Swedish actress Alicia Vikander has made a reputable name for herself in the 10 years of feature film and television she has been acting for.
After receiving acclaim for her performance in her first feature film Pure (2009), she began to gain recognition as an actress for her role as ‘Princess Kitty’ in Joe Wright's film adaptation of Anna Karenina (2012), as well as Queen Caroline Mathilde in A Royal Affair (2012). She continued to secure a string of prominent roles in the following years, including The Fifth Estate (2013), Ex Machina (2014), and the Danish Girl (2015). She finally won the lead as Lara Croft in the rebooted film franchise Tomb Raider (2018), after competing for the role against several prominent Hollywood actresses. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but her portrayal of the iconic video game character was praised for her dedication to the part.
She was born as Alicia Amanda Vikander on October 3rd, 1988 in Gothenburg, Västra Götalands län, Sweden.
Her parents, who separated soon after she was born, raised her both independently in Gothenburg, Sweden. Her mother, Maria Fahl, is also an actor and may have been the inspiration for Vikander to pursue the career herself. Her father, Svante Vikander, is a psychiatrist, from whom she is related to five half-siblings.
Vikander started acting as a young child, which led to her starring in various stage productions including a production of Kristina från Duvemåla at The Göteborg Opera. She starred in the production for up to three and a half consecutive years, which was written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson from ABBA. Afterwards, she continued to appear in numerous stage musicals and shows, including a televised singing competition which she won. Later at age nine, she transitioned to training in ballet with the Swedish National Ballet School (Svenska Balettskolan i Göteborg).
She preserved ballet well into her later teen years. Until injuries, including the need for some surgery, meant she made the difficult decision to relinquish the pursuit of acting instead. Fortunately, she enjoyed acting just as much, and it was not long until she launched her career with parts in short films and Swedish televised series.
Although there is a rumor of a short-lived relationship with fellow Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård back in 2014. Vikander has been married to actor Micheal Fassbender since October 2017. She announced their relationship during an interview in 2015 after they had worked together on the film The Light Between Oceans the year previously. They have since relocated to Lisbon, Portugal. Where they live together with their first child, born in 2021.
Alicia Vikander is clearly a talented actress and individual. And her achievements already have earned her numerous awards and accolades over such a short period. She continues to make prominent appearances in feature series and films. Most recently The Green Knight in 2021. As well as her leading role as fictional movie star Mira Harberg in the HBO series Irma Vep; which has only just recently aired.
Her next upcoming role will see her play Queen Catherine Parr in a psychological thriller, ‘Firebrand’. The film will see her star alongside some other big Hollywood names including Jude Law, Erin Doherty, and Michelle Williams. There is yet to be an announced expected date of release.
