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

Born December 28, 1979, in the Swedish town of Hudiksvall, Rapace comes from an artistic family. Her mother, Nina Norén (born Kristina Norén, 1954), was a Swedish actress, while her father, Rogelio Durán (1953 - 2006), was a Spanish flamenco singer. Rapace has mentioned that her father may have had Roma heritage, a culture she's always been drawn to.

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

Her parents split shortly after her birth, and her mother remarried and relocated to Iceland with Noomi and her new husband. She had minimal contact with her father throughout her life, only reconnecting with him 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. That early taste of filmmaking sparked her passion for acting.

Noomi went to a school where student problems flew under the radar, and teachers barely bothered with homework checks. The actress admits she was a "wild teenager" who listened to punk rock, took judo classes, and wasn't afraid to throw punches when needed – she even struggled with spelling in her native Swedish until age 15.

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." After training at the Skara School of Arts, Noomi worked her way through five different Stockholm theaters between 2000 and 2003.

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

In 2007, Rapace broke through with audiences playing a teenage mother in the Danish drama "Daisy Diamond." Her powerful portrayal of this complex character earned Noomi two prestigious Danish film awards (Robert Award and Bodil Awards), and landed the film a spot at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

In 2009, Noomi scored the life-changing role of hacker Lisbeth Salander in the adaptation of Swedish bestseller "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." She completely transformed for the role – shaving her temples, dyeing her hair black, getting piercings, going on a strict diet, and spending hours kickboxing at the gym. The transformation was so complete that by filming time, people on the street sometimes mistook her for a guy.

'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. Audiences loved her for being so original, so genuine, and so refreshingly different from cookie-cutter Hollywood actresses. 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, news broke that Rapace had landed her first English-speaking role in Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows." She played Madam Simza Heron, a gypsy who helps Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) stop Professor Moriarty's evil schemes across 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 legendary director saw her Salander performance and was blown away by her talent: "Sharp, bright, fierce... I hadn't seen this actress before, but I couldn't pass her up."

Noomi jumped at the chance, having been inspired by "Alien" starring Sigourney Weaver – arguably cinema's first truly strong female hero, who set the bar impossibly high 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 revealed she was thrilled to be constantly working in Hollywood, describing her native Sweden as an "emotional prison." She eventually relocated 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, Rapace appeared in the Rolling Stones' "Doom and Gloom" music video, directed by Luc Besson.

Noomi Rapace appeared in the Rolling Stones music video

In 2013, Rapace starred opposite Rachel McAdams in the erotic thriller "Passion." Interestingly, McAdams had also appeared in "Sherlock Holmes," though the two actresses never shared screen time. Rapace also took on the thriller "Dead Man Down," sporting deep facial scars created through hours of makeup artistry, and sharing the screen with Isabelle Huppert and Colin Farrell.

In 2015, Rapace landed the lead role of Raisa Demidova in Swedish director Daniel Espinosa's thriller "Child 44." Her co-star was Tom Hardy, with whom she'd already worked and formed a friendship during the previous year's "The Drop."

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.

In late August 2017, Tommy Wirkola's fantasy thriller "What Happened to Monday" hit Russian theaters, starring Noomi alongside Glenn Close and Willem Dafoe.

A shot from the movie 'What Happened to Monday'

December 2017 brought David Ayer's "Bright," an action film set in a fantasy version of Los Angeles. The movie starred Rapace alongside Will Smith and Joel Edgerton.

2018 saw the release of "Stockholm," English director Robert Budreau's take on the infamous August 1973 bank hostage situation in the Swedish capital. The film starred Noomi alongside Mark Strong and Ethan Hawke.

Rapace took on leading roles in 2019's thrillers "Close" and "Angel of Mine," though both films received lukewarm reception. However, she found better success in the series "Jack Ryan," starring John Krasinski, where Noomi played 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 2021 brought a career highlight with the premiere of the Icelandic folk horror "Lamb," which earned an Oscar longlist nomination for Best International Feature Film.

Personal Life of Noomi Rapace

In 2001, Noomi married Swedish actor Ola Norell, who was 26 at the time. The two met through mutual friends in Gothenburg and decided to adopt the surname "Rapace," which means "bird of prey" in French.

Noomi Rapace with her ex-husband and son

In 2003, the couple welcomed a son, Lev. But their happiness didn't last long. The marriage started falling apart by 2006, according to media reports. Ola developed a cocaine problem, nearly quit acting, and frequently spent nights away from home. In September 2010, the couple filed for divorce.

In the photo: Noomi Rapace and Sunny Dalbeck

In February 2015, the actress stepped out on the red carpet with her new boyfriend, 24-year-old Sunny Dalbeck. But the relationship lasted only six months.

In 2022, Noomi was frequently spotted with her new boyfriend, Swedish music producer Victor Thell, who's 12 years her junior.

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 plays an astronaut who returns to Earth after an accident on the ISS, only to discover something's seriously wrong with her—like multiple personalities are living inside her head.

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

Joe goes to the ISS to fulfill her dream, but she gets trapped there while her daughter grows up without her back on Earth. Joe knows she has to get home... We all make choices every day, and it's important to choose wisely and think about how our actions affect others. The series is really about family.

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