Paprika Steen
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Paprika Steen

Paprika Steen, born Kirstine Steen on November 3, 1964, in Frederiksberg, Denmark, is a highly decorated Danish actress and director celebrated for her powerful, intense, and versatile performances. She is one of the most prominent figures in modern Danish cinema, notably as the only actor to appear in the first three films of the groundbreaking Dogme 95 movement: Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen (The Celebration, 1998), Lars von Trier’s The Idiots (1998), and Søren Kragh-Jacobsen’s Mifune's Last Song (1999). Steen has achieved remarkable critical success, becoming the first Danish actress since 1994 to win both the Robert Award (the Danish Oscars) for Best Actress (for Okay in 2003) and Best Supporting Actress (for Open Hearts in 2003) in the same year. Her other notable film roles include The One and Only (1999), the Susanne Bier-directed films Open Hearts (2002) and Love Is All You Need (2012), and the title role in Applause (2009), for which she won Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Beyond acting, Steen is an accomplished director, making her feature directorial debut with the acclaimed drama Aftermath (2004), followed by comedies like That Time of Year (2018) and Fathers and Mothers (2022). Her work is characterized by unflinching portrayals of complex family dynamics and emotionally raw characters. She continues to act in major Danish productions and is set to appear in the upcoming 2025 Netflix film, Mango.

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