Filed under: Features, Cinematical
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Probably the most renowned Swedish actor working onscreen today (next to the venerable Max von Sydow), Stellan Skarsgård is a reliably solid presence in any film, big or small. And he’s done it all, from obscure, harsh dramas like Juanita Wilson’s recent ‘As If I Am Not There’ to big, fluffy musicals like ‘Mamma Mia!’](http://www.moviefone.com/movie/mamma-mia/25931/main) (granted, that was his only fluffy musical). A major part of the American movie-going public knows him as Bootstrap Bill from the last two ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies; a smaller segment recognizes him mainly from Lars von Trier films, and then there’s Verner Vollstedt, his crazily overbearing director character on HBO’s ‘Entourage.’
Opening Friday is ‘Frankie and Alice,’](Frankie & Alice (2014) - Movie | Moviefone) in which Skarsgård plays a psychiatrist to Halle Berry’s multiple personalities. Most recently he gave a wonderful performance in dark Norwegian (redundant?) crime comedy ‘A Somewhat Gentle Man’](http://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-somewhat-gentle-man/10034191/main) – unfortunately in very limited U.S. release – as a murderer just sprung from prison. It’s definitely one of his best characters. But looking over the man’s long career, 1997’s ‘Insomnia,’](http://www.moviefone.com/movie/insomnia/2422/main) in which he played a sleep-deprived, guilt-ridden cop, stands out as his breakthrough role. (Though Christopher Nolan’s remake with Al Pacino was also excellent, Skarsgård really owned that part.)