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Aug 28, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
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The cast of Vikings was in charge of bringing to life some of the most notable characters from history and legends, and many of these actors have become well-known names. In 2013, Michael Hirst brought the historical drama Vikings, which, even though wasn’t entirely historically accurate, gave the audience an idea of what some of the biggest names in Viking history did and their impact. Vikings aired from 2013 to 2020 for a total of six seasons, and though the final seasons weren’t as popular as the first ones, Vikings maintained its popularity until its final episode in late 2020.
Inspired by the sagas of legendary Norse figure Ragnar Lothbrok, Vikings follows him and his Viking brothers as they lead different raids. Ragnar goes from a farmer to a king, but as Vikings evolved, the series gradually shifted its focus to Ragnar’s sons and their own travels, especially Björn and Ivar. Vikings, then, followed the many battles and tragedies of Ragnar and his family, and the series counted on the talents of a cast that went through extensive training and more to bring these characters to life.
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Actor: Travis Fimmel was born in Echuca, Victoria, Australia, on July 15, 1979. Fimmel’s big break was playing Ragnar Lothbrok in Vikings, but before that, he starred in The WB’s series Tarzan in 2003, played a prison guard in the 2010 film The Experiment, and starred in the 2009 TV series The Beast, alongside Patrick Swayze. In 2016, Fimmel played Anduin Lothar in the live-action movie Warcraft, and led the sci-fi drama TV series Raised by Wolves in 2020.
**Notable Movies & TV Shows: **Tarzan (2003), Ivory (2010), *The Experiment *(2010), Warcraft (2016), Finding Steve McQueen (2019), Raised by Wolves (2020), Boy Swallows Universe (2024).
**Character: **Ragnar Lothbrok is a farmer who lives with his family in Kattegat and raids England with his Viking brothers. With time, Ragnar became a Viking warrior, a Jarl, and a king, and he was the father of some of the greatest Vikings in history.
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Actor: Katheryn Winnick was born in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, on December 17, 1977. Vikings was Katheryn Winnick’s big break, but before playing Lagertha, she had guest roles in a number of TV shows, such as House, Law & Order, Criminal Minds, and Nikita. The most notable one was her role in Bones as Hannah Burley, a war correspondent who becomes a love interest for Seeley Booth.
Winnick also played Chelse in Hellraiser: Hellworld, Sveta in Cold Souls, Lisa in Love & Other Drugs, and Laurie Chambers in The Dark Tower. In 2019, she starred as Christine Gavin in Netflix’s Wu Assassins, and she played Jenny Hoyt in the crime thriller series Big Sky.
**Notable Movies & TV Shows: **Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005), Cold Souls (2009), Love & Other Drugs (2010), Bones (2010), *The Dark Tower *(2017), Wu Assassins (2019), Big Sky (2020).
Character: Lagertha is a shieldmaiden, Ragnar’s first wife, and the mother of Bjorn and Gyda. Lagertha becomes Queen of Kattegat and continues to fight as a shieldmaiden until her shocking death.
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**Actor: **Clive Standen was born in Holywood, Northern Ireland, on July 22, 1981. Clive Standen’s big break was Vikings, and before playing Rollo, he played Private Carl Harris in the fourth series of modern Doctor Who and Archer in BBC One’s Robin Hood. Standen also played Colonel Knox in Patient Zero, Bryan Mills in the TV series Taken, Gabriel Taylor in Mirage, Anthony Lavelle in Council of Dads, and Andre Ford in The Morning Show.
**Notable Movies & TV Shows: ***Doctor Who *(2008), Robin Hood (2009), Patient Zero (2018), Taken (2017), Mirage (2020), Council of Dads (2020), The Morning Show (2023).
Character: Rollo is Ragnar’s brother, who, even though fights alongside his brother, is jealous of him and his accomplishments, living in his shadow. Rollo can’t be trusted and will betray Ragnar at any given chance, but he goes on to earn a place in history.
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Actor: Gustaf Skarsgård was born in Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden, on November 12, 1980. Gustaf Skarsgård’s big break was playing Floki in Vikings, and before that, he mostly starred in Swedish movies, TV shows, and plays. Since playing Floki, Skarsgård played Horst Dassler in 2023’s biographical sports drama Air, Hans Bethe in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Karl Strang in the TV series Westworld, and Merlin in Netflix’s TV series Cursed.
Notable Movies & TV Shows: Westworld (2018), Cursed (2020), Air (2023), Oppenheimer (2023).
Character: Floki is Ragnar’s best friend, Kattegat’s exceptional boatbuilder, and also the most eccentric resident. Floki is fiercely loyal to not only Ragnar but also the gods, which causes conflict between him and other Vikings.
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Actor: Alexander Ludwig was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on May 7, 1992. Despite starring in a variety of projects before playing Bjorn Ironside, Alexander Ludwig’s big break was Vikings. Before joining the series, Ludwig played Seth in Race to Witch Mountain and Cato in The Hunger Games. Ludwig played Lt. Roy Pearce in Midway, Dorn in Bad Boys For Life, Captain Andrew Jantz in Operation Christmas Drop, Rocko in Night Teeth, and St. Declan O’Brady in Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant. On TV, he played Ace Spade in the drama TV series Heels.
**Notable Movies & TV Shows: **Race to Witch Mountain (2012), *The Hunger Games *(2012), Grown Ups 2 (2013), Midway (2019), Bad Boys For Life (2020), Operation Christmas Drop (2020), Night Teeth (2021), Heels (2021), *Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant *(2023).
Character: Bjorn is the only son of Ragnar and Lagertha, who goes on to become a legendary Viking warrior, but also an enemy of his step-brother, Ivar the Boneless.
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**Actor: Alex Høgh Andersen was born in Slagelse, Denmark, on May 20, 1994. Alex Høgh Andersen’s big break was Vikings, and before playing Ivar the Boneless, he was part of different Danish short films, movies, and TV shows. Andersen voiced Hiro Hamada in Big Hero 6’s Danish version, as well as How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’s Eret. In 2021, he played Frederik in Netflix’s The Bombardment, and in 2023, he played Bjørn Jepsen in the TV series Those Who Kill.
**Notable Movies & TV Shows: ***The Bombardment *(2021), Those Who Kill (2023).
**Character: **Ivar the Boneless is the youngest son of Ragnar and Aslaug, but also the most violent and dangerous one. Ivar becomes a fierce Viking warrior despite his physical limitations, but he also becomes an enemy to fear.
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**Actor: **Jordan Patrick Smith was born in Fife, Scotland, on June 18, 1989. Jordan Patrick Smith’s break arrived when he played Andrew Robinson in the soap opera Neighbours, in 20019. In 2014, before joining Vikings as Ubbe, Smith played Cliff in Angelina Jolie’s biographical war drama Unbroken. After Vikings came to an end, Smith played William in the horror drama TV series Lovecraft Country.
**Notable Movies & TV Shows: **Neighbours (2009), Unbroken (2104), Lovecraft Country (2020).
Character: Ubbe is Ragnar and Aslaug’s oldest son. Ubbe fulfills Ragnar’s wish of exploring new lands, becoming one of the first Vikings to arrive in America (at least in the universe of Vikings).
Legendary Lives Behind Vikings
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John Kavanagh as The Seer: Kattegat’s oracle. John Kavanagh played Craig in Braveheart, Parmenion in Alexander, Cardinal Campeggio in The Tudors, and reprised his role as The Seer in Vikings: Valhalla.
**Alyssa Sutherland as Aslaug: **Ragnar’s second wife and mother of Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar. Alyssa Sutherland played Eve Copeland in the TV series The Mist, Belle Roberts in New Gold Mountain, and Ellie in the 2023 horror movie Evil Dead Rise.
George Blagden as Athelstan: an English monk and Ragnar’s best friend. George Bladgen played Grantaire in Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables, Louis XIV in the TV series Versailles, and Lenny in Black Mirror’s “Hang the DJ”.
Marco Ilsø as Hvitserk: Ragnar and Aslaug’s second son, who was very close to Ivar. Marco Ilsø played Frederik in The Model, Neb in The Islander, and Mads in the TV series Warrior.
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2013 - 2020-00-00
Vikings chronicles the legendary exploits of Ragnar Lothbrok and his Viking comrades. As Ragnar rises to power, becoming King of the Viking tribes, the series explores his devotion to Norse traditions and his familial connections, portraying him as both a warrior and a leader with divine lineage.