Søren Pilmark is a highly esteemed Danish actor and director known for his broad range across drama, satire, and international productions. His career spans over four decades in both Danish and international film and television.
He achieved early acclaim for his role in The Beast Within (1995), for which he won the Robert Award for Best Supporting Actor, and was also nominated for a Bodil Award. He later starred in Anders Thomas Jensen’s cult hit Flickering Lights (2000), earning Bodil and Robert nominations for Best Actor. Pilmark’s most decorated performance came in King’s Game (Kongekabale, 2004), where his portrayal of spin doctor Erik Dreier won him both the Bodil and Robert Awards for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a Zulu Award.
In 2006, he directed and wrote the short film Helmer & Søn, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He continued to take on complex roles in acclaimed Danish dramas, including Hvordan vi slipper af med de andre (2007), Kærestesorger (2009), and Parterapi (2010), each earning him further nominations from the Robert, Bodil, and Zulu awards.
In recent years, Pilmark has portrayed the recurring character Marcus Jacobsen in the Department Q films The Keeper of Lost Causes (2013) and Journal 64 (2018), and played Dr. Andreas Jacobsen in Alexander Payne’s U.S. feature Downsizing (2017).
He is also widely recognized for his long-running role as Jørgen Krogshøj in Lars von Trier’s cult series The Kingdom (Riget), which spanned from 1994 to 2022. From 2022 to 2024, he appeared as Forkbeard in the international Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla, further cementing his international visibility. In 2025, he will appear as Morfar in Mehdi Avaz’s family film Børnene fra Sølvgade: Tager Kampen Op.
Outside film and TV, Pilmark is a founding member and co-creator of the legendary Danish comedy revue group Ørkenens Sønner (1991–present), which has become a cultural institution in Denmark.