Denmark

Famous Danish People: Danish Artists, Scientists, Leaders, Musicians, Politicians and Athletes

Denmark is home to outstanding individuals who made a difference with their remarkable achievements. The following people made their mark on both the local and international scenes. They are just some of many famous Danes who have lifted Denmark’s name worldwide and made a difference in our world. Their purpose and stories inspired awe if not greatness.

:: List of Famous People from Denmark ::

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet noted for his children’s stories. These include “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”, “The Snow Queen”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Thumbelina”, “The Little Match Girl”, and “The Ugly Duckling”. During his lifetime he was acclaimed for having delighted children worldwide, and was feted by royalty. His poetry and stories have been translated into more than 150 languages. They have inspired motion pictures, plays, ballets, and animated films.

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard

Søren Kierkegaard was a philosopher, theologian and religious author interested in human psychology. He strongly criticized the philosophies of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel and the Christianity of the State Church versus the Free Church. Much of his philosophical work deals with the issues of how one lives as a “single individual”, giving priority to concrete human reality over abstract thinking, and highlighting the importance of personal choice and commitment.

Niels Bohr

was a Danish physicist who made fundamental contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr mentored and collaborated with many of the top physicists of the century at his institute in Copenhagen. He was part of a team of physicists working on the Manhattan Project. Bohr married Margrethe Nørlund in 1912, and one of their sons, Aage Bohr, grew up to be an important physicist who in 1975 also received the Nobel prize. Bohr has been described as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century.

Aage Bohr

Aage Bohr was a Danish nuclear physicistand Nobel laureate, and the son of the famous physicist and Nobel laureate Niels Bohr.

Karen Blixen

Karen Blixen was a Danish author also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen. She also wrote under the pen names Osceola and Pierre Andrézel. Blixen wrote works in both Danish and in English. Blixen is best known for Out of Africa, her account of living in Kenya, and one of her stories, Babette’s Feast, both of which have been adapted into highly acclaimed, Academy Award-winning motion pictures. Prior to the release of the first film, she was noted for her Seven Gothic Tales, for which she is also known in Denmark.

Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He is best known for his roles as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Tom Stall in David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence, and his Academy Award-nominated role as Nikolai Luzhin in Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises. He also starred in the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road, as “The Man”.

Lars Von Trier

Lars Von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches. He is known for his female-centric parables and his exploration of controversial subject matter.