Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgard is a Swedish actor. He’s best known for his roles as vampire Eric Northman on the HBO series “True Blood,” Meekus in “Zoolander,” the title character in “The Legend of Tarzan,” Brad Colbert in the HBO miniseries “Generation Kill,” and Perry Wright in the HBO series “Big Little Lies,” for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. Take a look below for 26 more fun and interesting facts about Alexander Skarsgard.

1. Skarsgard was born in Stockholm, Sweden.

2. He is the eldest son of actor Stellan Skarsgard, and his first wife, My Skarsgard, a physician.

3. He has five younger siblings: Gustaf, Sam, Bill, Eija and Valter, and two half-brothers from his father’s second wife, Megan Everett.

4. A friend of his father, who was a director, gave Skarsgard his first film role when he was seven years old.

5. He played Kalle Nubb in “Ake and His Word.”

6. In 1989, the lead role in the Swedish television production “The Dog That Smiled” made him famous in Sweden at the age of 13.

7. Uncomfortable with being recognized, he quit acting for the next seven years.

8. At the age of 19, he applied to do his national service.

9. He served in the Swedish military for 18 months, in the “protect and hunt” unit that dealt with anti-sabotage and anti-terrorism in the Stockholm archipelago.

10. After completing his service in 1996, he left Sweden and attended Leeds Beckett University in England for six months.

11. He enrolled to study English but admits that he didn’t study much and “had a blast” instead.

12. After seven years away from acting, he started to consider it again.

13. In 1997, he enrolled in a theater course at Marymount Manhattan College and moved to New York City.

14. He returned to Stockholm after six months, but the time he spent studying theater showed him that he wanted to act.

15. Upon his return to Sweden, Skarsgard began picking up acting jobs, working in film, television and theatrical productions.

16. While on vacation in United States, he auditioned for and landed the role of Meekus in the 2001 film “Zoolander.”

17. He was named the Sexiest Man in Sweden five times.

18. He moved to Los Angeles in 2004, but continued to work in Sweden.

19. His break came when he was cast as Sergeant Brad “Iceman” Colbert in the HBO miniseries “Generation Kill.”

20. Skarsgard is a fan of Swedish football and supports Hammarby IF, a club based in Stockholm, his birth city.

21. In October 2010, he participated in “Bajen Aid” by donating several items he had autographed and auctioned to raise money for the Hammarby football club.

22. In July 2011, Skarsgard received an honorary degree from Leeds Beckett University, where he was formerly a student.

23. Skarsgard was the Ambassador for the American team for a walking With The Wounded fundraising event for wounded soldiers.

24. He trekked to the South Pole against Team UK and Team Canada.

25. A few days into the trek, it was decided that the competition part of the race would be cancelled due to hazardous terrain and weather conditions, so the teams combined forces and continued.

26. Alongside Prince Harry, West and several wounded soldiers, he successfully made it to the South Pole on December 13, 2013.