Malin Akerman

Biography

Malin Maria Åkerman (born 12 May 1978), often anglicised to Malin Akerman, is a Swedish and American actress. She first appeared in smaller parts in both Canadian and American productions, including The Utopian Society (2003) and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004). Following a main role on the HBO mockumentary series The Comeback (2005), Akerman co-starred in the commercially successful romantic comedies The Heartbreak Kid (2007) and 27 Dresses (2008). She gained wider recognition for her role as Silk Spectre II in the 2009 superhero film Watchmen, for which she received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She had supporting and starring roles in the box office hits The Proposal (2009), Couples Retreat (2009), and Rampage (2018). Her performance in the comedy horror film The Final Girls (2015) garnered a Fangoria Chainsaw Award nomination. Akerman's other works include the critically acclaimed dramas I'll See You in My Dreams (2015) and To the Stars (2019). On television, she earned critical praise for her lead role on the ABC sitcom Trophy Wife (2013–2014). She was part of the main cast on the Adult Swim comedy series Childrens Hospital from 2010 to 2016, the Showtime drama series Billions from 2016 to 2019, and the Netflix drama series The Hunting Wives from 2025 onward. Apart from acting and modelling, Akerman had a brief music career in the early 2000s as the lead vocalist for alternative rock band the Petalstones, which released its debut studio album in 2005. She subsequently left the project to focus on her acting career. She has been married twice, first from 2007 to 2014 to Petalstones drummer Roberto Zincone, with whom she has a son, and, since 2018, to English actor Jack Donnelly. Akerman hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö alongside Petra Mede.

== Early life and education == Akerman was born in Stockholm on 12 May 1978, the daughter of aerobics teacher and part-time model Pia (née Sundström) and insurance broker Magnus Åkerman. When she was two, the family moved to Canada when her father was offered a job there. Four years later her parents divorced and her father moved back to Sweden. Both parents remarried, giving Akerman one half-brother and two half-sisters, including Jennifer Åkerman. After her mother remarried, they moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Her mother divorced again in Akerman's teenage years. She attended many different schools, including Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in St. Catharines, Ontario. She visited her father in Falsterbo during school breaks and talked to him regularly on the phone. She cites her parents as "supportive, positive influences" in her life. She was raised as a Buddhist. In her youth Akerman competed professionally in figure skating for ten years. Her mother introduced her to modelling while she was still in primary school. At age 16, she was discovered by Ford Models at the Pen Centre shopping mall in St. Catharines. She was signed to the agency and later won a contract with skincare company Noxzema. She soon moved to Toronto while attending North Toronto Collegiate Institute and later Dante Alighieri Academy. At the age of 18, inspired by the "helplessness" she sometimes felt during her childhood, she decided to become a child psychologist. She supported her education by modelling for television commercials and catalogue layouts. While studying for a year at York University in Toronto, she was simultaneously offered guest roles on television as a result of her exposure in commercials. She saw the acting roles as further opportunities to pay for her education but found herself enjoying acting, and later dropped out of school to become an actress. She moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to pursue acting full time.

== Career ==

=== Early roles (1997–2008) === Akerman made her acting debut on the Canadian science fiction series Earth: Final Conflict in 1997 in a smaller role as a robot. She originally landed a role on an MTV pilot with Rachel McAdams but the project was never picked up by the network. In 2000, she guest starred on Relic Hunter and had a smaller role in the American film The Skulls. The following year she made appearances on the series Doc, Twice in a Lifetime and Witchblade. In 2001 she moved to Los Angeles, California, in hopes of pursuing a broader acting career. At first, she worked as a waitress and stayed at a friend's house. In 2002 she received a role in the film The Utopian Society. The film was edited by Francesco Sondelli, guitarist for alternative rock band Ozono. Sondelli asked Akerman to help the band with song lyrics and later asked her to sing. Akerman subsequently became the band's singer, and they changed their name to the Petalstones. The band's debut album Stung was released in August 2005, but she eventually left to focus on her acting career. She described her singing as "sort of a self-made, self-taught, if-you-can't-hit-the-note-scream-it kind of thing".

In 2004, she got a small role in the film Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, but considered moving back to Canada as most of her auditions failed. She was then cast in a main role as Juna on the HBO television series The Comeback (2005), with Lisa Kudrow in the lead role. Kudrow played a former sitcom star who tried to restart her career. Akerman's appearance on the show garnered media attention and resulted in her being offered more roles. A year later, she guest starred on an episode of Love Monkey and two episodes of Entourage. Before the Entourage episodes aired, she landed a role in the 2007 comedy film The Brothers Solomon. The film was a box office bomb and received largely critical reviews. The same year, she also appeared in the films The Invasion, for which she was uncredited, and Heavy Petting. Akerman signed up for a role alongside Ben Stiller in the comedy film The Heartbreak Kid, directed by the Farrelly Brothers, in 2006. She played Lila, the newly wedded wife of Stiller's character. The film follows the couple's honeymoon in Mexico, where Stiller's character falls in love with another woman and realizes that the marriage was a mistake. A remake of the 1972 film of the same title, it was released in October 2007 to generally poor reviews, as critics deemed it "neither as daring nor as funny" as the directors' earlier films. Akerman's performance garnered more positive reviews; Desson Thomson of The Washington Post called her a "fabulous comic partner" to Stiller, while Roger Moore of Times Herald-Record asserted that she had outperformed him. The film grossed US$14 million in its opening weekend in the United States, and went on to gross US$127 million globally. In 2007, Akerman joined the cast of 27 Dresses, a romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher with Katherine Heigl in the lead role. The film follows Heigl's character Jane, who has always been the bridesmaid and dreams of her own wedding. Akerman played Jane's sister Tess. The film was shot during the summer of 2007, and was released in January 2008 to weak critical reception as it was considered "clichéd and mostly forgettable". The film was more successful commercially, with a gross of US$160 million. Akerman played the title role in Bye Bye Sally, a short film directed by Paul Leyden and based on Lisa Mannetti's short story Everybody Wins. The film premiered at the 2009 Newport Beach Film Festival.

=== Breakthrough with Watchmen (2009–2011) ===

In 2009, Akerman starred as Silk Spectre II in the superhero film Watchmen, an adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel of the same name. Directed by Zack Snyder, the feature film is set in an alternate reality in 1985 where a group of retired vigilantes investigate an apparent conspiracy against them. Snyder favoured Akerman over other more well-known actresses as he felt that they could not play such a serious part. Akerman rehearsed with "months of hardcore training" and went on a very strict diet. She wore a brunette wig, high heels and an uncomfortable latex costume, which provided little protection when performing stunts, and she often bruised herself during filming. Akerman stated that her character carries the emotion of the film as she is the only woman among several men. Premiering in February 2009, the film received generally favourable reviews,grossing US$185 million worldwide. Although Akerman was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film, critics were generally negative towards her acting. She also received nominations for a Teen Choice Award and two Scream Awards. In retrospect, she has stated that she struggled with her confidence while shooting the film and "felt way out of [her] league". Watchmen was the largest headlining project of her career at the time which she did not feel prepared for. She said, "I had no training and I was working with these fabulous theater actors who had all the training in the world. I definitely didn't feel worthy of being there." Akerman appeared in the 2009 romantic comedy film The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in the lead roles. Akerman played a supporting role as Gertrude, the ex-girlfriend of Reynolds' character. Although the film received mixed reviews, it went on to gross US$317 million worldwide. Also in 2009, Akerman starred in the comedy film Couples Retreat, opposite Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn. The film follows four couples as they travel to a tropical island resort for couples therapy. The film premiered in theatres in October 2009 and grossed US$34 million in its opening weekend in the United States, entering number one at the box office, and totalled US$171 million worldwide. Reception for the film was mainly negative, although Akerman's performance was met with more positive reactions. In 2010, Akerman co-starred as Annie in the Josh Radnor-directed comedy-drama film Happythankyoumoreplease As her character has alopecia, Akerman shaved off her eyebrows and wore a bald cap to cover her hair. She was originally offered a different part, but felt that she wanted to play Annie as it was different from her previous roles. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010 and received an audience award for Favorite U.S. Drama. Reviews from critics were polarized, but Akerman received praise. Later in 2010, she guest starred on the How I Met Your Mother episode "The Wedding Bride", and joined the cast of the Adult Swim comedy series Childrens Hospital. Playing the part of the promiscuous Dr. Valerie Flame, Akerman joined during the series' second season along with Henry Winkler. The series was originally a web series and Akerman accepted the role after viewing several webisodes. "It was totally up my alley, my kind of humor", she said of the series. The same year, she played a supporting role in the romantic comedy film The Romantics with Katie Holmes, Josh Duhamel and Anna Paquin. The film premiered in September 2010 on limited release to generally negative reviews.

In 2010, she starred in Sebastian Gutierrez's comedy film Elektra Luxx opposite Carla Gugino and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film is a sequel to 2009's Women in Trouble. Akerman played Trixie, an awkward drug store clerk who falls for Gordon-Levitt's character, who in turn is obsessed with Gugino's character, a retired porn star. Akerman was offered the role during a screening of Women in Trouble. The film premiered in March 2011 on limited release and received generally unfavourable reviews; critics dismissed it as a "bizarre sex comedy". Next, Akerman starred in the lead female role in the film The Bang Bang Club, which follows a group of young photojournalists in South Africa during the final stages of the apartheid. She played Robin Comley, a newspaper photo editor. The film premiered during the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival to mixed reviews from the press. In 2010, Akerman signed up for a part in newcomer Aaron Harvey's Catch .44, a drama-thriller film with Forest Whitaker and Bruce Willis in the male lead roles. The film was generally ignored by critics and movie goers alike.