Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen (born 3 July 1965) is a Danish actress whose first major role in an English-language film was a supporting role in The Devil's Advocate (1997). Her films include, Gladiator (2000), Mission to Mars (2000), One Hour Photo (2002), Basic (2003), The Hunted (2003), The Ice Harvest (2005), and Nymphomaniac (2014). She starred as Meredith Kane on the Starz TV series Boss (2011–2012) and was a lead character in the second season of The Following. She has joined the DC Extended Universe, appearing as Hippolyta in its films Wonder Woman (2017) and Justice League (2017).
Nielsen was born in Frederikshavn and grew up in the village of Elling, Denmark. Her father, Bent Nielsen, was a bus driver, and her mother was an insurance clerk, who also acted and wrote musical reviews. She was raised a Mormon. She began her acting career working alongside her mother on the local revue and variety scene. At 18, she traveled to Paris, France, where she worked as an actress and model, which led to further work and study in Italy—at drama school in Rome and in master classes with Lydia Styx, a teacher at Piccolo Teatro di Milano in Milan. She lived in Italy for many years before moving to the United States, where she still resides.