Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is an actor.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ( [ neɡ̊olaɪ̯ kʰʌsd̥ɐ ˈʋald̥ɑʊ̯ ] ; born 27 July 1970 ) is a Danish actor , producer and screenwriter . In the United States , his debut film role was in the war film Black Hawk Down ( 2001 ) , playing Medal of Honor recipient Gary Gordon . He became widely known to a broad audience for his current role as Ser Jaime Lannister , in the HBO series Game of Thrones . In 2017 , he became one of the highest paid actors on television and earned # 2 million per episode of Game of Thrones .