Frida Gustavsson

Frida Gustavsson is a Swedish actress and former model born on 6 June 1993. She is best known for portraying the Viking warrior Freydís Eiríksdóttir in the Netflix historical drama television series Vikings: Valhalla.

Gustavsson was born and raised in a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, to a mother who worked as a teacher and a father who worked as a salesman. During her childhood, she actively participated in athletics, competing as a runner, hurdler, and long jumper. She aspired to compete in the Olympics, but her athletic pursuits ended after she suffered a knee injury at the age of 14.

Her modeling career began after she was scouted at age 10 while at an IKEA with her father. She started local modeling work in 2008 and moved to Japan later that year to continue modeling. For the spring 2010 season, she became the fourth most requested model, following Kasia Struss, Liu Wen, and Constance Jablonski. She opened the Valentino Haute Couture fall 2012 show in Paris and walked in the 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. In 2013, she became the face of Maybelline, appearing in their advertisements and commercials.

Throughout her runway career, Gustavsson walked for numerous fashion houses, including Fendi, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Hermès, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren, and Versace. She appeared in advertising campaigns for brands such as Marc Jacobs, Jill Stuart, Anna Sui, H&M, Max Mara, Tiger of Sweden, Prada, and Nina Ricci. Her magazine appearances include covers and editorials for Elle, W, Numéro, L'Officiel, Crash, and the German, American, Italian, French, British, and Japanese editions of Vogue, including the March 2010 cover of German Vogue. In 2011, she won the Model of the Year award from Elle Sweden. After taking a five-year break from modeling, she returned to the runway for the Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring 2020 Show.

Alongside her modeling work, Gustavsson completed her education, graduating from St. Martins Gymnasium in Sundbyberg, Sweden, in June 2011. By 2014, she expressed a strong interest in transitioning to theater or film, having previously auditioned for the role of Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Gustavsson built her acting portfolio with a role in the first season of the 2019 fantasy drama series The Witcher, where she played Visenna, the mother of Geralt of Rivia. She subsequently starred as Freydís Eiríksdóttir in Vikings: Valhalla from 2022 to 2024.