Noomi Rapace biography, height, husband, net worth, age, ethnicity 2025

Biography of Noomi Rapace

Noomi Rapace is a Swedish actress who gained fame for her role as Lisbeth Salander in the films based on Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" series.

Childhood and Youth

Rapace was born on December 28, 1979, in the Swedish town of Hudiksvall. Her mother, Swedish Nina Norén (born Kristina Norén, 1954), was an actress, and her father, Spanish Rogelio Durán (1953 - 2006), was a flamenco singer. The actress mentioned that her father's veins might carry Roma blood, and she has always been interested in this culture.

On the left: little Noomi Rapace with her mother, on the right: the actress's father

Noomi's parents separated shortly after her birth—her mother remarried and moved with Noomi and her new husband to Iceland. The actress had little contact with her father and met him only before his death. Noomi has a half-sister, Saírun, who works as a photographer.

First Crush: Noomi Rapace

Acting Career

Noomi got her first film role at the age of 7 in a non-speaking part in the film "Shadow of the Raven" by Icelandic director Hrafn Gunnlaugsson. This experience motivated Rapace to become an actress.

Noomi attended a school where student issues were overlooked, and teachers generally didn't bother checking homework. The actress admitted that she was a "wild teenager," listening to punk rock, attending judo classes, and wasn't afraid to use her fighting skills in life, and up until about the age of 15, she even made alarming spelling errors in her native language.

At 15, Noomi left home to study at a theater school in Stockholm. In 1996, Rapace made her television debut with a role in the series "Three Crowns." Between 2000 and 2003, after studying at the Skara School of Arts, Noomi worked in five different theaters in Stockholm.

Young Noomi Rapace in the series 'Three Crowns' (1997)

In 2007, Rapace gained audience recognition for her role as a teenage mother in the Danish drama "Daisy Diamond." For her exquisite portrayal of a complex character, Noomi received two prestigious film awards in Denmark (Robert Award and Bodil Awards), and the film was selected to participate in the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

In 2009, Noomi landed a role that changed her life: playing the hacker Lisbeth Salander in the adaptation of the Swedish bestseller "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." She immersed herself in the role: shaved her temples, dyed her hair black, got piercings, went on a strict diet, and spent hours kickboxing at the gym. As a result, by the start of filming, passersby sometimes mistook her for a man.

'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo': Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander

For her efforts, Rapace received the Guldbagge Award (Sweden's highest film honor) and was nominated for the BAFTA and European Film Award. The audience admired her for being so original, so sincere, and so unlike the standardized actresses of Hollywood. Rapace later reprised her role as Salander in the film's sequels released the same year.

Photos from the shooting of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

On September 11, 2010, newspapers reported that Rapace was offered her first English-speaking role in Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows." She portrayed Madam Simza Heron, a gypsy helping Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) thwart Professor Moriarty's nefarious plans in Europe. The film was released in 2011.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Noomi Rapace

That same year, Noomi landed one of the lead roles in Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" (2012). The renowned director saw her as Salander and was captivated by her acting prowess: "Sharp, bright, fierce... I hadn't seen this actress before, but I couldn't pass her up."

Noomi eagerly accepted the offer, having been impressed by "Alien" with Sigourney Weaver, perhaps cinema's first strong heroine, setting an incredibly high bar for actresses. Rapace did not appear in the film's sequel, "Alien: Covenant" (2017), but she did appear in a prologue dedicated to the blockbuster's main characters.

Noomi Rapace Interview - Prometheus

Noomi admitted that she was happy to be constantly filming in Hollywood, calling her native Sweden an "emotional prison." Subsequently, she moved to London, where she finally felt at home.

I have a difficult character. I've inherited little from my mother, who, like most Swedes, is very calm, doesn't like to stand out, and doesn't express her thoughts out loud. If I'm angry - better not approach me, if I'm happy - I'm truly happy. I will never hide what's on my mind, even if it means going into conflict.

In November 2012, the actress appeared in the music video for the Rolling Stones' "Doom and Gloom," directed by Luc Besson.

Noomi Rapace appeared in the Rolling Stones music video

In 2013, Rapace appeared alongside Rachel McAdams in the erotic thriller "Passion." McAdams also starred in "Sherlock Holmes," but the actresses did not share the same scene. Additionally, Rapace, with deep facial scars—a result of hours of work by makeup artists—starred in the thriller "Dead Man Down," working on set with Isabelle Huppert and Colin Farrell.

In 2015, the actress played the lead role of Raisa Demidova in the thriller by Swedish director Daniel Espinosa, "Child 44." Noomi's partner was Tom Hardy, with whom Rapace had already worked and befriended while filming "The Drop" the previous year.

Noomi Rapace and Tom Hardy are good friends

On May 12, 2015, it was announced that Rapace would play opera singer Maria Callas in a biographical production by New Zealand director Niki Caro.

At the end of August 2017, the fantasy thriller "What Happened to Monday" by Tommy Wirkola was released in Russia, featuring Noomi, Glenn Close, and Willem Dafoe.

A shot from the movie 'What Happened to Monday'

In December 2017, David Ayer's film "Bright" about a complex case in a fictional fantasy world of Los Angeles was released. The action movie starred Rapace, Will Smith, and Joel Edgerton.

In 2018, the film "Stockholm" by English director Robert Budreau, about the infamous hostage situation in August 1973 at a bank in the Swedish capital, was released. Alongside Noomi, the film starred Mark Strong and Ethan Hawke.

The actress played leading roles in the thrillers "Close" and "Angel of Mine," both released in 2019, but they were met with little enthusiasm. Unlike the series "Jack Ryan," starring actor and director John Krasinski, where Noomi played the German intelligence officer Harriet Baumann. The second season premiered in November 2019.

In 2020, the actress co-starred with Joel Kinnaman in the thriller "The Secrets We Keep," and in 2021, the highlight of her professional life was the premiere of the Icelandic folk horror "Lamb," which was longlisted for an Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film.

Personal Life of Noomi Rapace

In 2001, Noomi married 26-year-old Swedish actor Ola Norell. She met her future husband through mutual friends in Gothenburg. The couple decided to change their last name to "Rapace," which means "bird of prey" in French.

Noomi Rapace with her ex-husband and son

In 2003, the couple welcomed a son, Lev. However, their family happiness was short-lived. Journalists noted that the Rapace marriage began to crumble as early as 2006. Ola became involved with cocaine, almost stopped acting, and often stayed overnight with friends. In September 2010, the couple filed for divorce.

In the photo: Noomi Rapace and Sunny Dalbeck

In February 2015, the actress appeared on the red carpet with her new boyfriend, 24-year-old Sunny Dalbeck. However, just six months later, the couple broke up.

In 2022, the actress was often seen in public with her new boyfriend, Swedish music producer Victor Thell, who is 12 years younger than Noomi.

Noomi is fluent in Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, and English, in addition to her native Swedish.

Noomi Rapace Now

In February 2024, Apple TV+ began streaming the psychological thriller "Constellation," starring Jonathan Banks and Noomi Rapace. She played an astronaut who returns to Earth after an accident on the ISS. Soon, she realizes that something is wrong with her—as if several personalities live in her head.

Noomi spoke about the meaning of the series in an interview:

Joe decides to go to the ISS because it's her dream. But she gets stuck there, while her daughter, left on Earth, lives without her. Joe realizes she must return... Every day we face choices and decisions, and it's crucial to make them wisely and always think about the consequences of our actions. The series explores family relationships.

After just one season, the series was canceled despite generally positive reviews.

Noomi Rapace: latest news and articles

Luke Evans and Noomi Rapace will star in an action movie about Chechnya

16 May 2025

Ann Miller

Noomi knows so many languages, it is crazy. Where does she find time for all her hobbies?

2021-05-04 11:15:56
Patricia King

The favorite and incredibly powerful movie with Noomi Rapace is of course «The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo»! I am delighted

2021-04-12 10:35:53
Mark Barber

«Daisy Diamond» shocked me. I have not seen anything like this before. Although this is a complete tin, but it is also necessary to play it as Rapace did.

2021-03-15 19:15:58
Annette Bell

Until that day, I knew nothing about such an actress as Rapace... Nothing outstanding.

2021-02-07 17:58:29
Edward Cole

For me, Noomi Rapace is the discovery of the year, to be honest. A very promising actress.

2020-12-31 20:44:35

Photos: Noomi Rapace