Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known for starring in HBO’s Game of Thrones, is a passionate advocate for climate action and gender equality. A Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) since 2016, he recently joined the UN agency’s Don’t Choose Extinction campaign to fight climate change and inequality as the Danish voice of Frankie the Dino, delivering the most watched UN General Assembly speech of all time.

Through his work with UNDP, Coster-Waldau traveled to Kenya, Rwanda, Maldives, Thailand, and the Peruvian Amazon to shine a spotlight on the connection between climate change and growing inequalities around the world, including the disproportionate impact of the world’s biggest crises on women and girls.

Coster-Waldau is helping mobilize support for the Sustainable Development Goals, a universal call to action to fight poverty, end inequality, protect the planet and leave no one behind by 2030. Father of two girls, Coster-Waldau knows that women have the power to change the world and is committed to spreading the important message that true gender equality is a prerequisite towards achieving the Global Goals.

Coster-Waldau has also starred in various films and television series in Europe and North America, including Apple TV’s The Last Thing He Told Me, Shot Caller, Small Crimes, Gods of Egypt, The Other Woman and 1,000 Times Good Night. In addition to his award-winning acting career, Coster-Waldau is also a producer and screenwriter whose new original documentary series, An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet, was released by Bloomberg Originals in February 2024. 

Goodwill Ambassador in action