mirror, in a riddle | Enge | |
| 2010 | A Somewhat Gentle Man | Samí | |
| 2011 | Headhunters | Roger Brown | |
| 2011 | Age of Heroes | Lieutenant Steinar Mortensen | |
| 2012 | 90 minutter | Trond | |
| 2013 | Pioneer | Petter Jensen | |
| 2014 | 24 | Karl Rask | Day 9: 4:00pm–5:00pm |
| 2014 | Hercules | Tydeus | |
| 2015 | Last Knights | Geza Mott | |
| 2015 | The Martian | Dr. Alex Vogel | |
| 2016 | Nobel | Erling Riiser | NOMINATED- 2017 Gullruten Best Actor, TV Drama |
| 2016 | Smuggler | Arthur Omre | |
| 2018 | The Cloverfield Paradox | Volkov | |
| 2018 | Mordene i Kongo | Joshua French | |
| 2020 | The Doorman | Borz | |
| 2020 | White Wall | Lars Ruud | |
| 2021 | The Trip/ I Onde Dager | Lars | |
| 2021 | The Middle Man | Arthur Clintstone | |
| 2022 | Sisu | Bruno Helldorf | Finnish film |
| 2022 | Kent State | | |
| 2024 | Spermageddon | Simen | Voice role |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Theatre |
| 2022 2023 | Actor | Peer Gynt written by Henrik Ibsen | Per Olav Sörensen | Gålå |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Organization | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2001 | Dagbladet | Theatre Talent of the Year | Himself | Won |
| 2003 | Brussels European Film Festival | Best Actor | Himself for Jonny Vang | Won |
| 2003 | Amanda Award | Best Male Lead | Himself for Jonny Vang | Won |
| 2004 | Viareggio EuropaCinema | FIPRESCI Prize | Himself for Uno | Won |
| 2004 | Molodist Film Festival | Best Actor | Himself for Uno | Nominated |
| 2004 | Molodist Film Festival | Best Young Actor | Himself for Uno | Won |
| 2004 | Nordic Filmtage Lübeck | Church Film Prize | Himself for Uno | Won |
| 2005 | Amanda Award | Best Director | Himself for Uno | Won |
| 2005 | Amanda Award | Best Male Actor | Himself for Uno | Nominated |
| 2005 | Festival Premiers Plans d'Angers | Special Jury Prize | Himself for Uno | Won |
| 2005 | Cinequest Film Festival | Best First Feature Award | Himself for Uno | Won |
| 2005 | Nordic Film Festival | Jury's Grand Prix | Himself for Uno | Won |
| 2005 | Kosmorama Film Festival | The Canon Prize for Best | Himself for Uno | Won |
| 2005 | Kosmorama Film Festival | The best prize | Himself for Uno | Won |
| 2005 | Palic International Film Festival | Silver Tower | Himself for Uno | Won |
| 2008 | Amanda Award | Best Male Actor | Himself for Cold Lunch | Nominated |
| 2009 | Amanda Award | Best Male Actor | Himself for Max Manus: Man of War | Won |
| 2012 | Amanda Award | Best Male Lead | Himself for Headhunters | Nominated |
| 2013 | Canon Prize | Best Male Lead | Himself for Pioneer | Nominated |
| 2014 | Amanda Award | Best Male Actor | Himself for Pioneer | Won |
| 2016 | Elle | Norway's Most Sexy Man 2016 | Himself | Won |
| 2017 | Gullruten | Best Actor, TV Drama | Himself for Nobel | Nominated |