Sidse Babett Knudsen – Recipient of the 2024 Nordic Honorary Dragon Award

She has revolutionized Danish comedy, been knighted in both Denmark and France, and established a cultural reference point in international political discourse. Sidse Babett Knudsen is this year’s Nordic Honorary Award recipient.

When Magdalena Andersson had been Prime Minister of Sweden for a few months, she was asked which fictional character she identified with. Her answer? Birgitte Nyborg. It was hardly surprising—few characters in Nordic film and TV history have become as prominent in political discussions as the Prime Minister in Borgen. “What would Birgitte Nyborg do?” is a question that frequently resurfaces in Danish and Swedish political debates, much like pondering what Jesus, Olof Palme, or Astrid Lindgren might have done.

And the Borgen hype extends beyond Denmark’s borders—when Britons grew weary of Boris Johnson, London’s political analysts joked about inviting Birgitte Nyborg to 10 Downing Street. This enormous cultural impact has only been possible thanks to Sidse Babett Knudsen. Borgen is one of the most successful TV series in Nordic history, and Sidse Babett Knudsen is its gravitational center. Her nuanced, sharp, and engaging portrayal of the idealistic politician turned cynical power player has made her an international star.

For Sidse Babett Knudsen, however, the world beyond the Nordics is nothing new. Her parents met while sailing in South America, and young Sidse spent her early school years in Dar es Salaam, where her parents worked for a charity organization. As a teenager, she traveled extensively on her own, and during a year as an au pair in Paris, she auditioned for an acting program at Théâtre de l’Ombre, which followed Jacques Lecoq’s principles of physical theater.

After a few years in Copenhagen’s underground theater scene, she made her film debut in Jonas Elmer’s Let’s Get Lost, earning her first Bodil Award. Through collaborations with directors like Natasha Arthy and Susanne Bier (The One and Only remains one of Denmark’s most-watched films), she revitalized Danish comedy with modern and complex female characters.

Her first international breakthrough came with Bier’s Oscar-nominated After the Wedding, where she starred alongside Mads Mikkelsen, Rolf Lassgård, and Stine Fischer Christensen. But it was Borgen that truly propelled her into global recognition. Her fluency in English and French only bolstered her career—though she has humorously called Danish one of the ugliest languages, noting it’s impossible to seduce anyone in the language of H.C. Andersen and Suzanne Brøgger: “It sounds like you’re vomiting.”

Her ability to work in multiple languages has allowed her to tackle international roles, such as a lesbian dominatrix in Peter Strickland’s The Duke of Burgundy, a WHO director in Inferno alongside Tom Hanks, and a chain-smoking amusement park executive in HBO’s Westworld opposite Anthony Hopkins. In the French film The Woman from Brest, she portrayed a whistleblower and pulmonologist taking on pharmaceutical giants—a role she secured thanks to Borgen superfan Catherine Deneuve recommending her to director Emmanuelle Bercot.

With knighthoods from both the French l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Denmark’s Dannebrog Order, Sidse Babett Knudsen continues to take on new roles. Most recently, she appeared in Austrian auteur Jessica Hausner’s eating disorder drama Club Zero. Playing the impeccably dressed boarding school headmistress Ms. Dorset, she clashes with Mia Wasikowska’s nutrition teacher in electrifying duels that showcase Knudsen’s psychological depth and acute understanding of social structures. The role stands as one of the most memorable in her stellar career.