Actor: Mads Mikkelsen

Mads Mikkelsen was a gymnast and dancer for a decade before acting, and the physical control is visible in everything.

The Danish work is the substance: The Hunt, in which he plays a teacher falsely accused, won him Best Actor at Cannes, and Another Round won the Academy Award for Best International Feature.

Casino Royale made him internationally known as Le Chiffre, and Hannibal on television gave him a version of Lecter that is entirely his own instead of an imitation of Hopkins.

He replaced Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts series and has moved between Danish and English-language work throughout.