Nicolai Cleve Broch

Nicolai Cleve Broch (born 14 November 1975) is a Norwegian theatre and film actor. He rose to national fame playing one of the leading roles in the 2002 drama series Lekestue, which aired on NRK in 2002. He is also known for playing the protagonist in Buddy, a romantic comedy from 2003. Other major film credits include Uno, Uro and Den siste revejakta. More recently, Cleve Broch was nominated for an Amanda Award for his portrayal of World War II resistance fighter Gregers Gram in Max Manus. Often appearing alongside Aksel Hennie, the two have been referred to as "Norway's Ben Affleck and Matt Damon". Cleve Broch received his education at the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre from 1996 to 1999. He made his debut in the play Hjalmar og Frode. From 2005, Cleve Broch has been at Nationaltheatret, where he has portrayed Julian the Apostate in Henrik Ibsen's Emperor and Galilean. He has previously been employed at Oslo Nye Teater and Det Norske Teatret, where he has appeared in plays such as The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee. Cleve Broch was named "Theatre Talent of the Year" in 2002 by Dagbladet. Cleve Broch made his film debut in 1995, in the Swedish-Norwegian coming-of-age film Sebastian. In 2002, Cleve Broch became well known for playing Roger, a kindergarten teacher, on NRK's 2002 drama series Lekestue. Critics praised him for his "dreamlike charisma" and "expressive, awkward, body language", and he was nominated for an award in the category "Best male actor" in Gullruten for his performance. The following year, Cleve Broch got his big break in Buddy, a romantic comedy directed by Morten Tyldum. The film revolves around two friends, played by Cleve Broch and Aksel Hennie, and their ascent from being billboard hangers to getting their own segment in a popular talk show. According to Cleve Broch, "it was a challenge to make all the storylines affect my character and the way he sees things".