Growing up the oldest of five siblings in his native Sweden, actor Stellan Skarsgård inherited a valuable lesson from his parents. “The ethical code of my upbringing was be good to people and try not to hurt them. You don’t need a god to tell you that,” he told The Guardian in 2015.
The 73-year-old has tried to pass along that message in his role as a father. Skarsgård has eight children—including bona fide movie and TV stars Alexander Skarsgård and Bill Skarsgård—with his ex, My Skarsgård, and current wife Megan Everett-Skarsgård.
Despite his lofty legacy in front of the camera, Stellan—who currently stars in the Disney+ series Andor—insisted his kids chart their own course. “To my own children...my advice was that they should think about what they wanted to do and try to do that,” Stellan said. “I have never had ambitions for them, other than that they should be decent people, and I have tried to show them that having a full life is not a selfish pursuit, but one that makes you of more value to your friends and family.”
In the process, they have formed one of the world’s most notable acting dynasties. Here’s everything you need to know about the talented Skarsgård family.
Stellan Skarsgård
Family patriarch Stellan, born in Gothenburg, Sweden, is a veteran of the big and small screen. In addition to his collaborations with director Lars von Trier in pensive dramas such as Breaking the Waves (1996) and Melancholia (2011), he starred in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the Thor films of the Marvel Comics cinematic universe, and both Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) as the villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. He is also a Golden Globe winner for his role in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl.
The Skarsgård father figure, 73, has said there are both benefits and challenges of working with family, such as the difficulty of keeping their laughter in check. He cited the time he and son Gustaf both wore fake beards for a period drama.
“But it’s lovely because you have the same kind of humor, you have the same kind of way of reading the script, and it’s very easy and it’s very safe. And also you feel loved. It’s very nice,” he told Vanity Fair.
My Skarsgård
My married Stellan in 1975, and the couple were together for three decades before divorcing in 2007. They had six children: Alexander, Gustaf, Sam, Bill, Eija, and Valter.
Originally from Kalmar, Sweden, My graduated from medical school and became a doctor in capital city Stockholm. She also made guest appearances on Swedish TV series and had a role in the 1987 movie Jim & Piraterna Blom.
My, 68, attended an Emmy Awards afterparty with Alexander in 2017, when the actor won the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie for Big Little Lies.
Megan Everett-Skarsgård
Following his divorce, Stellan soon began a relationship with Megan Everett, a screenwriter, producer, and children’s book author. The couple married in 2009 and have two sons, Ossian and Kolbjörn.
The couple primarily resides in Sweden, according to People. Although details of their relationship are mostly private, Megan, 49, sometimes shares family updates on Instagram. In June 2021, she posted a photo of Stellan on his birthday, calling him her “brilliant wonderful husband.”
Megan’s work and family life overlapped when she served as a co-writer for the 2022 movie What Remains starring Stellan, her stepson Gustaf, and Andrea Riseborough.
Alexander Skarsgård
Stellan’s oldest son, Alexander Skarsgård, 48, is an Emmy and Golden Globe recipient—but he wasn’t always fond of acting. He became a celebrity in his home country as the 13-year-old star of the 1989 movie The Dog That Smiled, but called his newfound fame “scary” and later joined the Swedish marines.
Once he gave the cameras another chance, Alexander proved himself adept at the craft. His breakout role came in the HBO vampire drama True Blood, and he won his Emmy and Golden Globe trophies for his role as Perry Wright on Big Little Lies. More recently, he played Lukas Matsson in two seasons of the acclaimed drama Succession.
Alexander’s notable movie roles include The Legend of Tarzan (2016) alongside Margot Robbie, The Northman (2022) with Anya Taylor-Joy, and Infinity Pool (2023).
The actor has spoken about his fluctuating self-confidence and awareness of his “nepo-baby” status as a celebrity with a famous parent. “I would say I struggle daily with insecurities and desperately trying to find a reason why I don’t deserve a job,” he said in 2023. “And then to go to it’s because my dad’s an actor. It’s very convenient. After 20 years in the industry, I still thank my dad for every single job I get.”
Gustaf Skarsgård
Gustaf was the first of his siblings to commit to acting at age six and often accompanied his father on trips to Los Angeles, according to Interview Magazine. However, he turned down roles on soap operas as a teenager—which he attributed to his own pretentiousness—and aspired for more serious roles while he studied at a drama conservatory in Stockholm.
His most notable American role came in 2018 when he portrayed Karl Strand on season 2 of the HBO science fiction series Westworld. He also played Floki in the History Channel series Vikings and had roles in recent films including Air (2023), Oppenheimer (2023), and Black Bag (2025).
Gustaf, 44, told UTP magazine that his family and friends play a crucial role in his work-life balance. “When I’m flying so much and working on new roles, it’s important to have some sort of grounding to fall back on—a concrete place where I can regain new energy. It’s a privilege that I have and would never want to lose,” he said.
Sam Skarsgård
While the majority of the Skarsgård sons have followed their father’s career path, Sam is the exception who took after his mother, My.
In a 2017 interview, brothers Alexander and Bill spoke about how Sam, 42, saves lives “on a daily basis” working as an ICU doctor. “Do you have a sense of guilt because he works his ass off and makes less money than you?” Alexander pondered.
“Yeah, of course. It’s not fair,” Bill responded. “I’m constantly embarrassed at the level of attention actors get and the level of money that we get. It’s completely disproportionate. I think you have to feel guilty about it.”
However, Sam does have a couple acting roles to his credit, including a part with his mom in Jim & Piraterna Blom and serving as a body double in The Invisible (2002).
Bill Skarsgård
Bill Skarsgård may be harder to recognize, given he’s known for elaborate character transformations in spooky movies. In addition to playing the malevolent clown Pennywise in the 2017 adaptation of It and the 2019 sequel It: Chapter Two, the actor donned 60 prosthetics to portray Count Orlok in the 2024 vampire horror Nosferatu.
Hopefully his young children aren’t frightened by their father’s performances. The actor, 34, has two kids—a daughter born in 2019 and another in 2023 whose sex and name hasn’t been made public—with his partner, Alida Morberg.
While it’s clear he inherited Stellan’s performative genes, Bill has spoken about the life lessons he received from his father. “He did teach his kids to be good people and be nice. We should treat everyone, no matter who they are, the same. When I look at my brothers in the family that we have, it is true for all of us that we do right by ourselves and treat everyone right and just,” he said in 2020.
Eija Skarsgård
As the lone sister among her siblings, Eija Skarsgård embraces her position within the family. “During each of my wives’ subsequent pregnancies, my daughter would say, ‘I hope it’s not a girl.’ She’s very strong, stronger in many ways than the boys, and relishes her position,” Stellan told The Guardian in 2015.
Eija, 33, isn’t an actor like her brothers, but worked as a model and nightclub manager. She posts updates from her personal life—sometimes showcasing her family—on her Instagram account. Eija married her husband Zeke Tastas in 2019.
Valter Skarsgård
Valter Skarsgård, 29, has already built up his acting résumé with roles in the BBC series Black Lake and the horror mystery Katla on Netflix.
But his biggest challenge was portraying former NHL player Börje Salming in the 2023 biographical miniseries Börje—The Journey of a Legend. Valter underwent two years of preparation, learning to play ice hockey and adjusting his diet to alter his figure.
Valter told TV Insider he relied on his brothers for advice and comforting words. “I was training every day and working 17 hours a day, barely eating anything because I had to be slim down for the diet. It was very nice to have people who could understand the situation to lean on when it got tough physically and tough,” Valter said.
Ossian and Kolbjörn Skarsgård
The two youngest of the Skarsgård clan, Ossian (born in 2009) and Kolbjörn (2012) are already following in the footsteps of their father and half-brothers.
Ossian appeared with Bill in the 2022 Swedish drama Bränn Alla Mina Brev (Burn All My Letters). Meanwhile, Kolbjörn got his start even younger on the children’s science fiction show Kenny Starfighter and played a child version of criminal Clark Olofsson in the 2022 Netflix miniseries Clark.
The duo also appeared with their parents at the New York premiere of Dune: Part Two in February 2024.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
![a teenage boy holds golden trophy above his head with one hand](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/owen-cooper-accepts-the-outstanding-supporting-actor-in-a-news-photo-1757950768.pjpeg?crop=0.651xw:0.875xh;0.0561xw,0.0517xh&resize=360:* "Owen Cooper accepts the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie award for "Adolescence" during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, 2025")
