Tobias Santelmann is a German-born Norwegian actor who has built an impressive career spanning both Norwegian and international productions, earning particular acclaim for his portrayal of complex characters in period dramas, thrillers, and action films. Born in Germany but raised in Norway, Santelmann first captured widespread attention with his starring role in the 2012 biographical adventure film Kon-Tiki, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film, which dramatized Thor Heyerdahl's legendary 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean, showcased Santelmann's ability to embody real-life figures with depth and authenticity, establishing him as a rising talent in Scandinavian cinema.

Following the success of Kon-Tiki, Santelmann expanded his international profile by appearing in major Hollywood productions. He took on the role of a soldier in the 2014 action fantasy film Hercules, starring alongside Dwayne Johnson, and later appeared in the 2015 remake of Point Break. During this period, he also delivered a notable performance in the Norwegian television series The Heavy Water War (2015), which told the gripping true story of the Allied sabotage mission to disrupt Nazi Germany's nuclear ambitions during World War II. Santelmann's portrayal of a Norwegian resistance fighter demonstrated his range in historical drama and earned him further critical praise.

Santelmann achieved significant recognition for his recurring role in the British historical drama series The Last Kingdom, where he appeared from 2015 to 2018 as the character Haesten. The series, based on Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories novels, became a global hit on Netflix and introduced Santelmann to a much wider international audience. He continued to work steadily in Norwegian television, starring in the crime series Grenseland (2017) and the acclaimed drama Exit (2019–2023), the latter of which explored the dark underbelly of Norway's wealthy elite and became one of the country's most talked-about series.

The actor also took on roles in international co-productions, including the historical drama Atlantic Crossing (2020), which told the story of Norwegian Crown Princess Märtha during World War II, and the crime thriller series Those Who Kill (2021). In 2026, Santelmann reached a major career milestone when he was cast as the iconic Norwegian detective Harry Hole in the Netflix series Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole. The series, based on the best-selling novels by Jo Nesbø, placed Santelmann at the center of one of Scandinavia's most beloved literary franchises, and his portrayal of the troubled, brilliant investigator has been widely anticipated by fans of the books. With a career that seamlessly bridges Norwegian and international productions, Tobias Santelmann continues to be one of Norway's most versatile and accomplished actors, known for bringing intensity and nuance to every role he undertakes.