Sofie Gråbøl (Danish pronunciation: [sofiːˀə ˈɡ̊ʁɔb̥øl]; born 30 July 1968) is a Danish actress. She has starred in a series of films, starting with the lead role in the 1986 film version of Tove Ditlevsen's novel Barndommens gade and at 17 playing alongside Max von Sydow in Pelle the Conqueror. On television she has starred in Taxa and Nikolaj og Julie. Gråbøl had become known in Denmark for playing emotional roles, but she achieved international fame as the cool and distant lead character Detective Inspector Sarah Lund in three series of Forbrydelsen (The Killing). Forbrydelsen played on BBC4 with great success, winning a BAFTA award, and bringing Gråbøl celebrity status in the UK. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sofie Gråbøl, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 30, 1968 (58)
- Frederiksberg, Danmark
- Actor
- 31 on Motif · 66 credits in all
What are Sofie Gråbøl's films like?
Across their 25 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Genres
Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 2 · Earnest 15
A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 5 · Dark 8
Grounded 13 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 3
Gentle 5 · Charged 8 · Intense 6
A split, not a type: Steady 11 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 2
A split, not a type: Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0
Casual 7 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 8
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 2
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 4 of 13 analyzed roles.
Show the 13 rolesHide the roles
- Allyas Judith Molard in Oviri (1986)
- Heroas Ester in Early Spring (1986)
- Allyas Leonora Amalie in Count Axel (2001)
- Heroas Sarah Lund in The Killing (2007)
- Allyas Lærer Lillian in The Day Will Come (2016)
- Shapeshifteras Barbara in That Time of Year (2018)
- Mentoras Kirsten in Liberty (2018)
- Heroas Ella in The Shift (2022)
- Shadowas Chana in Attachment (2022)
- Shadowas Inger in Rose (2022)
- Threshold guardianas Chana in Attachment (2022)
- Mentoras Miriam in Huset (2023)
- Allyas Sarah in What Lies Between Us (2026)
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet15
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous3
- Cyclical2
- Other1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Sofie Gråbøl's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 31 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.
- Crunchyroll
- BritBox
Subscription and free streaming for Sofie Gråbøl's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
66 credits, 31 with a Motif page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
What Lies Between Us(2026)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Yesterday I Lived Forever (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2025)
The Last Viking(2025)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Grevinde Danner (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2025)
Danske tv-seriers bedste (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)
Huset(2023)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
Attachment(2022)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
The Shift(2022)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
Melvin Kakooza Show (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2022)
Dansk films bedste (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2022)
Rose(2022)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Wild Men(2021)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Venus Effect (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2021)
The Chestnut Man(2021)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
The Undoing(2020)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows
Us(2020)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Resin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)
Gentleman Jack(2019)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
X&Y (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)
That Time of Year(2018)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Liberty(2018)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all shows
Tæt på sandheden (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)
The Day Will Come (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
The Other World(2016)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows
The Day Will Come(2016)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Goodbye Theresienstadt(2015)
Fortitude (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)
In Real Life (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)
The Hour of the Lynx (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)
Det Sjove Køn (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)
Daisy Diamond(2007)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Substitute (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)
The Killing(2007)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
The Boss of It All(2006)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
True Spirit (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)
Accused (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)
March of the Penguins(2005)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Aftermath (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)
Livsforsikringen (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)
Nikolaj and Julie (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)
Count Axel(2001)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Flickering Lights(2000)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
The One and Only(1999)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Mifune(1999)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Isle of Darkness (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)
Taxa (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)
Credo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)
Sinan's Wedding (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)
Groovy Days (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)
Den store kul-tur (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)
Pan (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)
Carmen & Babyface (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)
Nightwatch(1994)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Black Harvest (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1993)
The Screaming Throats (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1993)
Tvangsritualer (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1993)
Absolutely Fabulous(1992)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
The Silent Touch (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)
Høfeber (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)
Rami og Julie (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1988)
Pelle the Conqueror(1987)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Sorg-agre (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)
Early Spring(1986)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Oviri(1986)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Career shape
Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 64 titles from 1986 to 2026; peak year 2017.
Biggest box office
March of the Penguins (2005)
Highest rated
The Day Will Come (2016)
Most popular right now
The Chestnut Man (2021)
Film career
Peak 2017 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 8 Motif titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1987Screen debut· Pelle the Conqueror
- 2013First top-billed film· The Hour of the Lynx
- 2022Career best· Rose
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
a BAFTA Award from 2 major nominations, 2011–2012.
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best International
- BAFTA Award, won · Best International
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Sofie Gråbøl's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of the 20 of 21 with a score; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up15
- 50th to 74th8
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
13 of their 30 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved9
- Crowd Pleaser13
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the acting 82/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 85, detractors 64. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Sofie Gråbøl's work okay for kids?
Across up to 11 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Sofie Gråbøl work with?
People who share at least 2 of Sofie Gråbøl's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Dencik shares the most, 5.
Directors
- Anders Thomas JensenShared titles: The Last Viking (2025), Count Axel (2001), Flickering Lights (2000), Mifune (1999)See all 4 shared titles with Anders Thomas Jensen
- Luc JacquetShared titles: March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step (2017), March of the Penguins (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Luc Jacquet
Writers
- Kim Fupz AakesonShared titles: Huset (2023), The Shift (2022), The One and Only (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Kim Fupz Aakeson
- Morten PapeShared titles: Wild Men (2021), Liberty (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Morten Pape
Actors
- David DencikShared titles: Huset (2023), Attachment (2022), The Chestnut Man (2021), The Day Will Come (2016), Daisy Diamond (2007)See all 5 shared titles with David Dencik
- Lars RantheShared titles: The Last Viking (2025), The Chestnut Man (2021), The Day Will Come (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Lars Ranthe
- Søren MallingShared titles: The Last Viking (2025), Rose (2022), The Killing (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Søren Malling
- Paprika SteenShared titles: That Time of Year (2018), Mifune (1999), The One and Only (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Paprika Steen
Composers and editors
- Jeppe KaasShared titles: The Last Viking (2025), That Time of Year (2018), Count Axel (2001), Flickering Lights (2000)See all 4 shared titles with Jeppe Kaas
- Janus Billeskov JansenShared titles: The Day Will Come (2016), Daisy Diamond (2007), Pelle the Conqueror (1987), Oviri (1986)See all 4 shared titles with Janus Billeskov Jansen
- Nicolaj MonbergShared titles: What Lies Between Us (2026), The Last Viking (2025)See all 2 shared titles with Nicolaj Monberg
- Julius Krebs DamsboShared titles: Huset (2023), Wild Men (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Julius Krebs Damsbo
Producers
- Henrik ZeinShared titles: Attachment (2022), Rose (2022), Wild Men (2021), That Time of Year (2018)See all 4 shared titles with Henrik Zein
- Lizette JonjicShared titles: What Lies Between Us (2026), The Last Viking (2025), The House That Jack Built (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Lizette Jonjic
- Louise VesthShared titles: What Lies Between Us (2026), The House That Jack Built (2018), The Day Will Come (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Louise Vesth
- Sisse Graum JørgensenShared titles: What Lies Between Us (2026), The Last Viking (2025), The Day Will Come (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Sisse Graum Jørgensen
