Nicolas Winding Refn (Danish: ; born 29 September 1970) is a Danish film director, screenwriter and producer. He is known for directing the Pusher trilogy (1996–2005), the fictionalised biographical film Bronson (2008), the adventure film Valhalla Rising (2009), the action drama film Drive (2011), the crime film Only God Forgives (2013), the psychological horror film The Neon Demon (2016), and the crime series Too Old to Die Young (2019). In 2008, Refn co-founded the Copenhagen-based production company Space Rocket Nation.
Refn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and raised partly in New York, United States. Refn's parents are Danish film director and editor Anders Refn and cinematographer Vibeke Winding. His half-brother is Kasper Winding, who has become a singer in Denmark. Refn has referred to himself as Jewish, though his geneaology indicates no recent Jewish heritage.
Refn has cited viewing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) as inspiration for his filmmaking career: