Lars von Trier biography, filmography, age, family, net worth 2025

Biography of Lars von Trier

Lars von Trier is a world-famous film director, screenwriter, and producer. He's won awards at film festivals including the prestigious Palme d'Or. Claiming that cinema shouldn't entertain people and that a film should be like a sharp stone in your shoe, he creates provocative films filled with darkness and chaos. Net worth: $275 million.

Childhood

Lars Trier was born into an eccentric family in Copenhagen on May 30, 1956. His parents, Inger and Ulf Trier, were government workers with communist beliefs that weren't exactly welcomed in 1950s Denmark. Lars's parents also took a great interest in nudism.

The future director's father was half Jewish, and Lars became interested in Jewish traditions to spite his atheist parents. He attended services in a synagogue, observed the Shabbat, and wore a kipa. Years later, Trier's mother revealed that his biological father was actually a German named Hartmann—no Jewish blood at all. She made this deathbed confession after the man Lars considered his father had already passed away. Later, as a successful director, Lars tracked down his biological father—who was so unhappy about meeting his unusual son that he brought a lawyer to their meeting.

The Trip to Squash Land. The Cartoon of 11-year old Lars Trier

Trier began to express his interest in filmmaking at a very young age. When Lars was 11, his mother gave him a camera that had belonged to her brother, a documentary filmmaker. He shot his first animated film on that camera—a 2-minute piece called The Trip to Squash Land. Lars' mother supported his passion, bringing him old tapes from work that helped him master the art of editing.

In 1968, Trier played in the Danish picture Clandestine Summer. Remarkably, when journalists asked the 12-year-old actor about working on the film, he said, "The film is total trash. I could make a film a million times better."

Inger and Ulf were patient with their son, never criticized his bad grades, and championed a freedom-based approach to education. As a result, Lars was expelled from school.

Education

When Trier turned 17, he tried to enter the National Film School of Denmark, but he wasn't accepted. However, Lars was confident about his future career, and through a stroke of luck, he landed a spot in an amateur filmmakers association called Filmgrupp-16. Around that time, his uncle, a documentary filmmaker, helped Lars land a job at the Danish Film Fund. There, Trier edited documentary films and shot two short films called The Orchid Gardener and Menthe - La Bienheureuse. These became his ticket into film school.

Lars von Trier and His Parents (at the left), Brother with a Friend (at the right)

During that period, after the release of the short film The Orchid Gardener in 1977, the future filmmaker began adding the aristocratic prefix von to his last name. In reality, Trier doesn't belong to a noble family. It was meant to support a family story that his grandfather Sven used 'Sv' when signing letters. Trier (Sv from Sven), but the abbreviation was misunderstood, and everyone called him Sir von Trier. The filmmaker decided that hinting at noble origins could give him a career advantage.

Filmography

According to Zoomboola.com, in 1983, Lars von Trier shot a graduation work for a film school called Images of Liberation. Film critics consider this short film the official debut of the Danish filmmaker. Though the film went unnoticed by audiences, critics praised it highly. In 1984, Von Trier's work won the main award at the film festival in Munich.

A Frame from Lars von Trier's film The Element of Crime

That same year, von Trier released his first feature film, The Element of Crime. It was the first film in the Europa Trilogy. For his debut feature, von Trier served not only as director but also as screenwriter, cinematographer, and even actor.

Film Director Against the Background of His Film Poster

In 1987, he released Epidemic, the trilogy's second film, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes. The trilogy concluded with Europa (known as Zentropa) in 1991, which won three awards at Cannes. The main character of Europa bears the last name of von Trier's biological father.

Notably, von Trier united these three films not through plot but through a disaster theme engulfing the world—one that can only be solved by confronting the past.

In 1994, his TV series The Kingdom brought von Trier international recognition, while 1996's Breaking the Waves established him as a brilliant filmmaker. This intense film tells the story of a naive, devoted woman who, at her paralyzed husband's insistence, must seek physical intimacy elsewhere—leading to disgrace, torture, and death. Von Trier's unconventional vision and Emily Watson's brilliant performance captivated both audiences and the Cannes jury, who awarded the film the Grand Prix. Besides, the film won the French César Award in the Best Foreign Film category.

Breaking the Waves by Lars von Trier

In 2000, von Trier released another masterpiece: the musical drama Dancer in the Dark. Björk starred as a Czech immigrant who moved to the USA. Her character, slowly losing her sight, saves money for her son's surgery and kills a man who tries to steal it. A French actress, Catherine Deneuve, played the second female lead.

A Frame from the Lars von Trier's film Dancer in the Dark

In interviews, von Trier described the challenges of working with Björk, but their clash of extraordinary personalities created a brilliant cinematic achievement. The film won a Golden Palm Award.

Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, and The Idiots form von Trier's Golden Heart Trilogy—each telling stories of ordinary women with extraordinary hearts, exploring themes of kindness and sacrifice.

In 2003, von Trier released the film Dogville with Nicole Kidman in the lead. Interestingly, Kidman described von Trier as relaxed to work with, while the director said he wasn't particularly demanding of her.

Decorations for Lars von Trier's film Dogville

From the opening moments, Dogville captivates with its minimal use of sets. The town where the story unfolds is simply outlined in chalk on the ground. The film delivers a genuine shock to viewers unfamiliar with Lars von Trier's work. Something that is good turns out to be evil, and evil is hidden in places where nobody expects to find it.

The acclaimed director Lars von Trier, who once called himself the best filmmaker, didn't only shoot dramas. In 2006, he released the comedy The Boss of it All, where humorous moments blend with tragic and absurd ones - a reflection of the director himself.

In 2009, von Trier's horror film Antichrist hit theaters. The story of a married couple grieving their child's death features graphic sex scenes and violence. Several viewers actually fainted at the premiere. Lars von Trier said that Antichrist was his best film and the jury of the Cannes Film Festival gave the film anti-award for misogyny.

In His Interview, Lars von Trier Says That He Often Feels Depressed

In 2011, Melancholia premiered, with von Trier returning to his favorite theme of apocalyptic endings. Von Trier brought back Charlotte Gainsbourg, his Antichrist star, to play the lead. Wagner's music, von Trier's favorite composer, occupies a special place in Melancholia. The film's deep exploration of depression deserves special mention. Von Trier, who battles depression himself, convinces audiences that depressed people are whole human beings.

Lars von Trier's Film Melancholia

In 2013, the film Nymphomaniac, the title of which speaks for itself, was released. Von Trier cast professional actors in the film.

Antichrist, Melancholia, and Nymphomaniac have formed the Depression Trilogy.

In 2018, the film director finished working on the film The House that Jack Built. He told journalists that audiences would surely love the film because it's about a man who murders multiple women. Uma Thurman and Matt Dillon played the leads. The film received quite high marks from critics, despite very controversial reviews.

Interview with Lars von Trier

Dogme 95 Manifesto

Directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg unveiled the Dogme 95 Manifesto to the world in Paris on March 13, 1995. It was proclaimed as a manifest of cinematography rescue.

In their view, cinema had died and desperately needed revival. Glossy retouched beauty, special effects, and massive celebrity paychecks had destroyed cinema.

Von Trier and Vinterberg called on filmmakers to shoot on location without sets or filters, using only handheld cameras and natural lighting. Music couldn't be separate from the image, and directors' names shouldn't appear in the credits.

Ironically, von Trier broke every rule of the Dogme 95 Manifesto almost immediately after announcing it.

Private Life of Lars von Trier

Lars von Trier's first wife was Caecilia Holbek, a children's film director. The young couple married in 1987, and in 1995 their daughter, Agnes, was born.

Lars von Trier and His First Wife, Caecilia Holbek

While Caecilia was pregnant with their second child, Lars would take Agnes to kindergarten, where he fell in love with a teacher, Bente Forge. Von Trier confessed his feelings and asked her to think it over, but the next day—without waiting for an answer or even sharing a kiss—he showed up at Bente's door with a suitcase.

At the time, von Trier wasn't yet the world-famous, wealthy filmmaker he'd become. For a while, the couple lived in a small room at a film studio. In 1997, Lars and Bente got married and had twins, Ludvig and Benjamin.

Young Lars von Trier and His Second Wife, Bente Froge

The film director lives with his family (his wife and four children) in a small house in Denmark. Von Trier loves privacy. He doesn't even consider buying a sprawling Hollywood mansion.

At the Left: Lars von Trier with His Children, at the Right: Lars in His Office

The filmmaker struggles with multiple phobias—he's afraid of flying and terrified of ocean cruises. He's constantly convinced he's developed some new fatal illness. But none of this affects his happy family life with his wife. Despite close attention to von Trier from the yellow press, he has never been caught in adultery.

Scandals

Lars von Trier might just be the most unpredictable filmmaker of our time. He has shocked the audience all his life: attended synagogue wearing a kippah, then later—after discovering his German heritage—strutted around in heels, eye makeup, and a Nazi uniform.

The biggest scandal happened at a press conference dedicated to the premiere of the film Melancholia that took place in Cannes. Von Trier, getting tangled up in journalists' questions, said he sympathized with Hitler. It made him a persona non grata in Cannes.

In 2017, the singer Björk shared information about sexual harassment from one Danish film director she worked with on her Facebook page. The only film director the Irish star worked with was von Trier. However, he denied the singer's accusations, while Dancer in the Dark producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen claimed that he and von Trier were actually Björk's victims.

Film Director Adores Provocations and Epatage

Lars von Trier Now

Details about Lars von Trier's upcoming projects remain under wraps, though devoted fans are eagerly anticipating whatever surprises their favorite director has in store. There are also rumors that Lars might focus on short films next, or possibly tackle the third season of his series "The Kingdom."

Lars von Trier: latest news and articles

6 movies that make you want to exclaim: `What the hell did I just watch – but it`s brilliant!`

14 Mar 2025

Patricia Thompson

There are a couple of good thrillers. but no more .. As for me, very sophisticated pictures, for an amateur

2021-04-21 16:26:07
Adam Thompson

I liked his relatively new film «The House That Jack Built» :) Although people left the show ... In general, a talented director, but for «his» viewer

2021-04-05 14:37:09
Christine Carroll

I love Nymphomaniac, you need to be a genius to make such a film. Trier is beautiful

2021-04-04 16:53:06
Dawn Hammond

Trier has special films that not everyone likes, but I really like them ... There is something unearthly and frightening in them - this is what attracts

2021-04-01 20:50:49
Richard Buchanan

From the last movies with Lars is The House that Jack Built. Great movies, in the style of director, I would say shocking.

2021-02-24 09:09:16