Søren Pilmark
Hair Color: GreyEye Color: BlueHeight: 182 cm
Education:National Theater School, Århus 1978
Languages:Mother Tongue: DanishFluent in: English, Swedish
Biography
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.
Curriculum Vitae
Awards
| Nominee: Zulu Awards: Best Supporting Actor 'Parterapi' |
| Nominee: Zulu Awards: Best Supporting Actor 'Kærestesorger' |
| Nominee: Robert: Best Supporting Actor 'Kærestesorger' |
| Nominee: Bodil: Best Supporting Actor 'Kærestesorger' |
| Nominee: Robert: Best Actor 'Hvordan vi slipper af med de andre' |
| Nominee: Oscar Academy Awards: Best Short Film, Live Action 'Helmer & søn' |
| Winner: Robert: Best Supporting Actor 'Kongekabale' |
| Winner: Bodil: Best Supporting Actor 'Kongekabale' |
| Winner: Zulu Awards: Best Supporting Actor 'Kongekabale' |
| Nominee: Robert: Best Actor 'Blinkende lygter' |
| Nominee: Bodil: Best Actor 'Blinkende lygter' |
| Winner: Robert: Best Supporting Actor 'Menneskedyret' |
| Nominee: Bodil: Best Supporting Actor 'Menneskedyret' |
Comedy
| Pallesen Pilmark PS | Himself |
| Pallesen Pilmark Show | Himself | DR |
Dubbing / Voice over
| Den Utrolige Historie Om Den Kæmpestore Pære | Ulysses Karlsen | Amalie Næsby Fick | A. Film |
| Virus | Virus | Mikkel Lee | TV-Animation |
| Familien Fab | Voice | Gunnar Wille | DR |
Film
| Børnene fra Sølvgade tager kampen op | Morfar | Mehdi Avaz | Rocket Road Pictures |
| Ørkenens sønner - En Fez i en Hornlygte | Omar-Papa | Søren Pilmark | Agenzy |
| Journal 64 | Marcus Jacobsen | Christoffer Boe | Zentropa Entertainments |
| Downsizing | Dr. Andreas Jacobsen | Alexander Payne | Paramount Pictures |
| Mesteren | David | Charlotte Sieling | Nimbus Film Productions |
| Flaskepost fra P | Marcus Jacobsen | Hans Petter Moland | Zentropa |
| Den sidste konge | Bishop | Nils Gaup | Newgrange Pictures |
| Fasandræberne | Marcus Jacobsen | Mikkel Nørgaard | Zentropa |
| Sorg og glæde | Advokaten | Nils Malmros | Nordisk Film Production |
| Kvinden i buret | Marcus Jacobsen | Mikkel Nørgaard | Zentropa |
| Kon-Tiki | Freuchen | Joachim Rønning | Nordisk Film Production |
| Parterapi | Ulrik Mossén | Kenneth Kainz | Nordisk Film |
| Ved verdens ende | Consul | Tomas Villum Jensen | M&M Productions |
| Kærestesorger | Agnetes far | Nils Malmros | Nordisk Film |
| Til døden os skiller | Erik | Paprika Steen | Nordisk Film |
| De unge år: Erik Nietzsche sagaen del 1 | Mads | Jacob Thuesen | Zentropa Entertainments |
| Hvordan vi slipper af med de andre | Christian | Anders Rønnow Klarlund | Zentropa Entertainments |
| Lotto | Jørgen | Peter Schrøder | Nordisk Film |
| Et rigtigt eventyr | Mariella Harpelunde Jensen | DR | |
| King's game | Erik Dreier Jensen | Nikolaj Arcel | Nimbus Film Productions |
| Lad de små børn | Nisse | Paprika Steen | Nordisk Film |
| Rembrandt | Bæk | Jannik Johansen | Fine & Mellow Productions |
| Kat | Peter Hald | Martin Schmidt | Zentropa Entertainments |
| Anna | Tom Terlow | Erik Wedersøe | Nordisk Film |
| Blinkende lygter | Torkild | Anders Thomas Jensen | M&M Productions |
| Menneskedyret | Præsten | Carsten Rudolf | Nimbus Film Productions |
| Roser og persille | Benny Larsen | Eddie Thomas Petersen | Metronome Productions |
| Camping | Søren | Sune Lund-Sørensen |
| Peter von Scholten | Orlogskaptajn Irminger | Palle Kjærulff-Schmidt | Crone Film Produktion A/S |
| Mikkel's Motiver | Supporting | Franz Ernst | DR |
| Maj | Kurt | Bille August | DR |
| Kammesjukjul | En ekspedient | Nils Malmros |
| Kassen stemmer | Matros (uncredited) | Ebbe Langberg | Nordisk Film |
| Den kære familie | Dreng på gaden | Erik Balling | Nordisk Film |
Short films
| Den store prøve | Karl | Lars Kristian Mikkelsen | Feelgood Scene Film & TV |
| Manden udenfor | Boss | Liv Colliander |
| The Taste of Hair | Tonni | René Frelle Petersen | Zentropa Entertainments |
| Helmer & Søn | Directing | Søren Pilmark | Nordisk Film |
| Bare Holger | Chrsitian Rosenkranz | Kasper Gaardsøe | Den Danske Filmskole |
| Fædre | Lead / Henrik | Albert Sverrisson |
Television
| Vikings: Valhalla | Sweyn Forkbeard | Various | Netflix |
| Atlantic Crossing | King Haakon VII | Various | Cinenord Drama/Beta Film |
| Kongen af Danmark | Jens Thorvaldsen, Prime Minister | Wazawi Entertainment | |
| Gidseltagningen / Below the Surface | Lars F. Bülow | Various | SAM Productions |
| Selfiestan | Narrator | Jens Folmer Jepsen | Cosmo Film |
| Badehotellet | Thorvald Stauning | Various | SF Studios |
| Ø | Henrik | Kasper Torsting | Studio Plus |
| Vikings | Stender | Various | HBO |
| Neste Sommer | Jens | Various | Feelgood Scene Film & TV |
| Kampen om det tunge vand | Niels Bohr | Per-Olav Sørensen | Filmkameratene A/S |
| Tidsrejsen | Sølvræven | Kaspar Munk | Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond |
| 1864 | Oberst E. A. Lundbye / Oberst A. E. Lundbye | Ole Bornedal | Miso Film |
| Familien Jul | Campingfatter | Carsten Rudolf | LumaFilm |
| Lykke | Johannes Dam | Kasper Gaardsøe / Jesper W. Nielsen | DR |
| Forbrydelsen | Erik König | Various | DR |
| Lysets nøgle | Malleus | Linda Krogsøe Holmberg | DR |
| Mr. Poxycat & Co. | Himself | Nikolaj Lie Kaas | Nordisk Film TV |
| Island of the Pixies | Figur Figursson | Flemming Jensen | Frontier Media A/S |
| De drabbade | Jens | Various | SVT Drama |
| Skjulte spor | Ernst | Jesper Bernt / Ulf Ahlberg | Nordisk Film |
| Edderkoppen | Jørgen Schiøtt | Ole Christian Madsen | DR |
| Taxa | Mark Sander | Kristoffer Nyholm / Niels Arden Oplev | DR |
| Majoren | Stig Møller | Ole Roos | DR |
| Den store Kul-Tur | Klosterstad | Søren Fauli | Cosmo Film |
| Riget | Jørgen Krogshøj | Lars von Trier / Morten Arnfred | Zentropa / DR |
| Enten eller - Du bestemmer | Gunner | Kristoffer Nyholm / Palle Kjærulff-Schmidt | DR |
| Tango for tre | Benny Larsen | Eddie Thomas Petersen | Metronome Productions |
| De skrigende halse | Djarnis | Søren Fauli | Cosmo Film |
| Kald mig Liva | Arne Weel | Brigitte Kolerus | DR |
| Gøngehøvdingen | Svend / Svend 'Gønge' Poulsen | Peter Eszterhas | DR |
| Blændet | Hans Andersen | Jon Bang Carlsen | TV2 |
| To som elsker hinanden | Hans Madsen | Annelise Hovmand |
| Andorra | Soldat | Preben Østerfelt | DR |
| En stor familie | Bjarne B. Bruun '3B' / Himself / Bjarne B. Brun '3B', Udviklingschef | Bent Mejding | Nordisk Film |
| Opfinderkontoret | Mand fra Hospitalet | Palle Kjærulff-Schmidt | DR |
| Krigsdøtre | Søren | Annelise Hovmand / Lis Vibeke Kristensen | DR |
Theater
| Ørkenens sønner - Varm luft i canal grande | Omar-Papa |
| Ørkenens sønner: En sang fra de varme lande | Omar-Papa |
| Ørkenens sønner - Et skud i tågen | Omar-Papa |
| Ørkenens sønner - En storm i et glas vand | Omar-Papa |
| Ørkenens sønner - Gå aldrig tilbage til en fuser! | Omar-Papa |
| Ørkenens sønner | Omar-Papa |
Showreel
Vikings: Valhalla