Lena Maria Jonna Olin, born on March 22, 1955, in Stockholm, Sweden, is a distinguished actress whose career spans over four decades, marked by acclaimed performances in both European and American cinema. The daughter of director Stig Olin and actress Britta Holmberg, she was immersed in the arts from a young age. Her early exposure to the craft led her to study acting at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school in Stockholm, where she was mentored by the legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. Olin made her screen debut with a small role in Bergman's film Face to Face in 1976, but it was her subsequent work with the master director that truly launched her career. After graduating, she joined the Royal Dramatic Theatre, appearing in stage productions before landing roles in Bergman's films Fanny and Alexander in 1982 and After the Rehearsal in 1984, establishing her as a formidable talent in Swedish cinema.

Olin's international breakthrough came in 1988 when she portrayed the free-spirited artist Sabina in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, based on the novel by Milan Kundera. Her performance earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, opening doors to Hollywood. She followed this with a critically acclaimed role as a traumatized Holocaust survivor in Enemies, A Love Story in 1989, which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This period also saw her work with director Sydney Pollack in Havana in 1990 and star alongside Gary Oldman in the noir thriller Romeo Is Bleeding in 1993, showcasing her versatility in both dramatic and genre films.

The 1990s and early 2000s solidified Olin's reputation as a character actress of remarkable depth. She appeared in Roman Polanski's occult thriller The Ninth Gate in 1999 and delivered a memorable performance as an abused wife in Chocolat in 2000, for which she received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. On television, she took on the iconic role of KGB agent Irina Derevko in the spy thriller Alias from 2002 to 2006, earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Her later film work includes roles in The Reader in 2008, Remember Me in 2010, and independent dramas like Maya Dardel in 2017 and The Artist's Wife in 2019.

In recent years, Olin has maintained a strong presence on television, starring as the matriarch in the drama series Riviera from 2017 to 2020 and playing a Nazi hunter in the series Hunters from 2020 to 2023. She also appeared in the Swedish sitcom Welcome to Sweden from 2014 to 2015, a show created by her son, August. Married to director Lasse Hallström since 1994, Olin continues to be a respected figure in the entertainment industry, admired for her ability to bring nuanced, complex characters to life across a wide range of genres. Her legacy as a Bergman protégé and an Academy Award-nominated actress remains firmly established.