Alice Krige

Alice Maud Krige was born on June 28, 1954, in Upington, South Africa. Her father was a physician and her mother a clinical psychologist. She grew up in Port Elizabeth with her two brothers. Initially, Krige had no plans for an acting career, aspiring to be a dancer. She later pursued a degree in psychology and literature at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, graduating in 1975. During her studies, she enrolled in a drama class, which led to an honors degree in drama and a career change. Following her graduation, Krige moved to London, England, in 1975 to further her acting education.

Krige embarked on three years of study at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama. Her first professional acting appearance was a small television role in a 1979 BBC Play for Today. In 1980, she made her feature film debut as Sybil Gordon in the Academy-Award-winning film “Chariots of Fire” (1981). The same year, she appeared in the television adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” (1980). A notable early role was her dual performance as the avenging spirit in “Ghost Story” (1981). In 1981, Krige made her West End theatre debut in Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man,” for which she received a Plays and Players Award and a Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer.

Her career continued with diverse roles. During two seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company (1982-1983), she performed in productions such as “King Lear,” “The Tempest,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” and “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Krige gained significant recognition for her portrayal of the Borg Queen in “Star Trek: First Contact” (1996), earning a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1997. She reprised this role in “Star Trek: Voyager” (2001), “Star Trek: Lower Decks” (2021), and “Star Trek: Picard” (2023). Other notable film appearances include “Sleepwalkers” (1992), “Silent Hill” (2006), “Thor: The Dark World” (2013), and “Gretel & Hansel” (2020). She also starred in a recurring role in the HBO series “Deadwood” (2004) and produced the film “Jail Caesar” (2012). In 2004, Krige was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature from Rhodes University.