Bill Skarsgård

Bill Skarsgård
5.7
Bill Skarsgård photo 1 Bill Skarsgård photo 2 Bill Skarsgård photo 3 Bill Skarsgård photo 4
Name:
Bill Skarsgård
Real name:
Bill Istvan Günther Skarsgård
Who is:
Birth date:
(35 y.o.)
Place of birth:
Vällingby, Sweden
Height:
6'4 ft ( )
Birth Sign:
( characteristic )
Chinese zodiac:
Links:

Photos: Bill Skarsgård

Bill Skarsgård Biography

Bill Skarsgård is a Swedish actor from the Skarsgård dynasty, known for his role in the series "Hemlock Grove" and the horror film "It".
Young Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård
Young Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård

Childhood and Family

Bill Istvan Günther Skarsgård was born on August 9, 1990, in Vällingby, a Stockholm suburb, to actor Stellan Skarsgård and his first wife My Sonja Maria Agnes.
Bill Skarsgård as a child
Bill Skarsgård as a child
Bill has seven siblings: Alexander, Gustaf, Sam, Valter, Eija, Ossian, and Kolbjörn (the last two from Stellan's second marriage). Three of Bill's brothers – Alexander, Gustaf, and Valter – are also actors.
Bill Skarsgård and his older brother Alexander
Bill Skarsgård and his older brother Alexander
Interestingly, there are no other families in Sweden with the Skarsgård surname. The actor's grandfather created it himself in the 1940s – the country had an overwhelming number of identical surnames, and the government actively encouraged people to create new family names.
Bill Skarsgård (third from right) with his family at the premiere of "Kill Your Darlings" (2006)
Bill Skarsgård (third from right) with his family at the premiere of "Kill Your Darlings" (2006)
The boy's childhood was spent constantly on the move. His father worked on numerous film sets and took his sons along. At 12, Bill spent three months in Cambodia, then lived in Mexico. The diversity of cultures and various life situations he observed during these travels taught Bill to appreciate society and nature, and to be more organized and disciplined.
Bill Skarsgard - 10 Things You Didn't Know
Meanwhile, constant encounters with bohemian circles and creative elites, the artistic atmosphere of lively social gatherings, and the overall liberal upbringing made him open to new experiences and free from prejudice.

Career

Bill landed his first film role as a child, appearing in the Swedish thriller "Järngänget" (2000). The film also featured his brother Alexander Skarsgård, 14 years his senior, who's now well-known to audiences for "The Legend of Tarzan" and the series "Big Little Killer".
Bill Skarsgård's first role ("Järngänget", 2000)
Bill Skarsgård's first role ("Järngänget", 2000)
Before turning 18, Bill appeared in several more projects – two Swedish short films and the mini-series "Pappa polis".
Bill Skarsgård at the dawn of his career
Bill Skarsgård at the dawn of his career
In 2008, Bill worked alongside his father and brother Gustav on the adventure film "Arn: The Kingdom at Road's End". He reprised this supporting role as Erik Skarsgård in the mini-series "Arn: The Knight Templar", which came out in 2010.
A shot from the film "Arn: The Kingdom at Road's End"
A shot from the film "Arn: The Kingdom at Road's End"
2010 also saw the premiere of two Swedish feature films where Bill took the lead: the drama "Behind Blue Skies" (about a teenager facing a difficult turning point) and the romantic comedy "Simple Simon".
Bill Skarsgård in the film "Simple Simon"
Bill Skarsgård in the film "Simple Simon"
In 2011, Bill got to work with renowned Swedish actress Alicia Vikander on the drama "The Crown Jewels", where Skarsgård once again landed the lead role.
A shot from the film "The Crown Jewels"
A shot from the film "The Crown Jewels"
That same year, Bill earned a Guldbagge Award nomination – Sweden's national film award – for his leading role in the WWII-era drama "Simon and the Oaks". In 2012, Skarsgård won the Shooting Stars Award, given annually to ten young European actors at the Berlin Film Festival.
On the set of the film "Simon and the Oaks"
On the set of the film "Simon and the Oaks"
In the British adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel "Anna Karenina", the role of Makhotin – an officer competing against Vronsky (actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson) at the races – became Bill's first role in a foreign film. After that, Skarsgård started getting calls from other European and American directors.
Thanks to Anna Karenina, Skarsgård became known worldwide
Thanks to Anna Karenina, Skarsgård became known worldwide
Skarsgård's role in the American horror series "Hemlock Grove" brought him major popularity. The actor played Roman Godfrey – half human, half vampire. After the series dropped, Bill gained a devoted fanbase, and the young actor with model looks started appearing more frequently on magazine covers, including the men's publication Hero.
"Hemlock Grove": Bill Skarsgård as Roman Godfrey
"Hemlock Grove": Bill Skarsgård as Roman Godfrey
Bill's first major role in foreign cinema came in the sci-fi thriller "The Divergent Series: Allegiant". Skarsgård played Matthew, a Bureau of Genetic Welfare worker and one of Tris's (Shailene Woodley) friends who helped her stop the Bureau from using the Memory Serum in their experiments.
A shot from the movie "Allegiant"
A shot from the movie "Allegiant"
In August 2017, the actor appeared in a supporting role in the action thriller "Atomic Blonde," starring Charlize Theron. The film's events unfold in Berlin shortly after the fall of the infamous Wall.

On September 7, 2017, the horror film "It," based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, hit Russian screens. Bill landed the role of Pennywise the clown, who terrorizes a small town in Maine. Mark Rylance, Ben Mendelsohn, and Tim Curry—who'd already played the character in the 1990 miniseries—were all offered the part. But the choice ultimately fell on Skarsgård, announced with a colorful press release featuring photos of Bill in full Pennywise makeup.
Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown
Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown
By strange coincidence, a week after the photos dropped, bizarre attacks by people in clown costumes started happening worldwide, extensively covered by the press. The makers of "It" faced a storm of criticism, with victims directly blaming the production team. Who was really behind it remains unknown to this day.
Bill Skarsgård at the premiere of "It"
Bill Skarsgård at the premiere of "It"
Still, "It" launched Bill's popularity to a whole new level. The talented actor became a regular on late-night shows, happily showing off Pennywise's signature grin, and roles started pouring in as he worked on the "It" sequel.
Bill Skarsgård on Playing Pennywise the Clown
Pennywise turned out so terrifying partly because of a minor quirk Bill turned into a feature:
I have a slight lazy eye, and if I relax the muscles in my eye—my left eye kind of goes glassy. We thought it would be cool to use that in the film, so throughout the movie Pennywise's eyes point in two different directions.
In November 2017, the drama "Battlecreek" came out with Bill in the lead. The actor also worked on the historical thriller "The Emperor" (playing Philip II, King of Spain), "Assassination Nation" (a thriller about four American teens and their antics with Bella Thorne, Annika Noni Rose, and Suki Waterhouse), plus the series "Castle Rock," based on Stephen King's stories.
Bill Skarsgård in the series "Castle Rock"
Bill Skarsgård in the series "Castle Rock"
"It Chapter Two" dropped in 2019. That same year, he landed a role in the series "Kindred Spirits" and the surreal drama "Nine Days," and in 2020 the actor appeared in Netflix's feature-length drama "The Devil All the Time" in the so-called Southern Gothic genre.
A shot from the movie "The Devil All the Time"
A shot from the movie "The Devil All the Time"
Around this time, the actor joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, voicing the supervillain Deviant Kro in the blockbuster "Eternals." He also played one of the central characters in the crime comedy "Naked Singularity," but audiences gave the film a lukewarm reception.

In 2022, Bill landed the lead role in the miniseries "Clark" – a biopic about Sweden's most notorious bank robber and drug dealer Clark Olofsson, the "godfather" of the term "Stockholm syndrome." Critics and audiences praised his performance and noted Bill's striking physical resemblance to the criminal.
Bill Skarsgård as Clark Olofsson and his real-life counterpart
Bill Skarsgård as Clark Olofsson and his real-life counterpart
Around the same time, word broke that Skarsgård had joined the cast of "John Wick: Chapter 4" with Keanu Reeves. He was also working on the epic historical project "The Northman" – the first film where Bill had to seriously master fight choreography. The experience, the actor admitted, was incredibly challenging but fascinating.
It's so exhausting you want to cry. You think you've finally nailed the fight choreography, but you have to repeat the moves again, and again, and again. Something's always off in the background. On the flip side, when you finally nail the take, it feels like winning Olympic gold.
While working on "John Wick: Chapter 4," Bill was simultaneously shooting the German action comedy "Boy Kills World."

In August 2024, Skarsgård fans eagerly awaited the release of "The Crow" remake. The actor transformed into Eric Draven, avenging his own murder. Bill was impressed by the filming experience, but wasn't thrilled with his own appearance: It felt weird playing Eric while being in such great shape. He was never someone who actively worked out. In a perfect world, he would've been more scrawny
Bill Skarsgård in "The Crow"
Bill Skarsgård in "The Crow"
The original film's director Alex Proyas slammed the remake and – specifically – Skarsgård's disheveled look. He saw it as "a disrespectful approach to Brandon Lee's legacy" (Lee played the lead in the 1994 "The Crow" and died in a tragic accident on set).
Brandon Lee and Bill Skarsgård – two Crows
Brandon Lee and Bill Skarsgård – two Crows

Bill Skarsgård's Personal Life

In late 2015, Bill started dating Swedish actress Alida Morberg, who's five years his senior. Like Bill, Alida comes from an acting dynasty – her father Per Morberg is a well-known Swedish actor, TV host, and chef, while her sisters work in entertainment.
Bill Skarsgård and his girlfriend Alida Morberg
Bill Skarsgård and his girlfriend Alida Morberg
On October 1, 2018, they welcomed their daughter Ona, though Bill didn't share the news with journalists until a year later. When someone jokingly suggested he shouldn't show the baby Pennywise's smile, Bill replied that she'd already been gifted so many toy clowns that her entire nursery was overflowing with them.

In 2023, the couple had their second child.

The actor admits he considers himself practically homeless – he's constantly either living out of a suitcase or filming in different corners of the world.
The actor travels extensively
The actor travels extensively

Bill Skarsgård Now

At the start of 2025, Bill Skarsgård found himself at an interesting crossroads in his career. After a string of dark characters—a vampire in "Nosferatu," a villain in the fourth "John Wick" installment—the actor admitted he was getting tired of playing sinister roles.

But soon after, news broke that Skarsgård would return as Pennywise in the series "Welcome to Derry." This prequel to the "It" duology (2017 and 2019) explores Pennywise's backstory and reveals the mystery of how he came into our world. The first of eight episodes of "Welcome to Derry" premiered on HBO on October 26, 2025, just in time for Halloween.
Portrait of Bill Skarsgård and him in Pennywise makeup from "It"
In the series "It: Welcome to Derry," Bill Skarsgård returned to the role of Pennywise
Source: @it_official
Series director Andy Muschietti revealed that when he and Bill first discussed "It: Welcome to Derry," Skarsgård initially hesitated about putting on the Pennywise costume again—these kinds of roles take a serious emotional toll.

But the chance to dig deeper into the demonic clown's backstory, to discover who he was before becoming Pennywise, sealed the deal—Bill said yes. On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actor mentioned he had more fun filming than he expected and promised viewers he'd reveal "completely new dimensions to good old Pennywise." When asked if the series would be as scary as the films, Skarsgård answered with a smile: "Oh yeah, it's hardcore, man."

Plus, in March 2025, audiences saw Bill in the lead role in the thriller "The Trap" alongside Anthony Hopkins. Skarsgård transformed into an unlucky thief trapped in a luxury car whose owner decides to use him to take revenge on all petty criminals.
Bill Skarsgård in a pink hoodie
Still from the film "The Trap"
Source: IMDb
In April, it was announced that Bill will star alongside Nicholas Galitzine in the Netflix war drama "The Mosquito Bowl," based on the bestseller about a legendary football game during World War II.

Bill Skarsgård: latest news and articles

  • I like Bill Skarsgård`s attitude to life and to everything around. I think he is incredible!
    2021-05-12 20:44:18
  • To play well the Russian officer in `Anna Karenina`, Skarsgård needed to be Russian.
    2021-04-18 17:49:39
  • Handsome actor, charismatic. I think all good roles will come in the future because he is young.
    2021-04-09 21:46:24
  • I guess Bill Skarsgård is a talented guy but he still can`t compare with his brother Alexander.
    2021-03-25 14:16:50
  • Bill Skarsgård has a nontrivial and memorable appearance. I think he will have more good roles in the future. He can do much more then to play Pennywise :)
    2021-03-22 23:15:30
  • I love himm
    2018-06-05 22:26:59
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