Who is Noomi Rapace? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Noomi Norén

Age: 44 Years, 44 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Ola Rapace (m. 2001; div. 2011)

father: Rogelio Durán

mother: Nina Norén

siblings: Særún Norén

children: Lev Rapace

Born Country: Sweden

Actresses Swedish Women

Height: 5'4" (163 cm), 5'4" Females

Ancestry: Spanish Swedish

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Childhood & Early Life

Noomi Rapace was born on 28th December 1979, in Hudiksvall, Sweden. Her parents were Rogelio Duran, a Spanish singer, and Nina Noren, a Swedish actress. She has a sister named Særún Norén who eventually became a photographer.

Her parents divorced when Noomi was young. As stated by Rapace, she saw her father very rarely before he passed away. At the age of five, she moved to Iceland with her mother and stepfather.

She made her acting debut at the early age of seven, with a minor role in the Icelandic film ‘In the Shadow of the Raven’.

Rapace left home at the age of fifteen and enrolled in a Stockholm theatre school. She made her TV debut in 1996, with a role in the TV series ‘Tre Kronor’. Later, she studied at the acting school of Skara Skolscen.

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Career

Noomi Rapace came to popularity in 2007, with her role of a troubled teen mother in the Danish film ‘Daisy Diamond’. Her role was much appreciated and earned her the Bodil Award and the Robert Award, the top two films awards in Denmark.

Her role of Lisbeth Salander in the 2009 film ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ brought her to international attention. It was adapted from the first novel of the same name of the Millennium series of novels by Stieg Larsson.

The film revolved around Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, who is asked by Henrik Vanger of the wealthy Vanger family to investigate the disappearance of his niece forty years ago. Directed by Niels Arden Oplev, it was a critical and commercial success.

Rapace’s role in ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ was quite appreciated and she won several awards, such as the Guldbagge Award and the Satellite Award. She was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress.

She reprised her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’ which was adapted from the crime novel of the same name in the Millennium series. The film was a critical and commercial success, though it didn’t do as well as its prequel. She portrayed Salander again in the film ‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest', which was a commercial success, though reviews were mixed.

She was next seen in the Swedish drama film ‘Beyond’ (2010), directed by Pernilla August. It was based on a novel of the same name by Susanna Alakoski.

She appeared in the Norwegian thriller film ‘The Monitor’ in 2011. Her popularity increased after she starred alongside Robert Downey Jr. in the mystery action film ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ the same year. The film was a commercial success and was met with mixed reviews.

She played the lead role in the 2012 sci-fi film ‘Prometheus’. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film was a commercial and critical success. It was nominated for an Oscar and also received several other awards and nominations. She was then seen in the erotic thriller ‘Passion’ which was a huge commercial failure.

In the ensuing years, she appeared in the films ‘Dead Man Down’ (2013), ‘Child 44’ (2015), ‘Rupture’ (2016) and ‘Unlocked’ (2017). More recently, she appeared in the dystopian sci-fi film ‘What Happened to Monday’, where she played seven roles. In 2018, she was seen in the American crime drama film ‘Stockholm’.

Major Works

Noomi Rapace became famous for her role in the film ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ which can be regarded as one of her most significant works. Her role of Lisbeth Salander was much appreciated and won her several awards and nominations. The other actors in the film included Michael Nyqvist, Lena Andre and Peter Haber. The film received positive reviews and also did well commercially, earning more than $104 million on a $13 million budget.

Another important work in Noomi Rapace’s career is the sci-fi film ‘Prometheus’, where she played Dr Elizabeth Shaw, the lead character. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film also included actors Guy Pearce, Michael Fassbender and Idris Elba. The film was a huge financial success, earning more than $403 million on a budget of around $125 million. It also received mostly positive reviews.

She was seen in the dystopian sci-fi film ‘What Happened to Monday’ where she played seven roles. Directed by Tommy Wirkola, the film also starred actors Willem Dafoe, Glenn Close, and Marwan Kenzari. The story takes place in a dystopian future where, due to overpopulation, a strict one-child policy has been enforced. If multiple children are born to the same mother, the younger ones are put to sleep. The film was met with mostly positive reviews.

Personal Life

Noomi Rapace married Swedish actor Ola Norell in 2001. They decided to use the surname Rapace which meant ‘bird of prey’ in French. The couple has one son named Lev. They eventually filed for divorce in 2010; it was finalized the following year.

Noomi Rapace Biography