Lars Mikkelsen is a Danish actor. He has played Copenhagen mayoral election candidate Troels Hartmann in the drama series "The Killing," Charles Augustus Magnussen in the third series of "Sherlock," the Russian president Viktor Petrov in Netflix's "House of Cards" series, and Grand Admiral Thrawn in "Star Wars Rebels."

He is the older brother of actor Mads Mikkelsen. In 2011, he won the Reumert Prize of Honour, an annual awards ceremony to commemorate excellence in theatre in Denmark.

Mikkelsen was born in Gladsaxe near Copenhagen. After secondary school, he enrolled for military service in the Royal Danish Army. He then studied biology at the University of Copenhagen but gave up the course to earn his living as a street performer in European cities with his mime and juggling acts.

In addition to his native Danish, Mikkelsen speaks fluent Swedish, German and English, and he has mastered various accents. He has stated that he and his brother first picked up English by listening to Monty Python records and learning the comedy sketches.

Denmark, Celebrity Actors, Entertainment Industry, Television Actor, Movie Actor, Acting,